中文

The Bunun

Myth and Garments

  • Bibs: The bibs worn by Bunun men are embroidered with rhombic patterns that match those on the backs of their long shirts, but they are in fact worn inside those shirts and serve as receptacles for provisions, betel nuts and pipes whenever the men venture up the mountains for hunting and gathering.
  • Male Skirts: For the Bunun men, short skirts are the ideal outfit when scaling mountain ranges and scouring forests in search of prey. In particular, the skirts allow them to move quickly and agilely in pursuit of game, and before contact with Han Chinese culture, the only piece of Bunun clothing resembling pants was the loincloth. The long open pants worn by men nowadays are a late addition to the Bunun wardrobe.
  • Leather Garments: As a typical hunting tribe, the Bunun derive much of their nutrition and raw materials from animal sources. Almost nothing is wasted: the meat is eaten, the hide is used for clothing, and the teeth and horns serve as ornaments and trappings. Like the men of all hunter tribes since times immemorial, the Bunun use the hides of animals (typically deer, goats and Formosan barking deer) to make leather clothes and tools, such as over the shoulder baby carriers and blankets from deer leather, clothes and raincoats from goat leather, and leggings, kneepads and hats from Formosan barking deer leather. The full leather attire is worn mainly when the men go hunting in cold weather.
  • The clothing and adornments of Bunun Women show a heavy influence of Han Chinese clothing styles. Black and blue are usually the base color, with the borders of the diagonal neck openings at the front embellished with colorful hand-woven rhombic patterns (but the ornate neck decolletage embroidery of most Bunun female dresses nowadays is mass-produced). Under their long shirts, the women wear a skirt that is also either black or blue, and features hems adorned with an embroidered rhombic pattern matching that of the slanted neck openings of their tops. On their legs the women wear puttees of the same color and with the same ornamental design. The influence of the Paiwan and Rukai tribes can also be felt in Bunun female attire, particularly in the stitched or inlaid silver adornments and pearl strings added as further embellishments to the slanted borders of the top’s neckline. In the past, the customary material for women’s clothes was hemp or other kinds of grass, but today there is a much larger variety of materials to choose from. In addition, the colors and decorative patterns have become brighter and more dazzling, and some of the clothes will even jingle when the wearer moves.
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