Taiwan tribe opens witch school
Taiwan tribe opens witch school:
An aboriginal tribe in southern Taiwan has started a school for witches to preserve unique rituals in danger of vanishing as society modernises, an organiser said on Friday.
Witchcraft is an important part of the Paiwan tribe's cultural heritage, but the number of active practitioners has been dwindling fast, according to Wong Yu-hua, a social affairs official in Pingtung county.
'We are witnessing the disappearance of the ancient ritual. We are trying hard to preserve it,' she told AFP by telephone.
The Paiwan tribe, which numbers about 86,000 people, has less than 20 witches, down from more than 100 half a century ago as Christianity and other outside faiths take hold.