By T.K. Randall
October 12, 2022 · 21 comments
The long-lost tribe lived high up in Taiwan’s remote mountains. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 Fred Hsu
The find seems to prove the existence of a long-rumored ancient indigenous tribe that lived thousands of years ago.
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 years.
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 bones resembled those of the people indigenous to South Africa and in 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 by the new inhabitants of the country, but without concrete evidence it is impossible to say for sure.
Source: Phys.org | Comments (21)
