Whorled umbrella grass lamps spin the tribal economy, turning out beautiful new business opportunities

In earlier years, umbrella plant (Cyperus alternifolius) always grew alongside the paddy fields, famous for its leaf shape that resembles the ribs of an umbrella. Its stems are emerald green and straight, and it was an important material for Amis women weaving grass mats. But as farmland was left fallow and the environment changed, umbrella plant gradually disappeared from the everyday landscape of the tribe. Five years ago, Sumi Runi, who began reviving sea rice at the Port tribe in Fengbin Township, Hualien County, also started reviving umbrella plant, trying to recover the memory of traditional grass mats.

In recent years, because Teacher Dong Fangwu of the Graduate Institute of Industrial Design at Taiwan Tech brought his student team to the community, the traditional umbrella plant mats have gradually been transformed into craft products such as "spinning grass lamps" and "wave grass lamps," currently on display on a crowdfunding platform and preparing for mass production, and this is the beginning of what Sumi Runi hopes for: "letting local culture become an industry, and thereby support residents' livelihoods."

The tribe's umbrella plant

Umbrella plant is an aquatic plant belonging to the sedge family. In Sumi Runi's childhood memories, umbrella plant and the large-leaf Alpinia that grows alongside it could always be found in the standing water of the tribe's paddy fields. "The elders in the tribe would often dry umbrella plant and make it into grass mats, and use large-leaf Alpinia to make wine starter," Sumi Runi said.

Umbrella plant is a perennial herbaceous plant. The plant can grow to 200 cm, and it can be harvested one year after planting. It will keep regrowing without special care. Residents of the Port tribe now generally harvest it in June and July before the sea rice harvest, followed by 2 months of sun-drying. After the busy farming season, it is the perfect time to weave grass mats. In the film "The Sun's Children," the "sun mats" that tribal women draped over themselves when going into the fields were also woven from the stems of umbrella plant.