前不久本blog提到日本軍閥不允許達彥織布-(點)-。這項古老手藝幾乎斷絕了，連傳統布也很少留傳下來。當年高金素梅要競選立委時，她想著達彥衣服，但只能找到一塊舊被單布。只好披了被單布上電視。播出時，部落的雅姬(阿嬤)看到，達拉蓋，穿被單布上電視，急叫家人，「快！趕快把電視關掉！」~~她以為如果關電視，大家就看不到。

Recently on this blog -(here)- I mentioned that, during the Occupation, the Japanese banned Tayal weaving. The art was almost lost, and few pieces of authentic weaving survived. When Ciwas Ali, a Tayal, first ran for the Legislature, she wanted to wear Tayal clothing, but the only traditional woven piece she could find was an old bed sheet, so she fixed that up and wore it.

When she appeared on television, a yaki (grandmother) was shocked and told her family, "Quick, turn off the television!" She thought that if the television was turned off, nobody would be able to see the mortifying scene.

told by Yuma Taru

Recently we went to a talk by the Tayal poet Walis Nokan / 瓦歷斯‧諾幹. One of the many noteworthy parts of the talk was that he mentioned that the Tayal tribe has also been called the Atayal. Walis stumbled on the pronunciation; it is obviously an unfamiliar word. The reason this is noteworthy is that, in my decades of experience with the Tayal, this is only the second time I have actually heard a member of the tribe say "Atayal," but this is the name by which outsiders call the tribe.

The only other time I have heard an aborigine use the name Atayal was about ten years ago, when I asked someone if she had ever heard the name, and she said yes, she recalled hearing someone say Atayal, but she forgot who. But she was a Sediq; in those days Sediq were still considered Tayal, but have since split away.

I have asked many Tayal about this other name, and many have never even heard of the name Atayal ~~ I guess they should pay more attention to what the learned authorities have to say!

Due to the mysterious workings of official orthography, "Tayal" is actually pronounced dah-YEN, so now some people prefer to use Dayan, so we don't sound like bathroom tiles or something. For that matter, I suggest 達彥 for 泰雅.

日本人禁止達彥(泰雅)織布，也禁止種傳統的紅苧麻，強迫改種和服用的白苧麻；但白苧麻不適合達彥的織法。戰後，傳統織法幾乎斷絕了。

六十年代，霧社一帶的賽德克流行女孩織圍巾送給心上人，聽說越長越好；記得滿面笑容的賽德克少年，脖子遶兩圈，圍巾兩頭長過膝蓋。那時在Snuwil春陽看過人用最傳統的坐地式織布。

二十年前，苗栗達彥少年尤瑪‧達陸下定決心復興固有文化，向耆老學織布。要織布，需要紅苧麻，但早已沒有人種。找了很久，終于扗新竹一處達彥部落找到了，一位八十七歲的雅姬(阿媽)不忍心讓紅苧麻消失，一年復一年種。尤瑪與其夫弗耐‧瓦旦來向她要，雅姬說，「等妳很久了」。紅苧麻給尤瑪，但條件是，一定要種，一定要傳！

尤瑪勤勉學習，現扗已成為世界級織布師，竝扗家鄉開了『野桐工坊』>>點<<發揮祖先的瑰寶，且傳給部落的婦女。

有的故事還是快樂的結局。

During the Japanese Occupation of Taiwan, the Japanese outlawed traditional Tayal weaving, because it was the qualification for getting a facial tattoo. When a young woman could weave cloth, she could get her face tattooed, and only then was she eligible to marry.

Not only did the Japanese outlaw weaving, but they also forbade the growing of nuka 紅苧麻 the ramie used in weaving. Instead, they forced the Tayal to grow 白苧麻 the kind of ramie used in making kimonos, but useless for Tayal weaving. (Tayal weaving was outlawed in about 1920; the Japanese Occupation ended in 1945, with WWII.)

In the 1970s, it was popular for Sediq (a closely related tribe) girls to weave mufflers for their boyfriends, the longer the better. I recall seeing weavers in Snuwil seated on the ground, weaving in the most traditional manner.

In the 1990s, Yuma Taru, a young Tayal from Miaoli, was determined to resurrect the ancient skill of weaving while there was still time. She learned how to weave from her yaki (grandmother), but they needed proper filament; also, her yaki wanted to teach her how to make the cord from nuka. With her husband, Baunay Watan, they set out in search of proper Tayal nuka.

After a long search, they finally found a patch cultivated by an 87 year old Tayal yaki (grandmother). Yaki told Yuma and Baunay, "I've been waiting for you for a long time." She had been unwilling to let the plant disappear, so year after year, she cultivated her nuka, in the hope that somebody would carry on the tradition. She gave Yuma the nuka, with the stipulation that she had to keep it growing, and to pass on the cultivation.

Yuma has been growing nuka ever since, and has become a world renowed weaver. She has a studio in which she weaves and trains the next generation of Tayal, so now this ancient art is prospering again.

Some stories have happy endings.

原住民扗臺灣幾千年，非常了解環境。若土石流或水災及原住民家屋，通常不是因為政府遷居于斯，就是因為投資人扗上面種檳榔、高山茶，破壞山坡結構。

布農族世居高山；瓦歷斯‧諾幹問，如何選部落位置？布農人答，看落石滾到哪、停扗哪，扗過去的範圍就安全。

The Bunung are a tribe of Aborigines who live high in Taiwan's steep mountains. The Tayal poet Walis Nokan once asked how they find places to live that are safe from landslide. The Bunung examine how far stones roll from landslides, and figure out where they stop. Beyond that area is safe.