Formosa Lambsquarters, a common plant has been cultivated by Taiwanese aborigines in Southern Taiwan for over 100 years. This annual plant completes its life cycle within 1 year and drought resistant. The plant’s growth pattern is analogous to the work attitude of Taiwanese people and suffer hardship without complaint. Formosa Lambsquarters is the primary raw material for brewing millet wine and is an adornment in Taiwanese aboriginal marriage ceremonies. However, because of its small grain size which requires complex processing, its consumption as the staple food of Taiwanese aborigines has gradually decreased.
The floods induced by Typhoon Morakot in 2009 caused substantial loss of life and property in the mountainous areas of Southern Taiwan. Young people from the affected areas have attempted to rebuild their livelihoods with assistance from the government. The displacement from their mountain homes to permanent housing on flat ground has caused unhappiness among the older people because of the living environments changed so much. To restore their life in town of mountain and recapture the culture of the older people, they planted crops on flat ground to symbolize that their ancestors’ traditional spirit is equal to Formosa Lambsquarters.
If you have time to visit the Taiwanese aboriginal tribe in Southern Taiwan, remember to try a glass of millet wine and buy some cultural handicrafts to solve their financial problems. Besides, come here with the pure heart as a newborn baby to appreciate everything!
