Dona Village Introduction
Dona Village is located at the end of Highway 132 in Maolin District, making it the deepest village in the area. Previously known as "Tun Zi," the name is derived from a Japanese phonetic translation, while residents refer to their settlement as "Kunadavan." Dona Village is made up of several small settlements and is currently one of the villages in Maolin District that best preserves the traditional culture of the Rukai people. Behind the village, a wide flat terrace is surrounded by mountains, where unique black rice is cultivated. Every July, the community holds the Black Rice Festival (Tabesengane) to celebrate the blessings from the heavens and pray for an abundant harvest in the coming year, followed by the Harvest Season (Tapakadrawane) in November. Another unique cultural aspect of Dona Village is the millet love binding, where millet tied with red, yellow, and green yarn is prepared by young men in the village and presented to their beloved's family before the festival, expressing their affection. Thus, the more millet bindings a family has, the more popular their daughter is considered. It is recommended to spend about an hour here, where visitors can explore the area on their own or book a guided tour to see the stone houses, the chieftain's residence, and the headhunter platform. When visiting, please be mindful and avoid disturbing the daily lives of the residents.
