Taiwan Indigenous News
Friday, 20 February 2009
TB Treatment Delays In Taiwan
It should also be noted that the mortality rate and incidence of TB are much greater in aboriginal communities in Taiwan than in non-aboriginal areas. ...
Taiwan's indigenous population up 2.05 percent
MOI officials said the increase was about six times that of the 0.34 percent rate of growth of Taiwan's overall population. Taiwan's indigenous people were ...
Not the same old song and dance
He aims to present a more authentic picture of Aboriginal performing arts and culture. “I want our customers to see the performances in their most original ...
President pushes to boost tourism in Taiwan's indigenous areas
8 (CNA) Concerned over the development of tourism in Taiwan's indigenous areas, President Ma Ying-jeou asked government agencies Sunday to work with travel ...
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.