Limol #23

Sixth day of rain. I did get out this morning and went with Wagiba to go pick up her sago bundles to carry them back to the village. Grace and I headed over to her house early morning and said hello to the puppies before heading out. Even in our hiking boots we slipped a bit on the path. Wagiba walks in front, swinging her machete along the path, breaking tree branches, small shrubs, hitting pieces of wood. Her erratic machete swinging is scary because I'm always worried I'll start following her too closely and get hit, but it does serve a purpose. First, it is a way of upkeeping all the trails little by little every time they're walked. Second, it's a way of marking where you've been so you can a)find your way back, or more likely b) someone can find you if you don't return. As she swung, Wagiba chatted about sago chopping and health plans and our ever approaching departure. As she talks, she effortlessly chops off branches for firewood, peels bark for rope, and chops fronds and leaves for cooking or carrying. We made it to the sago place which we had come to last year to chop sago as well. She left Grace and I on the edge of the creek and she waded across to where the sago tree was chopped and where the sago bundles were waiting. She brings a sago bundle back and has to reach and change the straps to get the bundle up on my head. We start climbing back up the hill and pick up the bundles of firewood on the way - Grace takes them both so Wagiba can rest. The bundles get heavy and it hurts my neck too much to look up, so I only notice we are in the village when the trail widens a bit and people start greeting us with good morning. We set the bundles down in Wagiba's house, though Wagiba insists we take them for ourselves to our house - and I get a chance to use both of Ende's words for our: It's not our [not yours] sago, it's our [and yours] sago. After dropping the bundles, Grace and I take a few minutes for the feeling to come back into our arms and necks, then head back to our house where we hope breakfast is waiting. Fortunately, breakfast was there, unfortunately, it's the day for the far corner to cook for us and without fail it's under- or over-cooked yams. I heard shouts of two deer being killed in the morning so I skip breakfast in hopes of a more substantial lunch to come.

We have had quite a few deer killings. The day before yesterday, a huge, male deer ran into the village. Two men were shooting it and whooping and hollering. Everyone (fathers, mothers, children) ran into the bush to chase the deer. Fortunately I had my camera ready as I was filming some messages for Graces birthday and I ran into the bush with everyone else. The cries and whoops were easy to find and I came across a huge crowd around a wailing deer, covered in dogs. Jerry was next to the deer, raised his bow and at point blank range shot the deer with a six foot long spear. The deer leaped up and ran only ten feet before being bludgeoned to death by the crowd. It was so incredibly violent but the mood was ecstatic. A huge deer! Just in time for Graces birthday feast. I followed the deer as it was dragged up to a clearing. It was laid on palm fronds and the butchering began immediately by the man who first shot it. Using a two foot long machete, he effortlessly and skillfully began slicing the deer into pieces, all while being watched, encouraged, and bothered by a crowd of men, children, and dogs. I got excellent footage of the butchering which was easier to watch through the camera then it was in real life. I can't wait to get Jerry to narrate the 15 minute video. I remember being naively impressed my first year that people knew so many words for inner body parts with only a 3rd grade level education, but clearly dissection is a regular practice and I underestimated how much people learn from practical education. I was really surprised when, after the butchering, the word was said that the butchering was completed and the crowd of children jumped in the pile, each taking a huge hunk of meat and carrying it back to their houses to cook. The two shooters split the back meat and will share the money from the antlers and penis (to be sold in Indonesia and Daru, respectively). It was a fun experience, despite the blood, gore, and general lack of sanitation for a meal that I would soon be fortunate enough to eat. I'm also curious to see how many different verbs of cutting will be inspired by the narration of the video!

Last day of work here, and I've got just a few recordings left to do. Then it's all about good bye speech, packing, and saying good byes.

Kate