Planting Padi Bukit

Sister Caroline and me

The men getting ready!

   One of the dearest teachers I work with is Sister Caroline, who has been a teacher and a Franciscan Sister of the Immaculate Conception, Sabah  for many years. She has worked all over Sabah but returned a few years ago to the mountain area where she originally comes from, to work in the Mission School in Ranau. She comes from a Dusun family of 10 and has many nieces, nephews and 60 grand-nieces and nephews. As well as being a great teacher, she has a wonderful sense of humour, and we get on really well, so when I had the chance of joining her family to plant the hill rice on her sister's land I was really excited.

  We left Ranau early and drove about 40 kms before we turned off onto a gravel road that twisted up the hillside for another few kilometres and finally reached the top of a hill with a spectacular 360 degree views and an amazing view of Mount Kinabalu. We were so lucky to have a perfect day with hardly a cloud in the sky. The rest of the family started to arrive from all over the place and soon we were ready to start work. You probably thought like me that rice was always planted in water but there are many different types of rice and hill rice is planted directly into the ground. The family get togethers called gotong royong (Malay) and mogitatabang (Dusun) happen when there is communal work to be done and involves everyone and all ages.

Me with a funny hat on!

The land had been already cleared by burning, cutting the branches and then weeding. This was the planting day and the men started with their long sticks with sharpened ends to make the hole and the women followed putting about 10 seeds in each one - we were joined by children and other men too. It was all very straightforward except that it was on a very steep hill and was quite difficult to walk, however we spent the morning following the army of men with their sticks and putting our seeds in. I noticed that the women were very good at aiming the seeds into the holes but I think I wasn't too bad and managed to keep going throughout although I'm feeling shattered this evening as I write!

Sister Caroline in her planting clothes

A sarong hat!

 Makan Kampong

Pumpkin and rice

Finally we had finished and it was time for the family " Makanan Kampong" which means literally village meal and that everything comes from the land around the village. As Christians they can drink alcohol, so we started off with fermented coconut juice called tody which was quite strong and rather bitter and then there was tapai , the tapioca wine too. There was wild boar soup, chicken curry, rice cooked with pumpkin in leaves, mushrooms from the rubber trees, bamboo shoots, and a mixture of leaves and petals from the jungle and then fresh pineapple to finish. Quel bonheur to be welcomed by this wonderful family and be a part of their day. They invited me to join them for the harvest in 5 months but sadly I won't be here. It was a day to remember - thank you dear Duli family for your kindness and hospitality in welcoming and making me feel at home.