Taiwan Indigenous News
Tuesday, 25 October 2005
Female head of the national park system seeks to improve parks
... She said she could sense the wisdom of the mountain forests as passed down throughout the ages by Taiwan's indigenous peoples. The ...
Hsieh reveals moves to help indigenous students
... crystal display television to the students at an elementary school in Taitung County and announced more measures to help Taiwan's indigenous children secure ...
Tribe wants official recognition
... "Taiwan's indigenous tribes are all unique minorities in this country, but we are all the original residents of the island. Every ...
The traditional handmade, white-base Bunun garments are nowadays made with grey cloth, with goat’s-hooves or diamond-shaped patterns woven into the hems of the neck and shoulder openings as adornment. The long-sleeved shirts usually have V-shaped necks. It is said that in the distant past, these decorative hoof patterns arose as a way for the women to remind their husbands to run and scale the mountains at a faster pace than even that of the mountain goats (or rather, as the term is being used here, the Formosan barking deer). Meanwhile, the rhombic patterns served as a reminder that the hundred steps snake (a kind of pit viper) once used to be a good friend of the Bunun. The long garments reach to the thighs, and the backs, at about the height of the waist, are embellished with horizontal patterns of four or five interwoven rhombic lines, adding a lively and aesthetically pleasing touch to the otherwise plain design and color. On particularly festive occasions, such as when performing the Pasibutbut, the men dance in a circle, holding each other by their hands with arms behind their backs and eyes focused on the middle of their circle. While they chant their mysterious choral music, they give onlookers ample opportunity to get a clear view of the beautiful decorative patterns on the backs of their garments.