Culture and Art

Traditional Truku Wood Carving


Work of Dabo Belin		Work of Dabo Belin

Tatao Beilin and Mr. Chien of Shen-ren Wood Carving Studio are inheritors of aboriginal culture. Just like our uncles, they keep on transmitting us an art concept: real art never robs people of the phantoms in their minds but will breakthrough ourselves and continue the heritage of aboriginal culture dwelling in our souls. In fact, it is right. Sometimes we ask ourselves, how much of our culture can we still remember? We do not know how to speak our mother tongue, play the xylophone, sing Truku songs, weave aboriginal clothes, and even don’t know custom of hunt. We have no idea of any one of them. More worrying, we do not have any feeling (or perhaps a little) towards traditional Truku society “Gaya”, which seemed to be a pillar shouldering Truku culture in the past. What about now?


Work of Jian		Work of Dabo Belin


Work of Dabo Belin		Work of Dabo Belin

In order to remind the next generation to remember our past customs, such as the reason for face tattoo culture, they use woodcarving to record the face tattoo culture in detail.TOP

Traditional Truku Leather Carving

“Although leather is lifeless, its pores seem to be breathing, giving people a warm feeling. Different from copper, iron, wood, or stone, which are cold, the leather is warm visually and sensually, touching people’s heart, especially when it is dyed and painted.


Leather Sculpture Class of the Tribe		Leather Sculpture Works of the Tribe

Leather carving or leather crafts do not serve for decoration purposes only, but also for refined tastes in everyday life. In daily life, a tree, grass, a landscape, or a physical thing are good subjects for leather crafts. Especially under the guidance of the Community Development Association, people blended Truku culture into leather carving. The versatile interpretations of panorama and atmosphere give people the life force with still patterns on the leather. TOP


Leather Sculpture Works of the Tribe (Mobile Cases)		Leather Sculpture Works of the Tribe (Purses)

Rattan Weaving

The Truku always uses woven items in everyday life. Normally, a rattan vessel contains three parts: bottom, body, and rim. Therefore, the major technique is weaving, bottom weaving, rim trimming . In addition, there are skills such as square, twill, hexangular, willow, crisscrossing, angle weaving, and spiral weaving.


Bamboo Weaving Works		Rattan Weaving Works

The bamboo and rattan are cut in the mountain, with a curved knife, an awl, and a little wooden drill as tools. Rattan weaving is the male’s privilege. A male adolescent will begin to learn rattan weaving when he is eleven or twelve years old. In the Tayal tradition, all the men can weave.

The form of the ratten vessel is highly related to its function, for example, the back-basket for carry, the rattan bag for carrying tobacco and pipe, the rattan basket for storing things, the box for holding food, the wine filter device, the container for holding meat, round basket, fish basket for catching fish, fish trap, etc. In addition, there are items for decorative purposes as well, such as the rattan hat, round hat with shells and beads, leg ornaments, waist ornaments, etc.TOP

Gifts that Blend Weaving and Metalwork


Work combining bamboo weaving and leather sculpture		Works combining weaving and metal

The Community Development Association is enthusiastic to engage in the project of community improvement and handicraft innovation, with the hope of promoting tourism and building an environment suitable for people to live, which includes the perfecting of space, humanistic tradition, public participation and make a warm community. Integrating with tradition handicraft and culture, and modern fashion, the aboriginal people work passionately to innovate new handicrafts to meet the needs of the market, intending to upgrade the cultural industry in the tribe.TOP