Industry Story
2022.01.14

Yuma Taru

My mission is to develop an unconventional path for the tradition so that youths wishing to join the tribe will have a choice.

Over the last three decades, Yuma Taru has dedicated herself to researching cultural revival. To search for the lost traditions of the tribe, she analyzed museum objects during the first decade, sorting out the eight systems of traditional Atayal costumes. Through copious field research, the "Melihang Workshop" was established in Mepuwal to teach tribal women weaving, reviving the long-lost skill of weaving. During the second decade, she reintroduced indigenous crafts back into museums, and traditional elements were used to create large art installations. During the third decade, she focused on ethnic education, successively promoting the development of ethnic education experimental elementary schools with traditional culture in indigenous regions. Consequently, the first "P'uma Elementary School" was built in Taichung in 2016. The success has also led to the establishment of more than 32 indigenous experimental elementary schools in Taiwan.


Taking a traditional Atayal wedding dress as an example, every texture and motif on it is closely related to the historical context at that time; it is not just a colorful dress. For instance, the "copper pot" motif may be woven onto clothing because metal utensils were rare at that time, hence the expensive "copper pot" was often one of the most important daily utensils of a household. Weaving the symbolic motif of "copper pot" on the bridal gown is to hope that when their daughter gets married in the future, she will be treasured by her in-laws. Such a sincere expectation is projected onto the object, transformed into an image, and encapsulated in the warp and weft of the woven thread to produce a bridal gown.

 

Traditional culture originates from the transformation of life experiences, and every detail embodies the blood lineage of culture.

 Speaking of advice for young designers. Yuma Taru mentioned that as a weaver, the product must undergo a lengthy refinement process from production to completion. The early stages of fabric preparation require rational thinking, where each thread is placed either in the front or at the back, pointing up or down, and only when it is arranged methodically and sensibly can intricate motifs be woven. However, each weaving process also emanates intense expectations and emotions; the deeper the understanding of one's own traditions, the more profound the creation, offering another perspective and means for our ancestors to take care of the world.

 

Creation is a process from organization to access

"From the shape, color, texture, grain, technique, and the historical context, it is like tidying up a room. Only by painstakingly clarifying the elements and internalizing them in my heart can I access them to engage in creation at any time." Creators can only move on to the next step of application and creation by anchoring themselves and understanding their heritage and place. Yuma Taru also hopes that the Council of Indigenous Peoples will provide emerging designers with assistance in the long-term plan of the Ayoi brand.

In 2020, Yuma Taru's "Fifty-Year Atayal Culture Promotion Plan" officially entered its fourth decade. For the next decade, she intends to concentrate on themes including tribal sustainability, agricultural technology development, and the international promotion of Taiwan's indigenous traditions. "Previously, I mainly helped women and children in the tribe, but in the future, I will expand the scope to tribal youths, adults, and senior citizens." Yuma Taru said calmly and resolutely. "I have attempted to merge tradition with technology in the past, such as with electronic textiles and even the high-tech agriculture of today. In fact, they are essentially the same because these are the trends of the future." Indigenous people should not be consigned to tradition and history; they should leap forward and stay at the forefront of time. 

 

If we simply stick to our traditional skills, we will be rendered obsolete by the waves of modern civilization.

Yuma Taru is well aware of this principle, hence she has engaged in the sustainable farming of ramie that focuses on "serving the ecology and recycling" as her venture outside the cultural domain. The by-products from the cultivation and application of ramies such as leaves, rhizomes, and fermented water can provide nutrients for fish ponds and poultry. When combined with biotechnology, they can be used to develop ramie-related healthy beverages. To improve the system, Yuma Taru obtained a doctorate in the field of art management. She said with a smile: "My master's degree is related to fabrics, and I have practiced the eight branches of Atayal traditional clothing for the last 30 years; now, perhaps my Ph.D. degree will serve me for the next two decades!"

Yuma Taru believes that the old education system does not teach people how to embrace nature; consequently, when exploring the reason youths do not return to the villages, we should first consider what the villages' present and future needs are. This is exactly what I meant when I said "develop an unconventional path for the tradition" at the beginning of the interview. Yuma Taru thinks that since agriculture is the primary source of income for most villages, the development of high-tech agriculture will be the key to reviving the villages. When there is a circulation of positive energy in the local tribal industry, young people will be able to perceive their future and know that this is a feasible direction. In doing so, there will be an opportunity for more young people to be "willing" to stay in the village and join the local industry.

"The village and Mother Nature should co-exist in harmony and symbiosis." Over the years, Yuma Taru has interacted extensively with indigenous people in different countries worldwide. A particularly good example is the cultural policy of the New Zealand government and the Māori people. The government and the people entrust the management of the mountains, rivers, and oceans to the Māori people and villages, under the premise of environmental protection, allowing them to preserve and perpetuate their culture. According to Yuma Taru, the model that can apply to Taiwanese society is currently being devised. In the future, she hopes to create another alternative to let the villages return to the embrace of mountains, rivers, and oceans. 

Every decade marks an expansion of influence. From reproducing lost traditional clothing to developing high-tech agriculture, Yuma Taru's cultural renaissance process was subjected to constant doubts and negative opinions from the start. For example, at the time no one believed that museums would take reproduced indigenous traditional costumes into their collection. It was not until Yuma Taru set a precedent with her Atayal fabric dyeing and weaving craftsmanship that more people took notice of this issue. As a result, it led to the bolstering of other tribes' awareness of preserving their traditional costumes.

"It is like climbing a mountain. The higher you climb, the more diverse scenery you will see; when you look down from the top, you cannot explain to those below what you have seen, and naturally, you will not care about their opinion of you." Over the last three decades, Yuma Taru has acted as a trailblazer of cultural renaissance; she is never complacent and always looks 10, 20, or even 50 years into the future with vigilance and apprehension. The blood of an Atayal M’lahu (leader) flows through Yuma Taru's veins. In the past, people in the tribe looked to the chieftain for direction and leadership. Although she is a woman, Yuma Taru has silently taken on the responsibility of determining the village's future. She hopes to lead more aspiring villagers to go where no one has gone before and find a sustainable way to carry on the tribal heritage. 

Contact information:

Yuma Taru

Tribe: Atayal

Brand: Melihang Workshop