According to Dalujhalun Lebenlang, an aboriginal teacher of bead art at the Dragonfly Bead Art Studio, this is the origin of the "peacock beads," a precious treasure among her fellow Paiwan tribespeople.
Such stories and the beads associated with them are part of the inspiration behind the art of master bead-maker Hsu Chin-lang, even though he is not a Paiwan, nor even an aborigine. A Han Chinese from Hsinchu in northwestern Taiwan--an area rich in silicon minerals used for glassmaking as well as the natural gas needed to fire the process--56-year-old Hsu has spent the last 43 years of his life developing new forms of glass art, 100 of which were presented at an exhibition which opened at the National Museum of History in Taipei Sept. 12.
In an earlier era of Taiwan's history, glass beads were used as a form of currency in the complex trade relations between the island's different aboriginal groups, those from elsewhere in Southeast Asia, and even Dutch and other Western traders in the region. The latter may have been the original source of beads and bead-making technology, using them to trade for spices and, in Taiwan's case, animal pelts.
The strong social hierarchy of the Paiwan--the largest indigenous group of southern Taiwan--and the resulting concentration of wealth and power in a few noble families meant that, over the centuries, most beads fell into their hands. Today, therefore, it is the Paiwan of all Taiwan's aborigines who are famed for their beads. While the beads have ceremonial, decorative and even spiritual uses--with different beads symbolizing concepts such as love, protection, tears of the sun god, tribal homelands and, of course, the magnificent peacock--above all, they indicate the social status of their owner.
Aboriginal beads, as well as aboriginal culture in general, are just one of a wide range of influences Hsu has drawn upon for his work. Others, he said, came from anything he may see around him in Taiwan's streets or witness at a temple fair or traditional arts performance.
His gnarled work "Lord Dashih" complete with multicolored face and horned forehead, for example, was inspired by Hsu's trip to the southern city of Chiayi during the seventh lunar "ghost" month.
"Lord Dashih, the hell deity, is worshiped at the Dashihye Temple in Chiayi City. The pudu soul-saving ceremony became a source for this piece," Hsu explained as he toured his own exhibition.
Several other beads focused on religious themes, including a black-and-white reproduction of the Bodhisattva Guanyin with a Thousand Arms. As perhaps the most popular Buddhist figure in Taiwan, Guanyin's image is regularly invoked by artists working in every medium imaginable. Few can be as ornate and as intricate as that modeled by Hsu in the form of a bead.
It is not surprising, therefore, that Hsu's works of art, although measuring only about 3.5 x 2 centimeters, cost anything from US$100 to US$500. Moreover, as each is handmade, no two beads are alike, claimed Hsu.
Visitors to Hsu's Hsinchu studio are encouraged to try their hand at developing their own style or, under the support of the local government which has even opened a glass museum, residents can even take his glass-making courses at three of the city's community colleges.
As Hsu's art developed over the years and his distinctive style emerged, students of glass art beat a path to the door of his studio in Hsinchu. One of these, Chen Shu-huei, talked about the importance of personal experience in their art. "Based on their different backgrounds and experiences, people make glass beads that are quite unlike each other's. I tend to use a rather aesthetic methodology due to my fine arts study, whereas Hsu likes to take local culture and his life as the subject."
This can be seen in his "Chinese Opera Mask" series, which gave Hsu the opportunity to mix elements of Taiwanese folk culture with his own individual perspective. Moreover, the hues used to identify the different operatic characters' faces allowed him to wield his interest in color. This latter feature is one defining feature of his art. As one young visitor to the exhibition observed when looking at the representation of a Chinese lion which was traditional in all other respects, "Wow, look, that lion is blue!"
Hsu is also atypical of bead makers in that many of his pieces were not bead shaped. Not only does he create beads in the shape of animals and human figures and heads, the knobbier he can make them the better pleased he seems. Of course, to achieve these effects, he requires much higher quality materials than those that were available to Taiwan's pioneering aboriginal bead makers.
One particularly fine series in the exhibition was of classically shaped beads, however. Recently executed, the cool hues of the delicate images of flowers, butterflies, birds and fish were in sharp contrast with the bright colors of his earlier works. Including cherries, roses and orchids, the floral pieces showed definite Japanese influence, but, again, were expressed using Hsu's distinctive style.
As unique works of art, many of his beads are bought by collectors. Others are picked up by tourists looking for an original "made in Taiwan" artifact, and yet others are bought as gifts, perhaps to be used like the colorful beads of the peacock prince to court and woo a bride.