Dona Village Introduction
Dona Village is located at the end of Highway 132 in Maolin District, the deepest part of the district. Dona was formerly known as "Tunzi," a transliteration from Japanese, and the residents refer to their settlement as "Kunadavan." The village is made up of several small settlements and is currently one of the few tribes in Maolin District that has preserved the traditional culture of the Rukai people relatively intact. Behind the settlement, a wide and flat plateau is surrounded by mountains, where unique black rice is cultivated. Every July, the Black Rice Festival (Tabesengane) is held to commemorate the gifts from heaven and to pray for a bountiful harvest in the coming year, followed by a harvest season (Tapakadrawane) in November. Another unique cultural aspect of Dona Village is the millet love bundle, which consists of millet tied with red, yellow, and green yarn. Traditionally, before festivals, young men in the village would prepare millet bundles to present to the girls they admired, expressing their affection. Thus, the more millet bundles a household has, the more popular their daughter is considered. It is recommended to spend about one hour here, with options for self-guided tours or booking guided services to explore the stone houses, the chief's house, and the headhunter platform within the village. Visitors are encouraged to avoid disturbing the lives of the villagers.
