Colours of Nan'ao 南澳 Nature, Revival of Tayal 泰雅 Ramie- Yilan County
Bakan
Nawy 彭秋玉 Tayal Weaver 泰雅織女
Strip ramie fiber using a bamboo device
Fish fresh from boat at Chaoyang fishing harbor 朝陽漁港
Job’s tears 薏苡. Special gift, special as is the result of cares over 30 years
to
retain natural colors!
One of 彭秋玉's woven piece picked from a boxful range of
pattern, design and colors.
彭秋玉 Nan'ao Master of Tayal Weaving
I joined a one and half day ramie
workshop at Nan’ao organized by and located at 食藝居. Our teacher was Ms 彭, widely acknowledged the best Tayal weaver in
the Nan’ao area. For the time we had, we enjoyed two meals of tasty local flavours, some spare time to walk around the Chaoyang 朝陽 neighbourhood, visited Ms 彭's weaving workshop and of course purpose of the trip - Spring harvesting and treatment of ramie fiber.
(A private company run by Mr Liao and Mr Lin)
Some information on indigenous fabric fiber source (and Kavalan relocation to East is revealed in banana fiber yarn)
Ramie 苧麻 is the most common weaving fiber - best known by Atayal, Truku and some others.
Banana Stem Fiber 香蕉纖維 famously known in Kavalan weaving tradition (banana silk yarn) - Both in Yilan area where they originally inhabited and coastal area Hualien and Taitung where they moved to during 19th century due to encroachment by Han settlers. Kavalan's banana fiber source, treatment process is said to be unique, different from Okinawa and the Philippines where banana fiber weaving also is a tradition.
"Banana. Out of the fibers of the stem a thin summer cloth is manufactured." (FAR FROM FORMOSA. G.L.Mackay. Rev.J.A.Macdonald 1896)
Paper mulberry 構樹. None-weaving Bark Cloth of Amis tradition.
Dog fur and tree bark cloth 狗毛織衣 - special mention. Believed Kavalan's tradition and one such garment believed currently owned by Great British Museum.
Atayal ramie is cultivated, not wild...
Before I give account of this lovely trip, first to share some '?' in my head arose when I heard Mr Liao saying to one of the members regarding wild grown 'ramie' near where she lives. she was thinking of pick and collect for future ramie class. Mr Liao was adamant 'wild' ramie 野苧麻 found on the roadside was not used for Atayal weaving - i.e Atayals ramie is 'cultivated'. Not much time for explanation the differences there and then but I heard the word ‘單寧’ （Tannin).
Wild ramie picked and tested, fiber too fragile. See HERE.
The question arose in my head since I had always assumed Atayals used native (wild grown) plants in their surroundings in pretty much the same way I had assumed today's Hakka iconic Blue used native indigo. BUT since I was wrong about Hakka's, indigo was introduced (sources suggest from China during Qing dynasty), there is no reason why I could also be wrong on Atayal ramie - that it is entirely possible Atayal ramie weaving tradition relies on cultivated plant, not wild.
In addition that answer to my questions did not set out to be the focus of the post, forthcoming information CAN BE lacking and inconsistent ... One thing should be noted is that Atayals in different region have different ways of handling certain things, such as what I learned this time - the treatment of raw ramie, Nan'ao and Miaoli could have different details. One should not expect one tool, one process for all Atayal in this regards.
This is a summary I can offer AT THIS TIME:
- In my search, I did not see ‘weaving machine’ mentioned - on Taiwan – before Dutch Formosa (1624-1662). In fact, my impression is there is a certain connection between the type of looms seen and used in Dutch East Indies and Dutch Formosa.
- Ramie (Chinese silk plant) commonly believed introduced from China to Taiwan by Qing dynasty (1636-1912). (And there are MANY types of ramie). Encouraged cultivation and ramie economy developed in large scale during Qing dynasty and continued in Japanese rules.
- Horizontal loom designed to suit female weaver - documented popular in the pacific island countries. Vertical loom traditionally operated by male.
- THIS article (video translated in English attached) by a Dutch team "During the Summer of 2017 Aniela Hoitink has spent time with the Atayal tribe in Maypuwal (Miaoli, Taiwan) to learn about their techniques and exchange knowledge. She was part of the residency “Tribe against machine” where she learned how ramie is grown and how fibers are made in a traditional way, as well as to truly dye with nature...."
Therewithin 'Lihang Workshop 野桐工坊' representatives including Weaver Shu-li Lin ( A Taiwanese woman married into an Atayal family, and who had met UK audience through SOAS event) told Edinhoven team " Because there is a span of 80 years, there is absolutely no weaving, nothing of the sort .... for a very long time the tradition has been broken.... and has not been passed down...
