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 ...
White is the dominant color in Truku clothing: white oversleeves are worn together with sleeveless white jackets, and the long single-piece skirts worn by the women are also white. To liven things up a bit, multicolored geometrical patterns are woven into the garments. The outfit is completed with a waistbelt and white leggings open at the front. Sometimes a white cloth cape is also worn.
The woven clothes, while predominantly white, may also feature some other colors, especially blue, yellow, red and black. White always serves as the ground color, and the tribe’s weavers and clothesmakers excel at creating lively and aesthetically pleasing dresses with a minimum of simple colors and patterns.
The favorite designs employed by Truku weavers are rhombic and striped patterns, which are combined in various ways. There’s a limit to the amount of variety and possible patterns, which is defined by the weave as well as the conventional designs that have been handed down from one generation to the next. The weaving women thus know exactly what kind of colors, shapes and patterns are permitted by the material and tradition, and what kind of motifs and combinations should be avoided.
The Truku believe that when they die, they return to the land of their ancestors, and it is said that the stripes in various hues found on their garments signify the colors of the Rainbow Bridge. It is this bridge that leads to the blessed land where the souls of the forebears reside. Meanwhile, the alternating rhombic patterns stand for the countless eyes of the forefathers, which are believed to protect the wearer of the clothes.