A school reborn to carry Puyuma culture forward.
This school's history reaches back to 1896, when it was founded as a branch of the Taitung Japanese-Language Training Institute serving the Peinan community — the Puyuma people of Nanwang. That makes it the beginning of formal modern education for Indigenous peoples in eastern Taiwan. It was renamed "南王國民學校" in 1968, and in 2017 was reborn once more as "南王Puyuma花環實驗小學" — the Nanwang Puyuma Wreath (Flower-Garland) Experimental Elementary School — a deliberate transformation that placed Puyuma culture and language at the center of its identity and curriculum. "Puyuma" is the name of the Nanwang tribe itself, meaning "unity" or "gathering," and the floral wreath referenced in the school's name is a signature element of traditional Puyuma dress. The school today offers instruction in the Nanwang Puyuma language, making it a living center of Indigenous heritage rather than simply a place that teaches about it.
本校歷史可追溯至1896年,最初以「臺東國語傳習所」分教場之姿,服務卑南(南王)部落。這標誌著臺灣東部原住民族現代正式教育的起點。學校於1968年更名為「南王國民學校」,2017年再度轉型為「南王Puyuma花環實驗小學」——這次的更名並非形式上的改變,而是刻意將卑南族文化與語言置於學校認同與課程核心的重大轉向。「Puyuma」正是南王部落的自稱,意為「團結」、「聚集」;校名中的「花環」則是卑南族傳統服飾中極具代表性的元素。學校目前開設南王卑南語教學課程,使其不只是「教授」原住民文化的場所,而是原住民文化真正生活與傳承的中心。
What makes this school worth knowing.
🌺 A Name That Carries Meaning
「花環」與「Puyuma」的深意
"Puyuma" is the Nanwang tribe's own name for itself, meaning "unity" or "gathering," while the floral wreath in the school's name is a signature element of traditional Puyuma dress — the school's very name is a statement of cultural identity.
🗣️ Puyuma Language in the Classroom
南王卑南語教學
The school offers dedicated instruction in the Nanwang Puyuma language, actively working to keep the language alive for a new generation of students.
🏛️ The Oldest School Lineage in the City
臺東市歷史最悠久的學校血脈
Tracing back to 1896, this is the oldest continuously-descended school in Taitung City, marking the very beginning of formal modern education for Indigenous peoples in eastern Taiwan.
🔄 A 2017 Reawakening
2017年轉型為實驗小學
The school's 2017 relaunch as an experimental school was a deliberate choice to make Puyuma culture and language the organizing center of the entire curriculum, not an add-on to it.
A living center of Puyuma Indigenous culture.
As the oldest continuously-descended school in this part of Taitung City, this school stands as a living center of Puyuma Indigenous culture — its 2017 renaming and curriculum directly embody the Puyuma heritage central to Taitung City's Indigenous identity, rather than treating that heritage as a subject to be studied from the outside. See the schools directory for more Taitung County listings.
Find the school.
No. 726, Gengsheng N. Rd., Taitung City, Taitung County 950, Taiwan
950臺東縣臺東市更生北路726號
School's Official Website (Chinese) ↗
Last updated: July 2026 · Content adapted and condensed from the school's official Chinese-language website by the Taiwan Bilingual Hub team, not yet reviewed by the school. If you're from Nanwang Puyuma Wreath Experimental Elementary School and would like to correct or expand this page, please contact us.