This hand-painted decorative plate is signed by the artist and depicts two strands of traditional glass beads of the indigenous Paiwan tribe of Taiwan. These beads played important roles in the tribe’s social hierarchy, which included the chieftain and clan, nobility and commoners. Only certain beads could be worn by the upper classes. They are also necessary elements of traditional Paiwan wedding ceremonies. They represent status, identity and wealth.
In the artist’s description of this art work, he says that,
“I was eight years old the first time that I saw glass beads. It was one day when we didn’t need to tend the fields. My mother took out her wedding headdress, beaded and embroidered dress and a string of glass beads to show to her friends who were visiting. The kids crowded around to catch a glimpse of the items. As I touched the cool beads, I wondered about their arrangement and their striking colors. Who made them? Why were they arranged that way? How were the motifs formed? For me, those beads were a mysterious and beautiful riddle. Glass beads are family heirlooms of the Paiwan tribe. Each bead has a different motif, name and meaning. In addition, the beads are symbols of status and social class and seem to recognize their proper owner. Once my mother bought a ‘tears of the sun’ bead because she liked it, but it was not meant for a person of her social class. Although she carefully stored it, one day it was gone. The elders of the village reminded us that what is not rightfully ours will eventually leave us.” For information or quotation, e-mail to info@tribe-asia.com