Tseng Hsiao-Te (1952)

Oil Painting

1991

Length:72.5 x Width:60 (cm)

The indigenous Tao tribe lives on Lanyu (Orchid Island). It was originally known as the Yami tribe (based on an 1897 survey report by Japanese anthropologist Torii Ryuzo). In 1998, the name was changed to Tao (which means "person" or "human being" in this tribe's language). In Tao society, there is no clan or nobility-based hierarchy. This is the only indigenous tribe in Taiwan to fish as its main livelihood. Traditionally, the men would go out to sea to fish and the women would stay on the island and cultivate taro root and other crops.
This painting, Young Yami Woman, the color tones and brush strokes give it a classic feel. This young woman is staring off into the distance. On her forehead is a strap to a basket on her back for holding harvested food, expressing the physical labor characteristic of this ethnic group. In terms of spatial arrangement, there is special emphasis on the relationship between the subject in the foreground and the fishing boats in the background.

Accession Number:A0061