This hand-painted decorative plate is signed by the artist and depicts two white wild lilies. In the Paiwan and Rukai indigenous tribes of Taiwan, the white lily symbolizes honor and virtue. Only men who had proven themselves able warriors and hunters and unmarried women considered pure and chaste were allowed to wear the white lily flower in their headdresses.
In the artist’s description of this art work, he says that,
“When I was little, I went with my parents into the mountains to work our fields. Next to our fields were a stream and a clearing. In that clearing it was possible to see wild lilies, which began blooming in March, just after the planting of millet was completed, and stayed in bloom into the summer. Although there were clusters of flowers, it was still possible to make out individual wild lilies, each looking like a young woman busy with her work. That sea of pure white swayed in front of my sleepy eyes. For my tribe, the lily signifies purity and beauty. During special ceremonies, warriors who had successfully hunted many wild boar and chaste unmarried women were allowed to wear the lily in their headdresses. The most beautiful flower in nature was only allowed to adorn those worthy of it. This decoration served as a source of praise, exhortation and expectation.” For information or quotation, e-mail to info@tribe-asia.com