Traditional Taiwanese architecture is characterized by stone construction, an independent kitchen space, and a horizontal relationship between men and women in terms of living space. This reflects the animism, totemism, and a matriarchal society which exists in their indigenous mythology. The indigenous communities of Taiwan believed that spirits lived in all things in the world, and therefore worshipped fire, believing that a spiritual being or the spirits of ancestors resided in stones, snakes, and the like. These ideas are related to customs observed in traditional architecture. For example, the bodies of ancestors and gods are enshrined in a space built with stones, and the god of fire is worshipped by setting up a large stone in the independent kitchen. Also, in the living space, animals that symbolize ancestors are sculpted and held sacred. Such stones, fires, and snakes that appear in traditional Taiwanese architecture have symbolic meanings as they depict or represent the origin of mankind, objects of worship, and tribal ancestors, respectively. Traditional Taiwanese architecture is characterized by a horizontal organizational structure that is more centered on women's spaces, with non-existent or weak gender division. This seems to have been influenced by the female-centered social system and family structure, and traces of a matrilineal society can be seen even in indigenous mythology. For example, there is a common narrative in which a woman conceives alone without a man and the tribe is born.