編按： 旅人實習生愛，在PDC休假期間參加達魯瑪克舊部落之旅。從小生長於都市的她，重新體會到人與自然間的親密關係！
On March 1st and 2nd I had a holiday for 2 days. I went to the village high in the mountain by truck. The truck looked almost broken(half of the roof was blown off so we had to put on a plastic sheet to avoid the rain) but it took us safely to the village. An old man who could speak Japanese drove the truck. He told me that he had a Japanese education for three years in the elementary school. He remembered many songs. He said he sang the song for the first time in 70 years and told me he was so happy to see me that he can speak Japanese and it reminds him of his childhood. I was really glad. I’ve learned that Japan governed Taiwan after the Sino-Japanese war in junior high school. It was a precious experience to feel the history.
When we arrived the village, Liyuen, a young man from the village and one of the participants of this Permaculture Design Cousre as well, introduced us the rules during the stay in the village. He said we can’t sneeze or break wind in the village. It’s impolite to the village’s gods. We also can’t shout in a loud voice because it means you are in danger and you need help. He also introduced us some edible plants in the forest. We had to pick them for dinner. I thought it must have taken a long time to find what is edible and what is not. We have to thank to the ancestors.
After picking some plants, we prepared for dinner. The aboriginal food was so good! We sang a song together around the fire. I felt so relaxed. The old man who can speak Japanese sat next to me and told me the meaning of the songs. He always invited me to drink so I got pretty drunk. I had a headache, but my heart was satisfied.
The next morning, when I got up, there was a game hanged from the tree. They said they hunted it last night. It was my first time to see a game. I was quite shocked but had to accept because that was why we could eat meat. It is a part of nature as long as we eat it with respect. I thanked the animal a lot. To eat it, they first burned the surface of it and removed the hair. Then they cut the stomach and pulled out the gutter inside. Most of the parts were thrown into the bowl and boiled to make a soup, but they ate some parts raw. I tried it but it was quite good. The meat was so fresh and it tasted a little sweet. I won’t forget the taste. I don’t want to forget to thank the animal when I eat meat.
.
By living together with the aboriginal people for 2 days, I felt like it was really close to nature. They don’t waste anything thus they do not have any trash. Everything goes back to earth. When we are living in the city, we can’t notice how much we are consuming the resource and polluting the earth. We can’t see the trash after it is thrown into the dust box or we can’t see our excretion after we flush the toilet. In the aboriginal life, everything has its use. I felt that I was just a part of the Earth. Everything was recycled. Things just pass through my body and it goes back to nature. It was a wonderful feeling. This is the most right way to live on the Earth, I thought. It is convenient to live in the city, but we have to look back and think which way to choose. Live with the nature or consume the nature. I want to live with nature. That’s my choice.