The main indigenous tribes in Nantou are the Bunun, Atayal, Saidiq, Thao and Tsou. These tribes are distributed throughout the northern and central Nantou, they are the important foundations of early mountain developments in Nantou.
The Bunun
Most of the Bunun tribes are located in Xinyi Township, and they have formed an inseparable connection with Yushan Mountain, where their ancestor lived and roamed through the mountain from generations to generations.
The Atayal
The Atayal tribes are spread across from Renai Township in Nantou to the north-central mountainous area of Datong Township in Yilan. Major tribes include the Meiyuan tribe, the Hongxiang tribe, the Ruiyan tribe, the Cifeng tribe, the Lixing village Mareba tribe, the Cuiluan tribe of Cuihua village, the Wanda tribe and the dear tribe of Liao village. The Atayal people have legends about the first ever Atayal was born from a rock at the Ruiyan tribe of Faxiang Village in Nantou.
The Saidiq
The Saidiq people mainly distributed in Ren-ai Township, with popular tribes such as, the Qingliu tribe, the Central Plains tribe, Nanfeng village, Wushe tribe, Datong village, Chunyang village, Lushan tribe, Jingli village, Duda village tranquil tribe, Pinghe tribe , Hezuo Village Life Tribe, Jingguan Tribe, Darling Village Pine Forest Tribe.
The Thao
The Thao tribes is mainly distributed in Yuchi Township and Shuili Township. According to legend, the ancestors of the Thao people moved to Sun Moon Lake after chasing a white deer tirelessly into the lake. The Thao are also famous for their Chuge and Chuyin music.
The Tsou
The Tsou population is mainly distributed in Chiayi County. The Tsou tribes living in the Jumei tribe of Wangmei Village in Xinyi Township is the only Tsou community in Nantou County. This tribes belongs to the Northern Tsou Luhtu community.
