木臼 Wooden Mortar
典藏者
原住民族文化發展中心
在雅美（達悟）族文化中吃小米是具有特殊意義，且主要是由男人用杵臼搗粟米。其原因為族人日常主食是芋薯等根莖作物，例如慶典或是家中有人生病，要打小米贈送給惡魔，病人才可很快復原。因此搗小米多與特殊祭儀有關。
Besides wetland taro and other root vegetables like sweet potato, millet is also an important crop for the Yami (Tao). Although millet is not vastly grown nowadays it has a special cultural significance and is mostly ritual-related. For instance, if there is a sick person at home, the family would offer millet to evil spirits and the sick person would recover. Also, families would use millet to conduct their own harvest ceremony to give thanks for a good harvest and to pray for another prosperous one the following year.
Besides wetland taro and other root vegetables like sweet potato, millet is also an important crop for the Yami (Tao). Although millet is not vastly grown nowadays it has a special cultural significance and is mostly ritual-related. For instance, if there is a sick person at home, the family would offer millet to evil spirits and the sick person would recover. Also, families would use millet to conduct their own harvest ceremony to give thanks for a good harvest and to pray for another prosperous one the following year.
