FMA Chronicles

Filipino Martial Arts, Culture and People

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Frequently Crossing the Bashi Channel

Frequently Crossing the Bashi Channel

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Before the Europeans arrived in Southeast Asia, two closely related Austronesian island communities—the Tao (also known historically as the Yami) of Orchid Island (Pongso no Tao) off of southeastern Taiwan and the Ivatan of the Batanes archipelago (Home of the Winds) in the northernmost Philippines—developed an interconnected maritime civilization across the Bashi Channel. Spanning roughly 185 kilometers (100 nautical miles) of open water, this deep-water trench is dominated by the powerful, northward-flowing Kuroshio Current (the “Black Tide”), which flows at surface speeds up to 9.0 km/h. Ancient Chinese mariners feared this channel and named it as Wei-Lu—”the stream of no return”. [Recommend reading Mastering the Bashi Channel.]

Despite these formidable waters, the Tao and Ivatan maintained centuries of direct contact, eventually sharing a language family (the Batanic or Bashiic branch) that remains 60% to 80% mutually intelligible today. In this crucible of oceanic isolation and unpredictable typhoons, both societies continuously adapted and improved their ability to cross the channel safely and regularly. With their relationship, the Tao and the Ivatan were able to share information to improve their lives.

Direct Contact

For centuries (dating back over 1,000 to 3,000 years), ancient navigators paddled 12-meter, multi-plank wooden canoes (ipanitika) across 185 kilometers of turbulent open sea to trade, feast, compete in athletic trials, and intermarry.

The Trade Logistics: Orchid Island had no native cattle or natural gold, while Batanes lacked green nephrite jade. Tao seafarers paddled south to trade fine iron tools, gold ornaments, and raw jade for cured Batanes cowhide armor, agricultural seeds (like the Chinese yam), and gold bullion.

This regular crossing created an active, bidirectional cultural umbilical cord across the Bashi Channel that lasted until a conflict and colonial borders separated the islands roughly 300 years ago.

Sharing a Language Family

All other 15+ indigenous tribes on mainland Taiwan (such as the Amis, Atayal, and Paiwan) speak Formosan languages, which represent the most ancient, primitive branches of the entire Austronesian language tree. However, the Tao people of Orchid Island are the only indigenous group in Taiwan who do not speak a Formosan language.   Instead, the Tao language belongs directly to the Batanic (or Bashiic) subgroup of the Malayo-Polynesian branch. This linguistic family tree includes:

  • Tao / Yami (spoken on Orchid Island, Taiwan)
  • Itbayaten (spoken on Itbayat Island, Batanes, Philippines)
  • Ivatan (spoken on Batan and Sabtang Islands, Batanes, Philippines)
  • Ibatan (spoken on the Babuyan Islands, Philippines)

I was surprised to learn that the language of Orchid Island is actually a Philippine language sub-branch.

In linguistics, “mutual intelligibility” means that two people can speak their own native languages to one another and understand the vast majority of what is being said by the other without needing a translator or taking formal language lessons. Imagine an Italian language speaker talking to a Spanish language speaker —they might miss a few slang words, but they can easily grasp the core message. That is 60% to 80% mutual intelligibility in action.

The Evidence in Vocabulary

Look at how identical core survival words remain across the Bashi Channel:

ConceptIvatan (Batanes)Itbayat (Batanes)Tao / Yami (Orchid Island)
Person / HumanTaoTaoTao
EyeMataMataMata
WaterRanumRanumRanum
Sea / OceanTawHawaTaw
HouseVahayVahayVahay / Yami
YamUbiUbiUvi
BoatTatayaTatayaTatara

Real-World Proof

The 1982 Encounter: When anthropologist Dezso Benedek brought a Tao man named Si Mogaz to Batanes in 1982, Si Mogaz was astonished to find he could converse naturally with Itbayat locals in his mother tongue. In fact, he ended up marrying an Itbayat woman named Lita and brought her home to Orchid Island.

