John Tyman's Cultures in Context Series Torembi and the Sepik A Study of Village Life in New Guinea |
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Topic No. 6: Hunting and Gathering |
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John Tyman's Cultures in Context Series Torembi and the Sepik A Study of Village Life in New Guinea |
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Topic No. 6: Hunting and Gathering |
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| 075. Since sago grows wild in the bush, its collection is a good example of ‘gathering’: but nature here also provides fruits, nuts, roots and berries, and certain types of leaves which are boiled as greens. (Bush fruit) |
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| 076. The eggs of wild birds like the cassowary are collected. |
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| 077. There are also plenty of wild animals men can hunt … including, possums, wild cats, wallabies, marsupial rats and flying foxes, plus birds like the cassowary, tree frogs, snakes, crocodiles and lizards (excluding those that are their totems). |
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| 078. The main animal of interest to hunters here, however, is the feral pig, whose capture is invariably the occasion for a feast. |
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| 079. In one of the few domestic chores for which men are responsible, the carcass is hung from a pole, dry palm leaves are piled against it, and these are set alight to burn off the animal’s hair. |
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| 080. The carcass is then scraped clean in the river. |
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| 081. It is placed on a palm leaf and a sharp knife used to remove the back fat, which is cut into strips in preparation for smoking. The carcass is then dismembered piece by piece |
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| 082. The allocation of the meat among the families involved is governed by custom. Nothing is thrown away except for a little blood and a few parasitic worms. |
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| 083. The meat will be cooked the same day. The smaller pieces are fixed to wooden skewers made from pandanus, and smoked for hours. |
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| 084. Fishing is, of course, another form of hunting. And it’s one activity in which everyone shares … using spears, nets and traps. They hang the traps where the streams’ current is strongest, so that fish washed into them cannot easily escape. (Also see video extract number 06) |
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| 085. When fishing with a line they dig up grubs for bait but they don’t catch much, as most fish here are small. |
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| 086. Instead, much of the fish eaten at Torembi actually comes from the Sepik. It is one of the great rivers of the humid tropics, and its banks are dotted with fishing villages. |
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by John Tyman
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Copyright Pitt Rivers Museum,
Oxford University, 2010.
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