The Sunmoon Lake's Ita Thao Series: $100 $90 each (shipping included)

Height 14.5" x Width 14.5" x Depth 1.5"

The works in this series are based on the woodcut paintings created by the late artist Shi-hua Deng, which depict the life and culture of Ita Thao, the aborigines living near the Sun-moon Lakei in central Taiwan. Vivid colors and vigorous energy are the main features of the aboriginal arts in Taiwan, and both of them are fully represented in Deng's works. Limited edition (100 sets).

日月潭伊達邵系列
本系列作品係以故版畫家鄧詩華先生，一系列描述日月潭伊達邵原住民生活文化的木版畫遺作為張本。強烈的色彩和鮮活的生命力，是台灣原住民的重要藝術基因，鄧詩華先生的作品翔實地記錄了伊達邵原住民的此一特色，集集影彫特別情商鄧詩華先生尊翁惠允使用，限量發行一百組影彫作品以為紀念。

The religious and festival rituals of Ita Thao are performed by the High Priestess called "Hsien Sheng Ma." Rituals are important to annual events, weddings, funerals, coming-of-age ceremonies for boys, village construction, as well as ship buildings.

The High Priestess serves Pasalar, the highest spirit, and Apu, the spirit of a family’s ancestor, and holds rites of confession and purification for the villagers to bring them peace. She serves not only as a pillar in the religious lives of Ita Thao, but also a comforter and healer of their spiritual lives.

先生媽
伊達邵的祭祀儀式，是由被稱為「先生媽」的女祭師來擔任，先生媽要主持族中的歲時祭儀，甚至婚喪喜慶、男子成丁、建築、造船，都要由先生媽來執行祭儀。

先生媽服侍最高祖靈Pasalar和氏族祖靈Apu，並為族人告解、除穢，獲取平安，可以說先生媽是伊達邵宗教生活的支柱，也是精神生活的告慰者。

The mortar-pounding music is an essential element of the Ita Thao’s culture. At the end of July of the lunar calendar each year, people meet at the house of the village chief and play the music of mortar-pounding to begin the Harvest Festival. Whenever a major event is happening in the village, the music of mortar-pounding arises in the air among the Ita Shao tribe.

The tools used in the mortar-pounding are called mazbabiar, which vary in length, shape and weight. People surround the mortar and pound it at their respective rhythms and tempos, creating music with harmonious rich layers.

伊達邵舂石音 (雙人組)
舂石音是伊達邵文化的主要特色之一，每年農曆七月底，在頭人袁家祖厝舂起石音，即是豐年祭的前奏。部落舉行活動時，族人每以表演舂石音，來呈現伊達邵的文化風采。

舂石音的杵mazbabiar，是由長短精細輕重各式木杵組合而成。眾人持杵繞著杵石圍成一圈，按照個自負責的節拍舂擊杵石，隨即發出不同音階的聲響。

The mortar-pounding music is an essential element of the Ita Thao's culture. At the end of July of the lunar calendar each year, people meet at the house of the village chief and play the music of mortar-pounding to begin the Harvest Festival.

The tools used in the mortar-pounding are called mazbabiar, which vary in length, shape and weight, thus creating music with harmonious rich layers. Villagers nearby will join with their bamboo pipes of different lengths. On the eve of the Harvest Festival every year, the music of mortar-pounding and bamboo pipes echoes in the air, calling the brave men who went hunting in the mountains to come home and celebrate Ita Thao’s New Year holidays.

伊達邵舂石音 (族群)
舂石音是伊達邵文化的主要特色之一，每年農曆七月底，在頭人袁家祖厝舂起石音，即是豐年祭的前奏。

由於杵的材質有所不同，又有精細長短、堅疏輕重之分，因此敲擊在杵石時，組合成多種不同節奏的杵音，旁邊則有數名族人，手持著長短不一的竹筒擊地附和節拍。在豐年祭前夕，以叮噹咚康的杵音，和共鳴應合的竹筒聲，招喚在山中打獵的勇士們，早早返家一齊歡渡邵族新年。

Piety to the spirit of ancestors is central to Ita Thao's religious beliefs. Every family has a basket of their ancestors' spirit, in which the clothes of ancestors are reserved, representing the existence of the spirit. During important festivals such as the Sowing Festival, the Eel Festival and the Harvest Festival, people always hold religious services to the basket. They offer the ancestors wine and rice while delivering their prayers.

