Each clan has its own karumaan. Launching a freshly constructed boat is one of the most important occasions of Yami sea-going life. The Yami live on Orchid Island, or Lanyu, a small island lying in the Pacific Ocean 60 kilometers southeast of Taiwan. Evidence shows that the Yami reached Orchid Island less than a thousand years ago from the Batan islands in the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and Luzon. Fishing is central to the Yami economy and is supplemented by farming.
Men are responsible for building and fishing, women for farming.
The Yami kinship system is basically patrilineal although they also observe matrilineal kinship rules in matters like marriage taboos and revenge. The prototypical Yami dwelling consists of a semi-subterranean house, a work house, and a rest pavilion. Pottery making is an outstanding feature of Yami culture. The first launching of a newly completed boat and the Flying Fish festival in the spring are the Yami's most important celebrations. Young people are leaving their traditional occupations and habitats and are taking up jobs in the cities.