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 clothes worn by the Paiwan are clear indicators of social status. Coloring and decorative embroidery in particular set the nobility apart from commoners. This is nowhere more obvious than in the festive attire of the different classes: for special occasions, the chief and the nobles wear embroidered tops, shawls and long trousers. Additional trappings, often applied to the bibs, backs, and wrists, include lazurite beads and pearls, shells, animal fur (such as a leopard’s hide), bird feathers (such as eagle feathers), and teeth of wild animals, such as the leopard or bear. It is no exaggeration to say that the Paiwan nobility’s dress is among the most magnificent and flamboyant of all the indigenous peoples in Taiwan.
It comes as no surprise, then, that the making of all these garments and accessories is quite time and labor consuming. To complete a full ceremonial dress with all its elaborate trappings and embellishments can take up to a year and a half. Even though most of these lavish outfits share the same decorative patterns and totemic designs, every piece of clothing is unique because of differences in the maker’s skill, experience and artistic creativity. These can best be appreciated in the execution of pearl embroidery and needlework.