L 43cm × W 27cm , 19th Century
The traditional costume of Pingpu Group, like other indigenous peoples, belongs to a “squared cloth” system featuring cutting not sewing to make daily and ritual costumes. Because the Pingpu Group had contacted Han Chinese much earlier, they had been greatly influenced by Han culture and trading in folk customs and elements of material culture. The traditional costume culture of Pingpu Group in many regions has continually declined, visible cultural traces of traditional clothing can be merely found in the upcountry or areas of later Han settlements like Puli, Kavalan, Qishan and Liugui. The traditional costume of Pazeh Tribe is one of the rarely existing examples.
This male sleeveless jacket is a formal ceremonial costume with a round collar and symmetrical lapels stringed by two cords, but the parts under the armpit were not seamed, making it a very rare pullover type. It was sewed up by two pieces of woven clothes mixed with color linen threads like red, blue, white and green, and golden fibers of Dendrobium. Its front and back are both covered with intricate designs in geometrical symmetry including diamond pattern, 8-petal pattern, mountain-shaped pattern and line pattern. It is concluded that the costume of Pazeh Tribe, Pingpu Group had been used around 1910-1920, adopting the fiber of Dendrobium plant as clothing element as a partial continuity from the early clothing tradition of dagobum.