Dona Tribe Introduction
Dona Village is located at the end of Highway 132 in Maolin District, making it the deepest village in the area. Dona was formerly known as "Tun Zi," a name transliterated from Japanese, and the residents refer to their settlement as "Kunadavan." The village is made up of several smaller settlements and is currently one of the villages in Maolin District that preserves the traditional culture of the Rukai people more completely. Behind the settlement, a wide and flat plateau is surrounded by mountains, where unique black rice is cultivated. Every July, the "Tabesengane" Black Rice Festival is held to commemorate the gifts from heaven and pray for a bountiful harvest for the coming year, followed by the "Tapakadrawane" Harvest Season celebration in November. Another unique cultural aspect of Dona Village is the millet love bundle, made of millet tied with red, yellow, and green yarn. In the past, young men from the village would prepare millet bundles to present to the homes of the girls they admired before the festival, symbolizing their affection. Thus, the more millet bundles a household possesses, the more popular their daughters are considered. It is recommended to spend about 1 hour here, either sightseeing on your own or booking a guided tour, visiting places such as the slate houses, the chief's residence, and the headhunting platform. When visiting, please try to avoid disturbing the daily lives of the villagers.