公媽籃
伊達邵宗教信仰的核心是祖靈信仰。每戶人家都有一只公媽籃（祖靈籃），籃內盛著祖先遺留下來的衣飾，以代表祖靈的存在。拜公媽籃是伊達邵主要的宗教及巫術的呈現對象與方式。凡是族中的重要祭儀，諸如：播種祭、拜鰻祭、豐年祭等，都以公媽籃為供奉的對象，族人備有酒、飯等獻品，用以祈告祖靈。

Tribal legends have it that the ancestors of Ita Thao came nearby the Sun-moon Lake while chasing a precious white deer; this was how they came and settled down in the area. The village chief and the elders of Ita Thao once said that their ancestors came from Mountain Ali or somewhere near Tainan, in northern Taiwan. The ancestors seemed to possess the status of "Maotano", which means "brave men", in the southern tribal society. This is why some Ita Thao people took "Mao" (from "Maotano") as their Han Taiwanese last name.

伊達邵勇士
傳說邵族人的祖先是為了追逐一頭罕見的白鹿，才來到現今日月潭附近，並且定居下來。而伊達邵袁頭目與長老曾經表示祖先來自阿里山區或台南一帶，可能原來擁有南部部族社會中稱為〝Maotano〞的勇士地位，因此有一部份族人在改為漢姓時，取其前音節Mao，成為『毛』姓。

The Oceanic Taiwan Series - $75 $67.50 shipping included

Height 14" x Width 12" x Depth 1.5"

The artworks of the "Oceanic Taiwan" series present the natural sceneries and agricultural lives of Taiwan through local materials such as red bricks and wood. They are based on the picture postcards printed during the Japanese occupation (1985-1945). The combination of soothing red bricks, simple wood frames, and common images creates a unique nostalgic atmosphere.)

海洋台灣系列
本系列作品在訴求台灣地方特產工藝材料與台灣生活文化的交融，以日治時期印行的風景明信片為張本，精選一系列具有海洋台灣文化典型的題材，利用木刻版畫的效果，創作出具有台灣懷舊特色之紀念品。

Water buffalos served as a great resource for the agricultural societies in early Taiwan. Farm work and transportation all depended on these gentle animals. In the 1950s, there were up to 320,000 water buffalos. The number decreased drastically when they were started to be replaced by farming machines. This work depicts a water buffalo bathing in the pond in front of a clay-brick house. It brings into life the close relationship of water buffalos and farming families in the traditional agricultural society of Taiwan.

土确厝前的沐牛
水牛是台灣早期農業發展最大的動力來源之一，舉凡農耕及運輸均依賴牠們提供的勞動力，隨著農業發展，農村勞動力需求增加，飼養頭數於1950年代達到近32萬頭的高峰，而後因役用功能被農業機械取代，頭數快速減少。本件作品藉由水牛在土确厝前的水塘中，享受泡澡之樂的寫實景象，闡述台灣傳統農村社會水牛與農家共生的文化意涵。

People may be surprised how "drifting" plays an important role in the development of human history. The act of moving on the water leads to satisfaction for the needs in people's lives, including transportation, fishing, and exploitation; it also brought about cultural and economic exchanges, as well as cultural understanding and harmony between different countries and people.

Taiwan is a nation surrounded by sea. Taiwanese people in the early days used bamboo rafts mainly for purposes like crossing the rivers, transporting goods to inland areas, as well as fishing on the rivers. Big bamboo rafts with sails played an important part in inshore fishery and overseas trades.

竹筏
漂流是人類歷史發展的重要手段，它不但解決了台灣住民交通、漁撈、拓殖等基本的生活需求，更進一步促成台灣與海外各地的文化交流、經貿往來與族群融合，使台灣成為具有海洋文化特色的國家。舟筏則是源自人類漂流經驗與需求的產物，早年台灣漢人以手撐竹篙的竹筏多用於溪流擺渡、內陸運輸、河川漁撈與海岸漁撈，加上風帆的大型竹筏則是扮演當時近海漁撈與跨海運輸貿易的重要角色。

Among Taiwan's exported fruits, banana is the number one in the quantity rank. Bananas growing in subtropical zones like Taiwan are sweet and delicious. The Bananas from Taiwan are widely welcomed by consumers all over the world, and have been exported to Japan for several decades. The picture postcards printed during the Japanese occupation (1895-1945) often feature beautiful ladies and bananas, banana orchards, and trains or steamboats transporting bananas, all showing how prosperous the industry was. In the 1960s, the amount of export per year was as high as 26 million cases. This not only brought remarkable income for Taiwan, but also developed talented people capable of the forthcoming international trades. In Taiwanese Language, the pronunciation of "banana" is close to that of "bring." Hope this artwork will bring wealth and blessing to its owner!

