The Kavalan ("People living in the plain") are an indigenous people of Taiwan, part of the larger Taiwanese aborigine ethnic group. The Kavalan originally inhabited in Yilan County. Most of them moved to the coastal area of Hualian County and [Taitung County]] in the 19th century.
They were referred as Kavalan 36 tribes (蛤仔難三十六社) although there were more than 60 tribes. In the past, tribes north of the Lanyang River were called Sishihfan (西勢番) while those south of the river were Dongshihfan (東勢番).
The earliest record of Kavalan in history was in 1632, when a Spaniard ship went astray to this area by a typhoon. More clear record came in 1650 by Dutch East India Company (VOC)
Han Chinese tried to settle in the area as early as 1768. However, the settlement did not succeed until 1796, when Wusha (吳沙) established the first village (now Toucheng). Sooner later, much more Han Chinese entered this area and the life of Kavalan was forced to change. Many of them moved to Beipu (in Hualian County) between 1830 and 1840.
Currently, the largest settlement of Kavalan is Sinshe Village in Fongbin, Hualian .
- Note: Kavalan is also a previous name of Yilan.
