Taroko Indigenous Weaving
Truku Legend of Rainbow Bridge
(Chinese)
In the story of Truku people’s spirit after death is about reaching the land of ancestors over the rainbow bridge. Yet before crossing, they had to wash their hands first. Only those who accomplished hunting skills for men and weaving for women could bleed from their elbows. Those without bleeding from their elbows would fall down to the river to be eaten by crabs.
Therefore, in order to join their ancestors for an enjoyable life after death, the men must learn to hunt and the women to weave – they should not point to the rainbow bridge with their fingers directly, otherwise their fingers will become curved. This legend has been passed down for generations up to the present.
To help the coming generations remember their legends, the Truku craft artist, Nadolan Naga (also named Hsiu-lan Hu in Mandarin Chinese), designs and weaves colorful lines and patterns into clothe. She also adds the diamond figures symbolizing crabs of the stream – a pattern giving protection of the ancestor spirits. A person’s spirit after death could then cross the Rainbow Bridge and reach to the land of ancestors safely.
Weaving Patterns
Taroko Weaving Sample
Animal Tooth Pattern
To make sure people’s spirit could pass over the Rainbow Bridge and reach to the land of ancestors, the men must learn to hunt. Only the man who has hunting skills could have the tattoo of animal tooth pattern on his cheeks.
Rainbow Bridge Pattern
In the Truku story of the Rainbow Bridge, which also called the Ancestral Spirits Bridge, the person’s spirit after death should pass over the rainbow bridge to meet their ancestors. Prior to crossing the Rainbow Bridge, people should wash their hands first. The man who has accomplished hunting skills and the woman who has excellent weaving skills, will have blood on their hands from the outflow of blood from their elbows – others who don’t have this outflow of blood will fall to the bottom of river to be eaten by crabs.
Women’s Weaving Pattern
To make sure people’s spirit could pass over the Rainbow Bridge to meet their ancestors, the women must learn to weave. The woman, who has accomplished the skill of weaving, could have the tattoo of weaving pattern in the cheeks.
Diamond Pattern
The diamond patterns symbolizes the crab beneath the Rainbow Bridge, and the spirit of the ancestors and the eyes of the ancestral spirit – meaning that ancestors will bless the death of the person so his, or her, spirit could pass over the Rainbow Bridge successfully reaching the land of ancestor spirits.
Weaving Looms
 
 
Further Information
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