竹筏
漂流是人類歷史發展的重要手段，它不但解決了台灣住民交通、漁撈、拓殖等基本的生活需求，更進一步促成台灣與海外各地的文化交流、經貿往來與族群融合，使台灣成為具有海洋文化特色的國家。舟筏則是源自人類漂流經驗與需求的產物，早年台灣漢人以手撐竹篙的竹筏多用於溪流擺渡、內陸運輸、河川漁撈與海岸漁撈，加上風帆的大型竹筏則是扮演當時近海漁撈與跨海運輸貿易的重要角色。

Taiwan has a geographical feature of intensely uneven heights, with rivers short and the water running fast. Ditches and reservoirs for irrigation are devices constructed for such geographical environments.

Waterwheels, which could move water to high land, were commonly used in the farming areas of early Taiwan, and they worked on the power of men, animals, and/or water. Bamboo waterwheels used the natural power of the river to push water from low fields to high lands. The craftsmen managed to resolve the problems in their daily lives with their crafting skills by making full use of natural resources such as bamboo. The artwork shows how natural crafting materials and outstanding crafting skills are integrated with people’s daily life in Taiwan.

竹製水車
台灣島嶼地形高低落差懸殊、河川流域短促，不論是灌溉圳渠或是蓄水埤塘，都是因應台灣地理條件產生的重要的水利設施。其中為了克服水往低處流的特性，一種能引水灌溉高地的農具─水車，在昔日台灣農村普遍可見，有耗費人力、使用獸力、借用水力的各種不同水車。「竹製水車」即是借用河川流水的力量，將水由低處引到高處的巧妙設施，利用就地取材的竹管特性，經過工匠精湛的工藝技術，作出解決日常生活問題的產品，充分見証了台灣「工藝生活化」的本色。

The Sacred Tree of Mount Ali is a huge Taiwanese cypress found by a Japanese technician in 1906. Standing 178 feet high with a circular length of 75 feet, its estimated age is over 3,000 years. Struck by lightening in 1953 and 1956, the internal part of its trunk became carbonized, and boughs on the upper half of it withered completely. Since then the Sacred Tree had been decaying day after day. To avoid accidents that might happen due to the sudden collapse of the tree, Chia-I Forest Administration Office put the tree to the ground in 1998, ending the long history of the symbolic figure of Mount Ali. In the past, in order to export the precious wood to foreign countries like Japan, people chopped down Taiwanese cypress and constructed forest railroads for transportation. Today, environment protection is an important issue and deforestation is completely prohibited. Sight-seeing and tours of high-mountain railroads have become the new attractions of Mount Ali.

阿里山神木
阿里山神木係於1906年，由日本伐木技師發現的紅檜巨木，推測樹齡達三千年，樹高55公尺，胸圍23公尺。於1953及1956年遭受兩次雷擊，致使樹幹內部中空炭化，上半身枝椏全枯，後來逐漸朽萎；嘉義林管處為了預防神木突然倒塌造成意外，在1998年6月29日以人工進行放倒處理，使這棵曾經代表阿里山的精神象徵走入歷史。
當年為了經濟利益砍伐林木，並興建森林鐵路運輸紅檜，外銷到以日本為主的世界各地；如今在維護自然生態的前題下，台灣已全面禁止森林伐木，森林遊樂與高山鐵道之旅，成為阿里山觀光的新賣點，這棵聳立參天的神木也曾見証了台灣價值觀的蛻變。

The Boy and the Water Buffalo

Water buffalos served as a great resource for the agricultural societies in early Taiwan. Farm work and transportation all depended on these gentle animals. In the 1950s, there were up to 320,000 water buffalos. The number decreased drastically when they were started to be replaced by farming machines. This work presents the friendship between a boy and a water buffalo, bringing into life the close relationship of water buffalos and farming families in the traditional agricultural society of Taiwan.

牧童與水牛
水牛是台灣早期農業發展最大的動力來源之一，舉凡農耕及運輸均依賴牠們提供的勞動力，隨著農業發展，農村勞動力需求增加，飼養頭數於1950年代達到近32萬頭的高峰，而後因役用功能被農業機械取代，頭數快速減少。本件作品藉由牧童與水牛的親密伙伴關係，闡述台灣傳統農村社會水牛與農家共生的文化意涵。