本文通過民族誌田野調查，陳述三位原住民報導人的生活經驗與話語，闡釋底層人們的貧窮處境、價值認知與生命敘事，藉以反思統計分析模式的文化盲點，以及當代社會主流價值觀對於貧窮文化和底層生活的偏見。貧窮的經濟生活特徵一方面再現了現實環境的壓力、生活態度與道德價值、生命經驗的累積，和維持生存的必要妥協和適應等複雜因素，另一方面，藉由人類學對於「原初的豐裕社會」的理解，亦彰顯了在地的文化行為和生態經濟體系。同時，本文試圖釐清貧窮概念如何被納入社會福祉論述中，賦予框界、族群想像、福利補助等行動，並且認為主流社會價值長期以他者的文化和道德標準，評予底層人們的貧窮標籤，由此形塑出無法擺脫的文化創傷。通過Oscar Lewis 對於貧窮文化的詮釋，本文主張貧窮的定義不單是某一社群在經濟處境上的剝奪，更是較大優勢的資本主義文化社會下的階級身分；貧窮文化正是處在邊緣位置的貧窮人們，在此一生活價值體系中所採取的適應方式和反應。

Drawing on the ethnographic depictions of the economic lives among three Taiwanese aborigines, this essay intends to bring to light the culture of poverty of the underclass. By means of illuminating the concept of “original affluent society”, this essay articulates the economic lives of Taiwan’s aboriginal society, thereby revealing their eco–cultural system. This essay then criticizes the ways in which the social welfare policies and financial supports intensify a dismal impression of inferior abilities imprinted on the aborigines. The conceptualizations of multiculturalism and sustainability in turn insinuate a cultural image of victimization into people’s minds. The definition of and understanding toward poverty is thus never simply comprehended as an economic deprivation, but a social status as well as cultural suffering inextricably supplemented by a predominant capitalist society. The essay asserts that with a low aspiration of living, the marginalized people adopt the mechanism of culture of poverty as a means to reduce frustration, and gain the confidence of identity and strength of survival.