A Folk Legend: How The Saisiyat Indigenous Learned To Weave

As one of the smallest aboriginal groups in Taiwan, the Saisiyat, are eager to preserve their culture, traditions, and folklore. They do so with a variety of folk legends that tell the story of how they came to be and how they learned their crafts. One of their most popular tales is of how a dragon woman taught them the skill of weaving.

A long time ago when the world was young, a group of Saisiyat men went hunting in the mountains. It was on this trip that they came across a dragon lady who had risen from the ocean. She explained that her father had told her to come to them and so she prepared meals for the hunters.

They were impressed by this mysterious woman, and after taking her to the elders of the tribe, they decided that she should marry one of their young menfolk. The dragon lady agreed, and after the couple had married, she took her new husband and 10 of his close relatives to her home deep in the ocean.

When they arrived, the Saisiyat were stunned by the beautiful furnishings this dragon lady had in her home. She had intricately woven carpets, wall hangings, and beautiful embroideries, all of which she claimed to have made herself.

After a time, the younger students’ skills improved so much that the dragon lady announced a contest between the two sets of students. The younger students easily beat the elder folk, and there was much bickering and discontent.

So unhappy were the older generation that they started to spread rumors about the dragon lady which upset her a great deal. She then decided that if she was so unappreciated, that she would leave and return to the ocean. But before leaving she gave them the promise that after she left they would never again learn a new skill even if they wanted to.

It’s a story that is still told to the young tribe members, however, as lovely as the story is, the Saisiyat actually learned their weaving skills from a pygmy-like people known as the Taai. This cave-dwelling tribe welcomed the Saisiyat to the mountainous region they now call home, and taught them how to farm, weave, and hunt. Unfortunately, a rift between the tribes led to the extermination of the Taai at the hands of the Saisiyat, and now every two years a special ceremony called Pas-taai takes place to commemorate the people slain and appease their spirits.

Today the tribe still value their weaving skills so much so that a woman is not considered a woman until she can weave. In fact, as the men will tattoo their faces in honor of their hunting skills so too will the women tattoo theirs according to how skilled they are at weaving. However, this tradition is dying out as the younger generations feel that facial tattoos will see them thought of as odd in modern Taiwanese society.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.