Reappearance of Tradition:
Atayal Weaving Wisdom

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Atayal intro

     The ‘Atayal’, which means ‘brave people’ in their language, is one of the 16 indigenous nations in Taiwan. The Atayal is divided into two subgroups, the ‘Tayal’ and the ‘Sedeq’, with different customs and languages. They are distributed in mountainous areas of central and northern Taiwan. With a population of approximately 90 thousand, the Atayal is the third-largest indigenous nation, with Paiwana and Ami in front of it. They mainly lived by hunting and burning, since technology wasn't developed in the past. Like other indigenous nations, Atayal also has many distinctive traditions, including art, clothing, delicacy, and festivals. This time, we are concentrating on one of the most appealing and popular traditions across the entire Atayal, Weaving. 

Image: Taiwan Memories

Weaving tradition

    Weaving is a well-known activity in many tribes, and it can be found in many aspects of our daily lives, such as clothes and apparel, and it may even be used to signify anything. Here, we will be focusing on the weaving tradition of the Atayal. 
    In the tradition of Atayal, weaving is the work of women and girls, men can not even touch it. Atayal's fabric varies greatly; for example, a particular cloth for newborns is known as a (swaddle cloth). When boys grow up and become men, they must wear a (shawl), the same when girls grow up and become ladies, they must wear a (dress). When women are about to marry, they must manufacture their own (wedding dress), this may take a long time to be finished. These clothes that have been mentioned are incredibly precise since the processes they utilize are unique.
     The Atayal believe that life is ‘weaving circles’, which the process of weaving also contains the concept of life  When finishing weaving, the fabric will become a circle, which the first and the last string of the fabric will attach. They think their life is like the fabric, going through a life cycle, because they believe when people get old and die, they will become a baby again, and the cycle continues.
     People of the tribe manufacture the cloth in their own unique method. They create and weave special patterns that represent something important to them. Those patterns will be weaved on their fabric or clothes during the process, which makes the product meaningful and costly. They also use colorful thread to weave, this makes the product look gorgeous.

Image: Provided by Yuma Taru (2021)