The Saisiyat are plains Aborigines and had early contact with Han immigrants coming to Taiwan in the 18th and 19th centuries. As time passed, the Saisiyat adapted various Chinese religious beliefs as part of their spiritual world view. Numerous shrines and temples can be found in the region.
Back in Sanmin, Silan laughs when asked if he plans on gobbling down turkey for Christmas dinner. "We eat food from the mountain," he said. "This generally takes the form of mountain vegetables and mountain pig."
Silan says his tribe follows the tradition of Christmas caroling, though it is a little different than what is found in the city. "Our believers are spread out over a wide area," he said. "So part of my responsibility is to drive children around to different households to sing Christmas carols," he said.
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