The Color Expressions in the Traditional Costumes of Taiwanese Indigenous Peoples

Abstract

With respect to both fiber and color the clothing material of Taiwan’s indigenous people came predominantly from nature. Atayal woven materials are a distinct example of how ethnic symbolism can be expressed through the combining of color and fabric patterns in weaving and dying. In order to understand Atayal fabric color use and distribution, this research first utilizes PANTONE FASHION + HOME cotton planner to contrast fabric color, and after comparison, color specimens are input one at a time into Color Schemer Studio’s color wheel statistics system. In order to analyze Atayal fabric colors, this study particularly performs color scope analysis on sub-groups for which research specimens are relatively abundant, such as the Tayal’s Beishi group and Nanao Group; and the Sediq’s Wushe Group, Wanda Group, and Taroko Group. Beishi group fabrics use a comparatively wide range of color and a more diverse number of combinations. The main colors they use include white, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and other colors. The colors used by the Wushe Group and Wanda Group in their fabrics include white, red, blue and others. While the number of specimens collected for this study is limited, it is possible to understand, what the color preferences of sub-tribes are through their color schemes. The most predominant color schemes involve similar colors, contrasting colors, and complimentary colors.