The Cultural Affairs Bureau of Nantou County recently announced that the traditional weaving technique of the Bunun tribe, one of Taiwan's indigenous people, has been registered as a cultural asset, and Cina Savung (谷秀紅), an artisan well-versed in weaving from Xinyi Township, is the first to be officially recognized as the preserver of the technique.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau pointed out that the weaving technique is an important part of the Bunun culture, showcasing the ancestral wisdom of Taiwan's indigenous peoples. The traditional weaving process consists of several phases which begin with designing patterns, planning and preparing thread, warping, weaving, and ending with trimming. However, traditional weaving includes various techniques, such as plain weaving, twill weaving, and diamond weaving. Due to Cina Savung's superb craftsmanship, many university professors and postgraduates travel a long distance to ask for her advice.
In an interview, Nantou Cultural Affairs Bureau director Lin Rong-sen (林榮森) said that Nantou County is the origin of the five main groups of the Bunun, and weaving is a tradition of Bunun women. The craft is of great artistic value due to its intricacies; the more the number of rods used, the larger the size of the pattern.
Lin pointed out that Cina Savung, a representative of traditional weaving among the four tribes of Lai Dazuan (潭南), Double Dragon (雙龍), Renhe (人和), Dili (地利), is able to perform the highest weaving technique of the Bunun. In the future, the Cultural Affairs Bureau will implement a program for preserving and maintaining the Bunun traditional weaving craft under the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法) and assist in the inheritance of the cultural asset.
