Zaljum is the Paiwan word for water. The Paiwan people often use water as a metaphor to describe people, events, and things. As the elders say, “Water remembers the path it once flowed.” When natural disasters strike, the elders often remark, “It’s not nature’s fault—it’s that we have taken the water’s path.” For the Paiwan, Zaljum is also a vital medium in the life cycle, from birth to death. At birth, water is used so you can remember the scent of home; at death, water is used to wash away the dust, guiding you on your way. A person’s life is like the cycle of water. As Tagore wrote in Stray Birds: “The rain kisses the earth and whispers, ‘Mother, we are your homesick children; we are returning from the sky to your embrace.’”