Namasia District

Coordinates: 23°16′18″N 120°43′33″E / 23.271627°N 120.725906°E / 23.271627; 120.725906

Namasia
那瑪夏區
Mountain Indigenous District
Namaxia District [1]

Namasia District in Kaohsiung City
Country Taiwan
Municipality Kaohsiung City
Boroughs
List
  • 3 villages
Government
 • Type District government
 • District chief Dahu Istanda (Taiwan First National Party)
Population (January 2016)
 • Total 3,146
Namasia District office

Namasia District (Tsou language: Namasia; Chinese: 那瑪夏區; Hanyu Pinyin: Nàmǎxià Qū; Tongyong Pinyin: Nàmǎsià Cyu; Wade–Giles: Na4-ma3-hsia4 Ch'ü1), formerly Sanmin Township (三民鄉; Sānmín Xiāng), is a mountain indigenous district located in the northeastern part of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It is the second largest district in Kaohsiung after Tauyuan District.

Name

On January 1, 2008, the then-township (which then was a part of Kaohsiung County) was renamed from Sanmin to Namasia, as the name of Sanmin (taken from the Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People), was considered an overly political name. Rather, the name Namasia was chosen, as it is the name of a local river in the Tsou language, while its meaning is "better and better" in the Bunun language. The population of the township is majority Bunun with a substantial Tsou and Kanakanavu minority.[2]

History

During the period of Japanese rule, Namasia was grouped with Maolin District and Taoyuan District and classified as "Savage Land" (蕃地), which was governed under Kizan District of Takao Prefecture.

Geography

The district is mountainous and populated mainly by Taiwanese aborigines. Most residents are Christians.

The lowest point in the Qishan River valley is 430 meters above sea level; the highest is the peak of Mount Xinwangling (新望嶺), at 2,481 meters. The four main settlements upriver are Nangisalu (南沙魯), Maya (瑪雅), and Takanua (達卡努瓦) 1 & 2 .

There is plentiful wildlife: 29 mammal species, 97 bird species, 30 types of reptile, 16 amphibians, and 18 fishes. There are also 89 butterfly species.

Administrative divisions

Namasia District is divided into three urban villages:

Namasia District administrative divisions

Takanua Village
Maya Village
Nangisalu Village

Politics

On 29 November 2014, Dahu Istanda of Taiwan First Nations Party[4] was elected the first ever District Magistrate of Namasia.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Namasia District, Kaohsiung.

References

  1. ↑ "Glossary of Names for Admin Divisions" (PDF). placesearch.moi.gov.tw. Ministry of Interior of the ROC. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  2. ↑ "Yahoo奇摩新聞".
  3. ↑ Web, Namasia Township Office (2 December 2010). "Namasia Township Office Web".
  4. ↑ "UNPO: Taiwan: First Indigenous Political Party Founded".
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