KETAGALAN
Excerpts from Wikipedia.org
Ketagalan (凱達格蘭族) are a Taiwanese aboriginal tribe originating in what is now the Taipei Basin. Their language has now become extinct.
On March 21 1996, the road in front of the Presidential Building was renamed from "Long Live Chiang Kai-shek" Road (介壽路) to Ketagalan Boulevard (凱達格蘭大道) by then-mayor of Taipei City, Chen Shui-bian, to commemorate this tribe. Traffic signs banning motorcycles and bicycles from that road were abolished at the same time.
Taipei Basin
Taipei Basin (臺北盆地/台北盆地) is a geographic region in northern Taiwan. It is the second largest basin in Taiwan. The basin is bounded by Yangmingshan to the north, Linkou mesa to the west, and the Ridge of Syue Mountains (雪山山脈) to the southeast. The shape of the basin is close to a triangle. The three vertices are Nangang, Hueilong of Sinjhuang, and Guandu of Beitou.
The main rivers in Taipei Basin include Danshui River, Keelung River, Tahan River, and Xindian River.
In the prehistoric era, Taipei Basin was home to Ketagalan tribes. Han Chinese did not settle in the region until the 18th century. Today, Taipei Basin is within the boundaries of Taipei City and Taipei County and is the largest metropolitan area in Taiwan.
Folklore: Legend has it that their forebears originally lived on another island. One day, a monster appeared on the island. Every night the monster would appear in the village, terrorizing the villagers. Accordingly, the villagers laid traps for the monster all around their homes and fields. The wounded monster was forced back into the mountains and the village was peaceful again for a while. But soon afterward the monster reappeared. Crazed by hunger, the monster reached into a hut and seized a child. The villagers lived in fear of being eaten by the monster and didn't dare sleep a wink. The villagers debated heatedly but no one could think of a way to deal with the monster. So with no other choice, it was decided that they must pack up and leave the island. Following an arduous sea voyage, they sighted land. The island they landed on was Taiwan. Many years later, the tribe was growing so one day the villagers agreed to draw straws. Those who drew long straws were permitted to remain living on the fertile plain while those drawing the short straws would have to move into the mountains. Thereafter, the villagers were separated into plain-dwelling and mountain-dwelling tribes.
