Today, I finally saw someone scattering seeds. They were groundnut (a.k.a. peanut) seeds, so I found out that they too are scattered on the ground before hoeing. This is the same technique used for planting sorghum and millet. Some of the earlier planted groundnuts are already blooming. These will be the first groundnut crop I have ever observed as we do not grow them near my home in Kansas. They are being planted in an area of sandy soil between the base of the mountains and the lower level of the valley. Some people are still planting, others are weeding.
Above: A field before planting.
The following three photos show hoeing. The seed was scattered immediately prior to hoeing. Leaving the weed cover in place until the time of planting protects the soil from erosion and the sun. The hoes have very long handles, some being longer than twice a man's height. One might call these "push hoes". The blade is in line with the handle, not at a right angle like hoes used in most parts of the world. This type of hoe minimizes back strain because the user does not need to bend over. The weight of the long handle provides momentum which helps it penetrate the soil. It cuts off the weeds just below the soil surface while minimizing soil disturbance. This type of hoe has results similar to the V-bladed sweep plows which are used to under-cut weeds in stubble-mulch farming systems in the semi-arid Great Plains of North America.
The following two photos show a woman piling up weeds after the hoeing operation. If the soil were not cleared, the mulch of dead weeds would inhibit growth of the new crop.
The following photo shows a newly planted field in the foreground. Behind it, a newly emerged crop can be seen in a previously planted field. The slopes of the Lopit mountains are visible beyond the fields.
[Disclaimer: The above photographs are representative of the process of planting groundnuts, sorghum and millet. They were not necessarily all taken at the same time or location.]
I saw Adelino today. He was weeding and transplanting some sorghum into spots where none was growing. His wife was just coming to help when I arrived. Some of the plants he was pulling looked to me like sorghum. I thought he was thinning his stand. I pointed to a plant he had pulled and said it looked the same as the ones he was leaving, expecting to get a response about thinning. But he said it was a weed and held it up next to a sorghum plant so I could see the difference. I could see no difference, but shrugged in agreement so as not to seem as ignorant as I was.
Samuel got back from Torit late this afternoon. He said there was no grain available for sale. I imagine the local people who rode along to get some were quite disappointed. It is a very sad thing if this means food is running out.
I read the remaining chapters of Agriculture in the Sudan by Tothill. I started reading The Mountain People by Colin M. Turnbull. The author's anthropological approach seems similar to what I find myself doing here. He has problems that I can understand, e.g. getting straight answers to one's intended questions, language barriers, unintentionally biased guides and people who are looking for gain from you. He seemed to find a conflict between blending into the culture and collecting information. Apparently there was contact between the subjects of his study (the Ik in northeast Uganda) and the Taposa of southeast Sudan.
There was a very good rain last night and this morning. Thobias told me the people in the village quarreled with the rain queen yesterday and apparently threatened to send her off. I hope this bodes well for Christ's cause here. I was not able to understand the details about the quarrel with the rain queen.
I started some serious language study today. It seems slow. Language study always seems slow. I will almost certainly end up giving talks at clinics or church. I am going to listen to Janice give one first so I get a feel for the appropriate communication "level".
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