Namasia District

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

Namasia 那瑪夏區
Mountain Indigenous District
Namaxia District [1]
Namasia District in Kaohsiung City
Country	Republic of China
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 (Chinese: 三民鄉; pinyin: Sānmín Xiāng), is a mountain indigenous district located in the northeastern part of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. It is the second largest district in Kaohsiung City 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 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 (旗山郡) 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:

• Nangisalu Village (南沙魯里)
• Maya Village (瑪雅里)
• Takanua Village (達卡努瓦里)^[3]

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

• 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. 原鄉「那瑪夏」正名成功 高縣三民鄉今走入歷史-Yahoo!奇摩新聞
3. http://namasia-en.kcg.gov.tw/namasia-en/CP.aspx?s=2742&cp=1&n=12821
4. http://unpo.org/article/15266

External links

• Namasia District Office, Kaohsiung City

1. "Glossary of Names for Admin Divisions" (PDF). placesearch.moi.gov.tw. Ministry of Interior of the ROC. Retrieved 12 June 2015.