Indigenous Names: From Personal Names to "Dou" and "Feng," How Names Record Relationships

30-Second Overview: The Guidelines for the Use of Traditional Names by Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples, released in 2025, categorize the traditional naming systems of the 16 recognized tribes into five structures. The part of a name following the personal name may be a patronymic, matronymic, clan name, house name, or a title that changes upon the birth of a child. Rare Han surnames among the Saisiyat, such as "Dou," "Feng," "Ri," and "Si," preserve the history of clan names after they entered the Han-style household registration system. When reading these names, do not rush to split them into "surname + personal name"; more importantly, identify which kinship, house, and tribal relationships they are pointing to. ¹

Before his son Lanboan was born, he was called Si Nozayin. After his son Lanboan was born, he changed his name to Syaman Rapongan, meaning "Father of Lanboan." Names here are not fixed labels, but a way a person is called anew by family as they move through different life stages. ²

Look again at the "Feng" surname among the Saisiyat. It may appear to be a rare Han surname, but behind it lies the baba:i clan, kinship cooperation, the ancestral spirit festival groups, and marriage taboos. If one views it merely as a "rare character," one misses an entire history where clan systems intersected with household registration. ^{3 4}

Look First at Who the Name Points To, Not for the Surname

Taiwan’s Indigenous peoples do not have a single rule shared by all tribes that places "surname first, personal name second." The five naming systems organized in the current guidelines serve as a map for understanding structure, not as a template to be applied to every individual. Practices within the same tribe may also vary by region, family, and contemporary choices. ^{1 2}

📝 Curator’s Note: Han-style names tend to ask first, "What is your surname?" Indigenous traditional naming systems often answer a different question: Whose child are you? From which house do you come? Which clan are you connected to? What stage of life are you currently in?

The Council of Indigenous Peoples summarizes the traditional naming systems of the 16 tribes into the following five types. The same two- or three-part sequence may carry entirely different social meanings when applied to different tribes. ²

Miru, Kaliting, Pacidal: Each Segment of the Name Says Something Different

In the name of Atayal artist Miru Hayung, Miru is the personal name and Hayung is the patronymic. Official introductions note that Miru relates to painting and studying, while Hayung can refer to the pine tree. This is an example of a personal name linked to a kin name. ²

Amis singer and host Ado’ Kaliting Pacidal has three coordinates: Ado’ is the personal name, Kaliting is the mother’s name, and Pacidal is the clan name. Data from the Council of Indigenous Peoples explains that Pacidal means "sun" and is connected to the clan’s guardian deity. ²

In the Paiwan name Ljaucu・Zingrur, Zingrur is the house name. House names can identify the household to which a person belongs and may involve house inheritance and social hierarchy. In cases such as leaving the main house or inter-tribal marriage, house names among the Paiwan, Rukai, and Puyuma may also be adjusted. ^{1 2}

In the Bunu writer Tulbus Tamapima’s name, Tamapima is the clan name. Records from the Council of Indigenous Peoples note that in daily interactions, people are often addressed by their personal names. The clan name is only fully spoken in contexts such as initial meetings or marriage negotiations where marriage taboos need to be confirmed. Thus, the name simultaneously preserves the boundaries between whom one can interact with and whom one cannot marry. ²

"Dou" and "Feng" Are Not Rare Characters: Clan Clues in Saisiyat Han Surnames

Saisiyat society is based on patrilineal clans. The Council of Indigenous Peoples points out that there are 18 clans, each with its own name, and naming materials can be drawn from flora, fauna, natural phenomena, and physical bodily phenomena. These clans form mutual aid groups, festival groups, and inter-clan relationships, observing specific marriage taboos. ³

During the Qing dynasty, the Saisiyat clan system encountered Han surname concepts. Clan names, through phonetic translation or selection of characters based on original meaning, gradually formed Han surnames such as Dou, Zhao, Zhu, Feng, Gao, Pan, Qian, Gen, Zhang, Xia, Xie, Ri, Si, Xiong, Hu, Chan, Shi, Xue, and Mo. Later, some characters were rewritten as Jie, Hu, and Zhan. These characters are clues left by clan names entering Han-style registration and should not be directly used as tools to determine individual clan affiliation. ³

View more: Saisiyat Distribution Diagram on the Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Name Recovery Information Network

Figure: Saisiyat distribution diagram from the Council of Indigenous Peoples’ "Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Name Recovery Information Network." This diagram only marks the tribal context under discussion and does not represent any individual’s name, family, or clan identity. ⁵

The Council of Indigenous Peoples’ page on Saisiyat traditional names notes that 14 clans can correspond to 18 major Han surnames; in modern efforts to recover traditional names, many people link clan names afterward. The page uses Obay・Ataw・Hayawan as an example: Obay is the personal name, Ataw is the father’s name, and Hayawan is the clan name; the ha sound in Hayawan is similar to "Xia" (Summer), explaining one source of the Xia surname. ⁵

View more: Saisiyat Figure Clothing Diagram on the Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Name Recovery Information Network

Figure: Saisiyat figure clothing diagram from the Council of Indigenous Peoples’ "Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Name Recovery Information Network." This image is embedded to supplement tribal context and does not use clothing, appearance, or Han surnames as criteria for identifying individual ethnicity. ⁵

Why Does One Clan Leave Several Han Surnames?

