Archaeology & History

Discovery of 6,000-year-old skull confirms legend of lost tribe in Taiwan

By T.K. Randall
October 12, 2022

Image: Taiwan East Coast Mountain Range (2009)
Credit: Fred Hsu / CC BY-SA 3.0 (adapted) Stories of this legendary tribe - which consisted of a group of short, dark-skinned people who resided in the remote mountains - have been passed down the generations in Taiwan for centuries.

Up until now, no physical evidence had been found to confirm that they ever actually existed at all, but now, following an exciting new discovery by an international team of researchers from Australia, Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam, it looks as though this might all be set to change.

Unearthed in a cave situated in a remote mountainous region of the country, the discovery - which consists of a skull and femur bones dating back 6,000 years - appears to represent the first direct evidence that this legendary tribe was not simply a story but a real people that actually existed.An analysis of the remains has indicated that the shape of the bones is similar to that of the people who were once indigenous to parts of South Africa and the Philippines and that the individual they belonged to - thought to be a young woman - stood only 1.3 meters tall, seemingly confirming stories that the tribe was short in stature.

What the discovery doesn't do, however, is explain what might have befallen these people since there is no record of what happened to them and they no longer exist in Taiwan in the present day.

Some historical accounts suggest that they may have been wiped out thousands of years ago, but without concrete evidence it is impossible to say for sure.

Source: Phys.org

Tags: Taiwan