Tsou Women Pounding Millet

The Tsou people used to be called the Cao people. However, this was formally changed in 1988. They are mostly concentrated in Alishan (northern Tsou) and in the Sanmin Township in Kaohsiung County (southern Tsou). There are eight small villages in Alishan, which are divided into the Dabang and Tefuye tribes.
This picture is of the Dabang tribe during colonial times. The three women are pounding millet, which used to be the traditional staple food of Taiwan aborigines. In recent years this changed to rice under the influence of Han Chinese. Traditional millet is now only eaten during festival celebrations. After the millet is dried in the sun, it is beaten in a stone mortar with a wooden pestle, separating the outer shell from the edible portion. This was a common chore among aboriginal women.