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“This exhibition is based on important Qing Dynasty records on the plains aborigines (from the 1700s-1800s), including the “Map of Taiwan Under the Reign of Emperor Kang-xi” and “Genre Paintings of Aboriginal Peoples.” Through digital multimedia displays and multimedia reconstructions the exhibition brings visitors back in time, showing how the earliest settlers in Taiwan used to live and the uniqueness of their culture.”

The Weaving Skills of the Plains Aborigines in Taiwan

The plains aborigines are renowned for their excellent weaving skills and the highly distinctive style of their woven fabrics, particularly the meticulously detailed entwining twill pattern and decorative diamond pattern used on the Hanging Flags Banner. Exhibition items of note include a two-piece bridal skirt, special horizontal stripes on a four-color brocade jacket and patterned designs that appear as if covered with red seal stamps. These are characteristic of traditional weavings of the plains aborigines and are one of the true treasures of Taiwanese handcraft art. The bridal skirt (which can be seen in the “Hand Holding” display) is an exquisite work of rare quality. It not only has a high warp density and exquisite patterns, but also is the product of many hours of hard work by an expert weaver. This bridal skirt in the National Taiwan Museum collection is also the oldest bridal skirt known.

Like other Taiwan aborigines, the plains aborigines used a back-strap loom. All of the reproductions of woven fabrics in this exhibition are based on the research work of Associate Professor Tsai Yu Shan of the Department of Textiles and Clothing at Fu Jen Catholic University. The original items are rare and often the sole surviving textiles in the collections of the National Taiwan Museum and the Museum of Anthropology of National Taiwan University. These reproduction textiles retain the same weaving structure as the original items, but have been woven on a dobby loom. In addition the plains aborigines traditionally used long fibre strips removed from the stalks of the ramie and dendrobium plants in their weavings but in the reproduction textiles these fibres are replaced with modern natural silk, cotton, linen, wool and a new ecological plant fibre. [National Museum of Taiwan exhibition text.]

This is a "Discover" program , which was broadcast last night (2017/02/18) to Chinese regions of the world. It presents Taiwan Aboriginal weaving tradition. I'd like to share it with you!

What relates to my research part is from 8:50 (8 minute 50 seconds) to 21:40, and you can see I show the 'Asian Textiles' magazine [of the Oxford Asian Textile Group] covers at 15:13. In this video two weaving women are my former Atayal students (special class for aborigines at Fu Jen University in 1999~2001). From 41:31 ~you can see our Dept of Fu Jen Catholic University where I was teaching a young Atayal student in class, her mother is a weaver who learnt weaving skill from my former Atayal student, both are in this video . Sister Maryta is in the video too.