The Tsou is a patrilineal tribe and traditionally there were clear distinctions in the types of work performed by both genders. The women took care of the home and the fields including the raising of pigs and other animals. The men hunted and fished and were responsible for defending the tribe and making political decisions. To be able to carry out their responsibilities, young males received training in hunting and warring, as well as learned of the history and traditions of the tribe in the "kuba" (pronounced koo ba) or men's meeting hall, a hut-like structure built from wood and straw.

Major ceremonies, such as the Mayasvi (Warring Ceremony), center in and around the kuba. The Mayasvi takes place in mid February and the venue rotates among the Alishan villages of Dabang and Tefuye, the two villages with traditional kubas. This originally was a ceremony to honor the gods and to welcome the return of warriors, as well as to recognize important achievements such as the construction of a house. However, during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan (1895-1945), the Japanese discouraged warring by the indigenous tribes and any references to it. Thus, this ceremony was transformed into an annual millet festival. In its current form, the Mayasvi consists of two days of singing by the tribal males to honor the tribal deities, coming-of-age celebration and the blessing of newborn males.

The ceremony begins by welcoming the gods. First, torches are brought to the kuba. Then, a wild boar is sacrificed in front of a spirit tree, a Ficus that stands next to the kuba. Tree branches are trimmed to allow the gods to descend from heaven as tribesmen sing a welcome hymn. Different families offer pork, rice cakes, and millet wine to symbolize tribal unity. The ritual finishes with the gods returning to heaven, accompanied by more songs. After that, the women may join in the singing outside the kuba. One of the taboos associated with the kuba is that women must never enter or even touch the structure. Newborn boys are brought into the kuba for the first time during the Mayasvi, while older boys undergo a rite of passage to remind them of the responsibilities of impending adulthood.

During major ceremonies, the Tsou are dressed in traditional regalia. The men wear headdresses consisting of a red headband lined with shells and adorned with the fur of the black bear and feathers. This can be placed over a leather cap. Shells can also be seen on the remaining regalia and the legs are covered with pieces of leather. The use of shells points to the once large traditional activity areas of the Tsou, from the deep mountains (elevations of 1,000 meters) to the western coast. The traditional use of leather made from animal hides is a testament to the strong hunting culture of the Tsou and the use of all parts of an animal, allowing none of its resources to go to waste. The females of the tribe wear brightly colored clothing including diamond-shaped chest piece, skirt and leggings, as well as a headdress.

In Alishan, the Tsou tribe is the pillar of cultural tourism. There are eight Tsou villages in the scenic area: Laiji, Dabang, Tefuye, Shanmei, Sinmei, Lijia, Chashan and Leye. Each of the villages has developed a characteristic theme upon which to center its community development and tourism promotion efforts. For example, Laiji Village has taken the wild boar as its theme. Traditionally, the wild boar was a very important source of animal protein for Taiwan's indigenous peoples and its tusks were used as armbands to decorate courageous and skilled Tsou warriors. In addition, it was during a hunt for wild boar long ago that Laiji was discovered. Local artist Fuzu Hamowana runs a studio in Laiji and specializes in producing wood carvings of this animal. She also helped to create some of the large wild boar stone carvings and paintings placed around the village. From Fuzu Hamowana's studio, Tashan comes into view. This is the Tsou'存 sacred mountain and it is thought that the spirits of the tribe'存 ancestors reside here.

Fuzu Hamowana is also a village tour guide. She takes visitors along two major hiking routes. One of them leads to Titanic Rock, named for its shape苖he bow of a ship as it rises out of the water just before sinking. The only difficult part of this hike is a steep rock face that must be climbed with the help of ropes put in place for this purpose. The other leads to a grove of old trees and to several caves, but at about two hours takes more than double the time of the Titanic Rock trail.

During firefly season (March to May), ecotour guides, often owners of homestays in which tourists to the village spend the night, take visitors to the best firefly watching areas and explain the firefly life cycle and ecology.

One of the most successful examples of an ecotourism destination operated solely by an indigenous community in Taiwan is the Danayigu Ecological Park, in the Tsou village of Shanmei. The river waters and fish in this area were once threatened by the rapid development of tea plantations on nearby slopes and highway construction. This area is now protected and as a tourist destination offers visitors the opportunity to understand ecology and the importance of preserving ecosystems.

Among the Tsou, traditional art forms include rattan weaving and leather making. Rattan weaving had almost disappeared but efforts by the remaining masters of this craft to teach a new generation of artists appears to be gaining ground. In terms of leather crafting, there is not much need for tanning of animal hide to create clothing, thus leather is now hand engraved and hand painted to create handbags, name card holders, wallets, necklaces, earrings and other accessories.

In each of the Tsou villages in the Alishan National Scenic Area, there are artist workshops producing crafts that have cultural meaning but that fit well into any modern home or lifestyle. The artists in these workshops will be quick to tell you that the Tsou have come to the contemporary indigenous handicrafts industry quite late when compared with the Paiwan, Amis or other tribes. But, it is perhaps that lateness that brings about the advantages of innovation and an understanding of modern needs. For more information about Taiwan's indigenous arts and handicrafts, go to www.tribe-asia.com