A tiny settlement of Bunun aboriginals, which occupies an area of about 2.5 square kilometers in Taitung County, claimed three Golden Melody Awards Saturday in Taipei. Nanwang Three Sisters, three female singers from the Nanwang settlement, won awards for Best Aboriginal Album, Best Singing Group and Best Publisher, bringing to eight the total number of Golden Melody Awards won by residents of the settlement since the awards were first introduced in 1990. It is not surprising that Nanwang can claim the most Golden Melody Awards per capita in Taiwan, Chen Guan-lien, a leader of the settlement of 1,500 people, said exuberantly Sunday. 'The Bunun people are known for their beautiful voices, and the Nanwang settlement is the music mecca of the Bunun,' Chen said. 'Music is part of our life. Bunun women sing when they are weeding together, Bunun men sing when they go hunting, and singing is a vital part of our worshipping rites for our ancestors and deities.' Chen added. Another local leader Wang Chih-po said Nanwang is invisible on the geographic map of Taiwan, but it has made it onto the music map thanks to its many talented singers. The first Golden Melody Award winner from Nanwang was Chen Chien-lien, who won the Award for Best Popular Music Composer in 2000. He was followed by three other singers -- Chih Hsiao-chun, Kao Tien, Hao Eng and Jia Jia -- from Nanwang. The Golden Melody Awards, dubbed the Chinese-language Grammys, are held annually in Taiwan. 