中文

The Thao

Materials Used for Traditional Thao Garments

Traditional clothing materials include leather, ramie, tree bark, cotton and wool:

  1. Leather
    Leather was used for the male attire. The men would tan their own leather, mostly made from buckskin or barking deer (Muntjac) hide. Items made from leather included hats, vests and coats.
  2. Ramie
    In the old days, in the winter the Thao would wear animal hides against the cold, and when the weather got warmer, they would switch to using tree leaves, grass and reeds to cover their bodies. But as their culture developed, they began to look for better, more durable materials. One of them was ramie, which quickly became the “default material” for most types of clothing.
  3. Tree Bark
    Most women’s clothing was made from ramie, and traditionally all women knew how to weave clothes from this material. But at one time, Suisalian (i.e. the Sun Moon Lake area) was also famous for the Thaos’ dagobun fabric, a cloth made from strands of soft tree bark fiber. Color was added by interweaving dog hair of various shades. This fabric was mostly employed in the making of blankets and rugs.
  4. Cotton/Wool
    The Thao bought cotton from the Han Chinese, and since it was cheap it quickly became a widely used material for making clothes. Soon the traditional handlooms fell into disuse, and the growing of ramie was discontinued, as modern materials such as cotton and wool became prevalent. Acceptance of the new textiles was quick since the basic weaving methods did not differ too much from those used for ramie.

Male Attire

  1. Headband: In the old days, Thao men would wear their hair long. They used a headband made of shells and cowrie, strung together with ramie rope or rattan string, to keep their hair back.
  2. Necklace: The double and triple necklaces are made of shells and agate beads.
  3. Chest Wrap: Two trapezoid pieces of ramie cloth are tied together with a thick string. Then the wrap is slipped over the shoulders so that the two overlapping layers come to rest on the wearer’s chest. To prevent them from dangling loosely about, they are stuffed under the waist girdle.
  4. Sleeveless Top: Basically a simple vest made by folding a tailored piece of ramie cloth or buckskin once, leaving holes for the neck and arms.
  5. Waist Skirt: Made from ramie. Falls in a triangular shape to about knee length or higher. Has selvages and is held in place by a rope wound around the waist and tied together in front. At a superficial glance, top and skirt together appear to be one piece of clothing.
  6. Long Leggings: Made from stitched leather or ramie cloth. Pulled over the waist girdle or belt for support. Legs are round in the middle, but rectangular in the lowest part, which is tied around the calves.

Female Attire

  1. Headscarf: Made from black cotton, this kerchief was wound around the head and tied into a knot at the back.
  2. Long-sleeved Top: The sleeves, with embroidered borders and decorative stitchwork in black on the entire lower part, reach all the way down to the wrists. The top is just long enough to cover the breasts and features embroidered hems.
  3. Chest Wrap: A rhombus-shaped piece of cloth is cut into a pentagonal shape at the top and folded once to create the front and back of the garment. The front’s embroidered selvage reaches down to the left waist and is fastened with a 2cm broad waist sash.
  4. Waist Skirt: The skirt with embroidered hems is wound around the waist from left to right and folded into a pleat at the left waist. The upper part of the skirt fits neatly under the chest wrap and is held in place with a waist sash.
  5. Head Garland of Flowers and Reeds: During the New Year celebrations, every member of the tribe—young and old, men and women—wears a head garland made of flowers and reeds.
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