達悟族月桃葉編織 (Tao zu yuetao ye bianzhi)
The Tao people (also called Yami) of Orchid Island (Lanyu — southeast of Taiwan's main island) maintain a pandanus leaf weaving tradition producing sleeping mats, food trays, and the flat-woven panels used to line the interior of their traditional semi-underground houses. The Tao pandanus tradition is distinct from other Southeast Asian pandanus weaving in its pre-weaving leaf preparation: pandanus leaves are split to exactly 3mm width strips using a specially designed ivory or bone splitting tool with a fixed gap of 3mm — the tool determines strip width mechanically, not by hand skill, but the correct pressure to pull the leaf through the gap without tearing requires significant practice. The 3mm standard is the Tao cultural width specification — any wider produces a coarser mat; any narrower, and the mat loses structural integrity.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Taiwan national ICH list
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