A 2019 study based on 2013 household registration data organized the correspondence between some Saisiyat "clan names—Han surnames" into quantifiable data. The study refers to the initially corresponding characters as "primary surnames" and subsequent different character forms as "derived surnames." This is an analytical tool for the study, suitable for looking at registration history, but cannot replace the recognition of tribes, families, or household administration for specific cases. ⁷

⚠️ Data Reading Reminder: The year in the table above is 2013, and the data source is a 2019 study, not current population statistics. The value of the table lies in presenting the structure that "one clan can correspond to multiple Han surnames," not in using numbers to draw conclusions about anyone’s identity. ⁷

"Dou" and "Feng" are worth writing about not because they are rare, but because they pull a seemingly single-character surname back into the long history of clans, marriage norms, ancestral spirit festival groups, and multiple changes in household registration systems.

From Qing Dynasty to "He-xing" to Single-List Indigenous Names: How Did the Naming System Reach Today?

Indigenous names were not redesigned on a blank form. The options on today’s ID cards carry layered traces left by different regimes, different household registration systems, and the Indigenous movement. ^{7 8}

Law Handles Registration; Culture Handles Relationships

The current Name Act explicitly states that Indigenous name registration follows cultural customs, may use Indigenous script, and may be listed parallel to Chinese names or Han names. After the 2024 amendment, Indigenous script can be listed singly as a name. If a name is changed according to cultural customs and not due to personal factors, it is not counted in the general number of name changes. ^{8 10}

However, regulations do not reduce clan knowledge to a checkable menu. The "Operational Guidelines for Taiwan Indigenous Peoples to Recover Traditional Names and Correct Names" from household administration stipulate that one may apply to recover Chinese or Indigenous script traditional names, list Indigenous script in parallel, and correct surnames and parents’ names. For situations such as kinship surname inconsistencies caused by initial household registration after the Liberation, applicants may provide data such as Japanese colonial era household census books or initial household registration copies. If no Japanese colonial era household census book exists, two or more related elder kin may provide proof. ⁹

The importance of these procedures lies in this: a rare Han surname or Indigenous word cannot alone serve as proof of naming qualification. Whether a traditional name conforms to cultural customs must still return to the context of ethnicity, family data, tribal knowledge, and household administration verification. When doubts arise, household administration practice may invite experts or elders of that tribe to assist in confirmation. ^{1 9}

The Dot Is Presentation; Relationships Are the Rule

The "・" is often seen as a hallmark of Indigenous names, but it is merely a presentation method. Household administration practice generally respects the individual’s choice to use dots or spaces for segmentation. More importantly, the arrangement of names should conform to the cultural customs of the tribe to which the individual belongs, rather than catering to observers’ imaginations of "what an Indigenous name should look like." ^{9 10}

Recovering traditional names is not rewinding history. Japanese colonial era and post-war household registration, inter-tribal marriage, migration, and long-term use of Han names have all made each family’s path back to traditional naming systems different. Researchers compiled the Indigenous Peoples’ Name Dictionary precisely to provide traceable data for families that have lost clues. Ultimately, how to name must still respect tribal knowledge and individual choice. ^{7 11}

The person behind the name may be the father, mother, eldest son, clan, or house. When readers see that "Dou" and "Feng" are not just rare Han characters, but a compressed map of relationships, the rules for arranging Indigenous names truly begin to develop.

Further Reading

Further Reading: Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Name Recovery Information Network, Guidelines for the Use of Traditional Names by Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples, Operational Guidelines for Taiwan Indigenous Peoples to Recover Traditional Names and Correct Names.

Image Sources

• Saisiyat Distribution Diagram — Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Name Recovery Information Network, embedded on the SaySiyat Saisiyat page; this article only embeds via HTTPS hotlink, without downloading or saving the image.
• Saisiyat Figure Clothing Diagram — Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Name Recovery Information Network, embedded on the SaySiyat Saisiyat page; this article only embeds via HTTPS hotlink, without downloading or saving the image.

References