Padrarulj (ancestor figure)

19th–early 20th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 351

The Paiwan are one of several indigenous peoples living the mountainous interior of Taiwan. Paiwan society is hierarchical, divided into high nobles, minor nobility, and commoners. In former times, only the high nobility was entitled to create or commission certain forms of human images, which portrayed important ancestors (tsmas). The ancestors, whose supernatural influence was controlled by the nobility, had the power to either help or harm the community, depending on whether their spirits received proper respect through ritual observances and offerings. The houses of Paiwan nobles were both the physical and artistic centers of ancestral power and imagery. The remains of noble ancestors were buried within the houses of their descendants, and their images adorned the doorways, house posts, and other architectural elements. This impressive figure likely once adorned a house post in the house of a Paiwan noble family. It portrays a prominent female ancestor, whose remains may have been entombed nearby.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Padrarulj (ancestor figure)
Artist: Paiwan artist
Date: 19th–early 20th century
Geography: Taiwan
Culture: Paiwan people
Medium: Wood, porcelain
Dimensions: H. 50 3/4 in. × W. 15 in. × D. 5 in. (128.9 × 38.1 × 12.7 cm)
H. (with mount) 54 1/2 in. (138.4 cm)
Classification: Wood-Sculpture
Credit Line: Gift of Fred and Rita Richman, 1988
Object Number: 1988.143.7
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

Audio

1772. Padrarulj (ancestor figure), Paiwan artist

Calivat Gadu

0:00

CALIVAT GADU (English translation): The eyes and mouth are diamond shaped, which means the eyes are able to see in all directions, and the mouth is able to speak to all directions.

KATERINA TEAIWA (NARRATOR): That was Calivat Gadu, Deputy Minister of the Council of Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan.

CALIVAT GADU (English translation): I was born and raised in a Paiwan community. So I’ve seen this kind of figure in the communities very often.

They only belonged to the families of the chieftains and the nobility. Usually they were attached to the main pillar of the house, and also the granary.

The artwork combines the features of male and female. The upper body is that of a woman. But it wears armbands, which only men are supposed to wear. And on the lower body, it wears men’s traditional Paiwan pants. It symbolizes how both men and women are working together to support the family.

When an object combines male and female features, it means wisdom. In the Paiwan language, we call it Zho-tsao, the person with wisdom.

The combination also refers to the umbilical cord that connects heaven and earth, and human and ancestral spirits.

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