The plane came in today with Janis Arensen and her two young daughters. It also brought mail.
I went up to the village yesterday to ask Daniel about whether there is any way to get grass for a roof for my hut. He said no. I talked with him for quite a while. He says the people have developed an ingenious system for storing grain. They put the grain in raised structures and seal it with a mixture of ash and dung. Large flat stones are also used. This is to prevent insect entry. DDT insecticide may also be used if it can be purchased.
I asked about the cultivation of the mountain fields. He said tree cutting begins in October and goes perhaps through December. It dries in January and is burned in February. Heavily tree covered areas are selected for fields. A field will be used for two years or four years if particularly fertile. Then it is allowed to go back to forest. It requires about 20 years before a field is ready to be cultivated again.
People will often "hire" others to help with their planting and weeding. They pay the workers by supplying their food. Daniel had 81 people, men and women, helping with his planting one day. Weeding is done by women who are 18 years old and older and by the old men. I think I should wait to do a labor survey until I further clarify how labor use is related to gender roles, communal work, etc.
I have begun thinking that an oxen mechanization program might eliminate the communal labor. That could be a bad thing, especially if people enjoy working together and if it breaks down community spirit.
Daniel gave me the names of several plants used for food. These included cassava, papaya, pumpkin, sweet potato, okra, mulé (from a tree) and amagwé (which has leaves like a groundnut). I guess when weeds are hard to control, these people find ways to make use of them. It would be a great addition to my thesis if I could put together a long list of plants used for food, fiber, etc.
I learned the names of the mountains around Lohutok. The biggest one is called Lodyo. It has a rock cliff at the peak. The main village is at its base. The one with a triple peak is called Asarahai. The missionaries refer to it as "Three Sisters". Others are called Sohot (smaller peak near the mission station) and Lolyiri. The mountainside valley where the big field is located is called Ahaba.
Above: Lodyo, on the right, is Lohutok's highest mountain. Asarahai, on
the left, is also known as "Three Sisters" because of its three peaks.
Cassava is planted one year, then it is harvested and planted again in the same month a year later.
Daniel said that not all of the Lotuko live along the mountains as those at Lohutok do. Some live near the main road. He was referring to the road which runs from Torit to Kapoeta. But he said that more than half of them live along the mountains. He thinks there are between 15,000 and 25,000 Lotuko altogether. That should that between 7,500 and 12,500+ people have farming systems very similar to the one here.
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