When you hear that the Tao and Ivatan share a 60% to 80% mutually intelligible Batanic language, it is living proof that culture and kinship are stronger than ocean currents or artificial colonial maps. Though empires drew lines in the water 300 years ago, the shared vocabulary of these seafaring ancestors preserved their connection until modern warriors could paddle back across the tide.

Sharing Food

The 2026 Reconnecting Voyage: When 20 Tao paddlers rowed their hand-built canoe Ovayan across the Bashi Channel in June 2026, over 300 Ivatan residents welcomed them at Mahatao Port. The Tao voyagers noted that they spoke directly with their Ivatan hosts and that the celebratory feast served to them tasted “90 percent similar” to the traditional food back on Orchid Island.

The Tao and Ivatan people shared more than language and food.  Because both Orchid Island and Batanes sit right in “Typhoon Alley” and face brutal seasonal storms, both societies abandoned delicate above-ground crops in favor of hearty, wind-proof root crops. In both cultures, these tubers serve as the primary caloric backbone of every meal.

  • Taro (Soli in Tao / Sudi in Ivatan): Cultivated in wetland terraces and coastal plains, taro is the ultimate comfort staple for both groups. Traditional marriage eligibility for a woman in both cultures historically required her to be proficient at taro farming.
  • Yams (Uvi in Tao / Uvi or Ubi in Ivatan): Both communities rely on various species of yam (such as Dioscorea alata and sweet potatoes).
  • The Chinese Yam Trade: According to oral history and historical records, Ivatan mariners specifically introduced Chinese yam seeds (Dioscorea polystachya) and cultivation methods to Orchid Island during open-ocean trade voyages. This nutrient-dense, storm-resistant tuber quickly became a staple for surviving the lean winter months

An important source of animal protein for both the Tao and Ivatan is the flying fish (sosowon / papatawan in Tao; dibang / patawen in Ivatan). Brought north every spring by the warm Kuroshio Current, the flying fish dictates the entire social, spiritual, and agricultural calendar for both islands:

  • The Rayon Season: Both cultures divide their year into three distinct seasons using identical terminology, centered on the flying fish: Rayon (the sacred spring flying-fish season), Teyteyka (the end of the season in autumn), and Amiyan (the storm-ravaged winter period without flying fish).
  • Preservation Techniques: Because fresh fish spoils quickly in the tropical heat, both Tao and Ivatan sun-dry and smoke flying fish on wooden racks to store for the storm season.
  • Strict Culinary Taboos: Both groups observe identical ancestral rules regarding flying fish:
    • Flying fish must never be cooked or mixed with other fish species.
    • Flying fish must be prepared whole rather than chopped into small pieces.
    • Dried flying fish must be hung in a specific vertical alignment, and any dried fish remaining uneaten by the end of autumn (Amiyan) must be discarded and never consumed.

Beyond flying fish, both islanders hunt larger deep-sea pelagics—most notably the Mahi-mahi or Dolphinfish (arayu or dorado)—which migrate alongside the flying fish shoals.

Through cross-channel trade, Ivatan fishermen shared specialized hook-making technologies (ayos in Tao, yuyus in Ivatan) with Tao anglers. These barbless, rounded hooks were specifically engineered to keep pelagic fish alive in the water after being caught so the meat would not spoil during long rowing journeys home.

Rituals Before a Meal

For these seafaring ancestors, preparing a meal wasn’t just a kitchen task; it was a sacred ritual. Before a single flying fish can be eaten, both communities hold a Summoning Ceremony at their beach ports (mivanwa in Tao, mayvanuvanua in Ivatan).  Men don traditional loincloths and gather on the shore to slaughter a chicken or pig, smearing the sacrificial blood onto rounded beach stones while chanting prayers to bless the fishing boats, appease the ocean spirits (anito), and ensure a bountiful harvest

From underground taro patches built to withstand hurricane winds to dried flying fish prepared under sacred taboos, the culinary DNA of Orchid Island and Batanes proves that these two island communities were nurtured by the exact same sea.

Sources:

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