Deepaki
Betrawati, November 2002
Along the main road, by a porch with fresh straw;
with dust at her feet and the sun angling in,
Deepaki stands.
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Susana helps her mother move some straw
Betrawati, November 2002
On the way back from the foot-bridge to Tupche, I saw little Susana helping move some straw. Her mother, in red, is bent over grabbing a bit more. I didn't know Susana well, so she was a bit shy when I took her photo.
The load that Susana is carrying is light—it is, after all, dried straw—but I have seen adults carry heavy loads such as a wooden desk with nothing more than the woven strap that goes around the item and then one’s head.
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During the rice harvest
Betrawati, November 2002
Here is a photo that more clearly illustrates some of the rice stalks amassed during the rice harvest (I mentioned this in yesterday’s post, the photo from which was taken at the same time as the one above).
The children in this photo are:
Back row, from left to right—
Rupa (gold kurta), Bipana (in the middle), Dipa (white shirt)
Front row, from left to right—
Ashmita (maroon tee-shirt), Anita (red kurta top), Kobita (flowered dress), Sushmita (gold and white shorts)
Little Bobita sits naked on a stack of the stalks.
Ashmita, Bipana, Bobita, Kobita and Sushmita are all sisters.
The man in the background is wearing a topi, the traditional Nepali hat for men.
Finally, you can see the backside of a family (buffalo) cow under the roof on the left.
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Nisha harvesting
Betrawati, 2002
When a rice field is ready to harvest it is drained and let to dry. Once the ground is hard, the grass is cut by hand. When it’s dry enough, a tarp is laid out and a large stone is placed in the middle. Swinging handfuls of the grass against the stone, the rice is separated off and gathers on the tarp. A child collects the clumps of grass and makes large stacks, which can later be fed to a family buffalo.
The sickle-like tool Nisha is holding is called a hi-shuh.
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Nisha, all but hidden in a field of rice stalks.