< Weaving : Method of Weaving Different Patterns >

1. Teyu

Teyu, plain woven fabrics are often used in Atayal’s daily lives, they are often made for bed sheets or bundle cloth, like the bundle cloth are used for birth and death. The arrangement of the fabric is “a weft over 1 warp and under 2 warps”, combined with dye, hundreds and thousands of color patterns can be formed by this easy model, the different patterns represent the religious styles, and plain woven fabrics are the ones that the Atayals want to attitude toward.

Image: Reappearance of Atayal book

2. Snuyu

Snuyu is a way how Atayals of Ta’an Rover weave “double-colored diamond” weave pattern. When earlier weavers were teaching new weavers to weave, they would use two strings with different colors to teach the directions of thread-passing, thread arranging, and the order of wrap thread hanging, so beginners could learn faster. A basic lesson usually starts with the double-colored diamond weave than to tell weave, angled twill weave, etc, until the weaver masters the techniques. These patterns are usually used for blankets, sheets, or cloth in the Atayal’s daily lives.

3. angled twill

The angled twill weave is special because of its pattern of diagonal parallel ribs, patterns would be more obvious and look sleeker than the double-colored diamond weave. The Atayal textiles are mainly woven with “warp-faced twill” patterns, the front and back of the weave have different pattern effects which make it more special. It is usually used for matting and bedding, larger tools will be needed to weave.

Image: Reappearance of Atayal book

4. multi-colored diamond

The multi-colored diamond weave is similar to the double-colored diamond weave, it’s a higher level snuyu, arranging its colored threads and patterns is more complex and changing, the technique of “single-thread warp” and “double-thread warp” would be used. Completing the multi-colored diamond is the standard an Atayal girl must achieve before her initiation ceremony, which is important for every girl. The multi-colored diamond fabric only gets used for making women’s wrap skirts and men’s wrapping cloth, according to their rule this technique can’t be used in other weaves and fabrics.

5.Stilian

Image: Reappearance of Atayal book

Stilian is a small pattern weaved by picking up the heddle rod, this pattern is used to distinguish a technique of a big pattern called Imamu. The small pick-up pattern could make colorful and pattern-diverse fabrics. Completing the stilian is also one of the standards an Atayal girl needs to reach, this can only be used for making wrapping cloth and women’s wrap skirts. Although they have the same name, different families of Atayals Ta’an River have their method of making the patterns, so family-styled pattern systems are formed.

Image: Reappearance of Atayal book