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Indigenous Kavalan Woman Keeps Unique Banana Fiber Weaving Craft Alive 

In a quiet village on Taiwan’s east coast, 86-year-old Yen Yu-ying practices a nearly vanished art: banana fiber weaving. The intricate craft, known as “ni tenunan tu benina” in the Indigenous Kavalan language, has been passed down through generations but now teeters on the edge of extinction. 

“No one wants to do it. It’s tiring and there’s not much money in it,” Yen says. 

For decades, Yen has created hats, clothes and bags using fibers extracted from the bark of banana trees. The work is slow, labor-intensive and often undervalued. But for Yen, preserving the tradition is more important than personal comfort. 

“If I don’t pass this down, it will be gone, it will disappear. I can’t let it disappear,” she said. 

The process begins with stripping bark from felled banana trees, drying the fiber and twisting it into thread. Only then does the most challenging phase—actual weaving—begin. 

“When the thread breaks, you need to connect it again. That’s the hardest part. It’s very dense. You need to slowly find the thread to connect it. If you connect it in the wrong spot, you can't weave it,” Yen said. 

Despite the difficulty, the ancient technique has gained recognition. Taiwanese designer Justin Chou featured Yen’s banana fiber weaving in uniforms for Taiwan’s Olympic team for the 2024 Paris Games. 

“The idea this time is to present the very best [of Taiwan], including this iconic banana fiber weaving pattern. We hope to give the best to the athletes representing Taiwan so it can be seen by everyone in Paris,” Chou said. 

Yen was deeply moved. “It was very touching. I thought, wow—if banana fiber weaving can be spread to the world, I would cry,” she said. 

Still, few are willing to learn the laborious craft. Yen has just three apprentices, including Pan Nien-hsin, a fellow member of the Kavalan community. 

“When I was young, I saw my grandma weaving. Only when I grew up did I realize that she was doing Kavalan banana fiber weaving. This craft is unique in all of Taiwan. So I thought, I’d learn it if I had the chance,” Pan said. 

Pan sees more than just skill in Yen. She sees resilience. “Teacher Yen is not only a crafter, but also a mother. She needs to weave clothing for the family to wear to stay warm and help cook and do chores. She is a very capable woman. So it's often said that Kavalan women are just as resilient as banana fiber,” Pan said. 

Designated as a living national treasure, Yen is one of the last keepers of this ancestral knowledge. As she weaves, she weaves more than thread—she weaves a legacy, determined that it will not fade away with her.