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Due to changing times, lifestyle and social environment, Taiwanese weaving tools and yarns have moved away from original forms. Han Chinese women were formerly not engaged in weaving, and the weaving technique of textile related company was from Mainland China, belongs to a commercial operation. However, this research addresses Taiwan’s Aboriginal weaving craft. Under both Dutch colonial and Qing Dynasty rule, Aboriginal peoples used the backstrap loom as a weaving tool. During the Japanese occupation, Japanese officials found the backstrap loom inconvenient for use and its production efficiency relatively low. Japanese-style looms were thus introduced at this time and the backstrap loom was not in use much. From the 1990s, Aboriginal peoples began to actively investigate, collect and attempt to revive their original costumes and weaving skills. They also began to consciously and autonomously promote weaving-related activities. Weaving education was originally passed from the mother to daughter. The skills were not exported. However, this changed when government agencies and private workshops opened weaving courses, integrating tablet weaving, inkle loom, desktop loom and backstrap loom. The non-original backstrap loom was also added to the craft, making modern Taiwanese weaving culture more diverse than ever before.
Through the collation and analysis of the literature, this study seeks to understand and clarify the historical development of weaving processes in Taiwan. The various teaching methods are analysed via both in-depth and ad hoc interviews with weaving workshop teachers and participants. Through participant observation, the aim was to explore the current status of contemporary weaving in Taiwan. Our hope is that this study will add to the public understanding of Taiwan’s weaving craft, weaving education and transmission of weaving-related information.
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