Rukai cultural education continues in the mountains after Typhoon Morakot relocation

Years after Typhoon Morakot forced many from Taiwan's Jiadmu community to relocate, a dedicated effort is underway to preserve the Rukai culture. The "Jiadmu Four Heroes," who bravely rescued trapped villagers during the 2009 disaster, now lead initiatives to reconnect younger generations with their ancestral lands and traditions.

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For children studying away from home, if they don't have happy memories in the mountains from a young age, they might lose their connection to the tribe.

Community leaders and the Jiadmu Village Youth Association host annual summer camps during the harvest season. These camps offer a range of courses, from foraging to hunting, passing down the wisdom of their ancestors. The goal is not just to teach skills but to foster a deep appreciation for the mountains and a strong sense of identity.

Village chief Xu Renhui emphasizes the crucial role of hunters as "doctors of the land." They possess intimate knowledge of local flora and fauna, enabling them to detect ecological imbalances. Without them, traditional knowledge, including plant names and place names, risks vanishing, severing the cultural connection to the land.

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Hunters are like doctors of the land. They are familiar with the land and plants and animals in their traditional territories and can detect ecological imbalances from changes in the mountains and report back to the tribe.

One of the "heroes," Lai Meng-chuan, instructs youth on safe hunting practices, stressing that hunting is a traditional skill, not a commercial activity. It must be conducted with respect for nature and ecological limits, often involving restoration efforts. Recent sessions included wilderness survival skills like fire-starting, trap-making, and identifying edible plants, alongside learning traditional Rukai navigation techniques in the wilderness.

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Hunting itself is a traditional life skill, but it cannot be for the purpose of commercial interests. It must be carried out on the premise of respecting nature and ecological carrying capacity, and it often requires restoration. This is the concept that the growth camp continues to emphasize.

The Jiadmu Youth Association acknowledges a temporary disconnect in cultural transmission after the typhoon. They aspire for these activities to bridge generational gaps, cultivate cultural practitioners, and ultimately, "bring people back, keep the culture alive, take responsibility, and let Jiadmu move forward."

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Bring people back, keep the culture alive, take responsibility, and let Jiadmu move forward.