Indigenous Mythology

The Origin Story of the Amis People Long, long ago, the sky and the earth were not clearly separated as they are now. Legend has it that in the beginning world, there was a brother and sister. They survived a great flood and became the ancestors of later humanity. After the floodwaters receded, the siblings came to a mountain. They didn't know if there were any other people in the world, nor if they were meant to become husband and wife. So, they devised various methods to try and determine if this was the will of heaven. One famous episode tells of them walking in different directions to observe each other's tracks, and also using grinding stones and stone mortars to divine for divine permission. Finally, they concluded that it was indeed fate arranged by heaven, and they became husband and wife. Later, they had children. These children gradually multiplied, eventually forming humankind. But what's truly interesting about this story isn't just the plot of 'siblings marrying and procreating humans'. In many indigenous creation myths, the great flood isn't simply a disaster. Instead, it acts as a dividing line: Before the flood was the old world; After the flood is the human world we inhabit now. And those who survived become the starting point between the new world and future generations. One more thing to note: The Amis people are widely distributed, and each tribe has its own traditions, so origin stories can vary greatly from region to region. Today's telling is just one version of the legend, not a belief held by 'all Amis people'.