The wild boar plays a very important role in many aboriginal societies in Taiwan. It was mainly hunted for food. Men who were particularly good hunters were honored with ornaments, such as wild boar tusks or lily flowers worn on their arms or in their headdresses. To this particular artist, the wild boar is also very significant. Fuzu Hamowana (also known as Pu’u) lives in Laiji Village in Alishan, which according to legend was discovered during the hunt for wild boar. She raised a wild boar as a pet when she was young, only to find out that one day while she was away studying that her mother had slaughtered it for food. This event left a very deep impression on her.
The top of this wooden jewelry box features an imprinted wild boar in red, with the eye region hand-carved.
It is surrounded in a hand-carved flower pattern, with a hand-painted red blossom outlined in gold on the front, representative of a local wildflower.
