Quama

So, this is all a bit out of order but there it is. Adventures in the jungle. Quama is the Saramaccan name for Bamboo and in the particular adventure, we went into the jungle to suuku (seek!) it.

We were making an entry way for the Medicine Garden we have been building behind the museum and apparently it had to be bamboo. After working on the garden for the morning and having lunch, Etsio told me to put my boots back on, grab my machete, but leave my bag - we were going on a quest.

We walked along a path I thought I knew until we took a turn I had never seen before. In a few moments we were behind what I thought was the last row of houses in the village and waking through a satelitte 'burb of Pikin Slee I never knew existed. The houses were a bit nicer and a bit further apart, but many were unfinished and I didn't actually see many people at all. Rich city folks perhaps?

Finally, the jungle closed in over the path and we left the village behind. It was a broad, well traveled path - leading to people's grounds I think - but the jungle is thick on both sides. After about 15 minutes, we stopped at what seemed like a random spot and turned off the path. The two Rastas broke a trail into the jungle, looking for the bamboo. After a little bit it was a clear false start.

We went back to the path and walked for another ten minutes until we could hear a stream. Again, we cut a path through the jungle to find the stream and finally we saw a patch of bamboo. I felt like I was in that scene in Swiss Family Robinson. I think I've mentioned that movie before, haven't I? Heck yeah.

The bamboo here is subtlely different - it doesn't harden in the yellow way you have in the states or Asia and the joints have these kind of sharp, thorny growths. We went to work cutting the largest growths down. These were 20-30 foot long sections of bamboo, as thick as your wrist at the base.

At first, I helped by dragging the sections back to the path since the Rastas are so much better with machetes than I am. After a bit, though, I decided to make a go at it. Machetes are fun! I'm getting better with mine and you'd be amazed how much of a difference a little practice and some sharpening makes.

When we finished, we had 3 bundles of probably about 80 pounds of bamboo - maybe 15ish lengths each. We tied them into bundles with vines cut from the trees around us and, in true Saramaccan fashion, put the bundles on our heads and set off on the long walk back to the museum.

Yes, I carried a 15 footish bundle of bamboo (we cut the longest pieces in half) on my head. No, I didn't do it for long. Wow, that is hard and it hurts your head. I have a strong neck and back, no worries there, but the top of my head was killing me! Etsio at least has his dreads and the other guy brought a kosu to use as padding. So I alternated with my shoulders, but all in all it was a good feeling.

Until we forded a creek and my boots filled with water. It's hard to feel tough and manly with squelchy boots, but it was only another half mile or so.

Just another day in the jungle.