According to Baunay Watan (弗耐·瓦旦), who joined Lihang Studio mainly as its photographer, weaving by indigenous peoples was banned by the Japanese, although some individuals continued the handicraft covertly. His wife Yuma Taru (尤瑪·達陸), born to a Han Chinese father and an Atayal mother, is a contemporary artisan who has revitalized the unique dyeing and weaving techniques of the Atayal.
Perhaps the most useful information I came across with regards to 'WHAT ramie Atayals cultivated to weave and how it was revived' is HERE, an article by the late Taiwanese (food) writer Lianglu Han 韓良露. In Ms Han's article, Yuma revealed the journey of revitalizing this long lost tradition - finding ramie, learning weaving and dyeing. She learned from her Atayal grandmother and by the traditional weaving box (loom case).
"The decline of Atayal weaving tradition has been long. As early as in the Japanese rule, Atayals were prohibited from weaving. Only a few people sneakily weaved.. Later due to the emergence of various industrial fabrics and textiles, less and less people weaved, the tradition was lost. It turned out the traditional plant of Atayal weaving was red ramie 紅苧麻. She couldn’t find seeds at all. Although Taichung Wufeng agricultural research institute did keep ramie seeds grown during Japanese rules for research purpose, Yuma hoped to find traditional Atayal seeds her grandmother’s generation planted to weave. She finally found it, when she saw a red ramie patch in a farmhouse on a field trip to Wufeng, Hsinchu county in 1995.Red ramie fiber is much thicker, stronger and durable. Japanese prohibited Atayals weave their own cloth, ramie’s strong natural fiber more suitable for heavy-duty military linen. Japanese, however, encouraged extensive green ramie cultivation 青苧麻 , green ramie has more fiber and produce finer linen which is good for making kimono. Green ramie therefore became an important economic crop export to Japan. Red ramie has almost disappeared then."
On arrival to the house, we were greeted with a large bag of REALLY lovely and juicy 楊梅
NOTES...............................................................................
5/22.2020 Kavalan loom bar photographed by Brits before 1900. Atayal loom case same and also by Japanese around 1930. Both traditions operated only by women.
Dutch and Qing backstrap weaving loom used in aboriginal women. Japanese brought their weaving loom but Atayal loom case stayed
1.
HERE http://education.digital.ntu.edu.tw/taiwanhistory/overseas/artifacts/clothes/page_02_01.html
Images of Kavalan weaving in the 19th century are
not only present in the photo entitled “A Pepo weaver” published by Rev. Mackay
in 1895 but also appear in a series of unpublished black and white photos
preserved in the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford. By placing
these photos side by side and comparing them, we discover clues that present
interesting contexts beyond the surface imageries, such as the intentions of
the photographer, special arrangements of people and objects in the photos, and
relationship between the photographer and the subject.
(NOTE - Kavalans adopted name from Mackay -
identified in the chief's daughter's name 'Kay' Awen)
(Last one is also in the
Pitt Rivers, Oxford page - A MUSEUM ERROR to note. The bar type is Kavalan not Atayal)2.
Museum Error - Kavalan (bar type) not Atayal
HERE
3.
HERE Interesting report from a Hong Kong man who relates Atayal weaving (the spitirual KNOT) to Japanese weaving, in addition, virgin saliva rice wine fermentation and other old tradition. Saying these traditions are all presented in a Japanese animated movie 'Your Name' 你的名字
The weaving box, a cultural object and part of the Atayal loom ... source
4. All these photos dated after 1930 (under Japanese rules). With Masamitsu Ōshima - (大島 正満, Ōshima Masamitsu, June 21, 1884 – June 26, 1965) was a Japanese herpetologist and ichthyologist. He received his Master's from Stanford Universit - 'being quoted' saying the wrap CASE type developed around 1930 (Brtis proved not true) and very common in the pacific islands countries, also the largest native handloom weavers.
Note - Saisiyat word hoko' for the weaving box (wrap case) also means coffin wood. ( I assume similar type of wood from trees to make coffin)
5. A photo I took in the Philippines (but on Lao) - a great chart on plant dye for fabric. Certainly relate to Taiwan and Yunnan from my own experiences of travels.
6.
Yami (Tao) People weaving. Similar to Kavalan type.
7. Aboriginal weavers lower back strain problem reminds me of chief's daughter-in-law in Smangus - that she suffered enduring back problem after years mushroom log farming. (A traditional Atayal activity)
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