大滝詠一は何故か折に触れひょこっと顔を出す。この春も、朽ち果てた倉庫の整理をしていたら泥の中から彼女が残していったアルバム『Each Time』が出てきて、どきっ!『ロンバケ』もその辺りに埋まってるに違いなかったが捜さなかった。(カーペンターズの『Now and Then』も一緒にくっついて出てきたけど、それって皮肉?昨日はもう戻らないのにさ、って。)
The Evenki of the Great Xingan Range (Daxinganling) are China’s only reindeer-herding tribe. Liuba is one of the few Evenki who went out of the mountain. She entered the Minzu University of China, studied art, and she became family’s honor. One day, when Liuba returned to the forest, the Evenki were experiencing a life-style transition from nomadic migration to settlement dwelling; yet, with the reindeer−god of the family treasure beside her, Liuba could feel some calmness of her mind, but in the forest, it seemed she was different from the other Evenki people. Finally, Liuba left home, walking for four days to go 300 kilometers, and got married with an elder worker in the forest. He loved her so much, and she was just grateful for that. Liuba still hadn’t given up the mountain life and the reindeers, so that she returned to the settlement of her tribe, Along with the reindeer-god’s delivery and its death, Liuba, too, gave birth to a daughter ……