(1) Ceremonial and everyday attire
| Atayal costume is angular. Their
shawls, worn by men and women, are multifunctional and practical. Shawls worn in summer
are smaller than those worn in the winter. The most distinctive
feature of Atayal festival attire is the beads with which they are decorated. Furthermore,
the basic color of ceremonial attire is either white or red. They weave simple and
colorful geometric patterns in the front and back of the costumes. |
|
(2) Social status and costumes
| The Atayal do not have a social class system,
therefore, their costumes do not indicate social standing. Clothing decorated with shells
and small copper bells, however, are extremely precious, consequently, only chiefs, clan
elders, and the most successful hunters can wear this ceremonial attire. |
|
(3) Costume features
| The main materials of the Atayal costumes are
hemp, wool, and cotton yarn. The Atayal dye their clothes dark red as they believe that
color repels ghosts. Diamond shapes are the most common patterns on the front of Atayal
clothing. They symbolize the eyes of their ancestor spirits, which they believe protect
them. |
|
The Atayal tribeswomen are good weavers. For the
most part, both the long and short upper garments that they weave are sleeveless. They
weave in two ways-the plain weave and ??. The color of warp yarns on plain-woven fabrics
is different from weft yarns. Shawls are made of plain-woven fabrics. Patterns on fabrics
made using?? are geometric in shape. Upper garments are made of this type of fabric.
(4) Adornments
| Facial tattoos and ear piercing carry special
significance for the Atayal. Facial tattoos represent bravery for men and talented
handiwork for women. Only men who hunt and women who excel in weaving have the privilege
of receiving facial tattoos. Facial tattoos on men and women indicate maturity. It is said
that the better a woman's weaving skills, the bigger the facial tattoo she receives. |
|
Both Atayal men and women pierce their ears and
wear earrings, but men no longer wear earrings after marriage. For the Atayal, ear
piercing represents not only beauty, but is a tribal mark used after death. Their spirits
of their forefathers recognize them as their descendents by their pierced ears.
The Atayal have a vast array of ornaments,
including ornaments for headwear, forehead ornaments, necklaces, arm rings, bracelets,
waist ornaments, and leg ornaments. Shells, coins, beads, boar teeth, and bells are among
the ornaments used to make Atayal ornaments. In addition to making wearers more beautiful,
these ornaments demonstrate their contributions to society, only headhunters, for example,
can wear boar teeth armlets in rituals. These glorify their heroic exploits. Sometimes
when going to war, warriors wear boar teeth ornaments to boost morale. |
