We are amazed by what our local friends can make out the natural resources found in the jungle. Almost every plant to be found has a practical use. Coconut and sago palm leaves and bamboo feature heavily in the construction of their homes—from the floor to the roof and even the walls as well.
We got a little practice building from bush materials too. Soon we will be cooking our own meals over an open fire on the weekends, so each family is building their own “hauskuk” (cooking house). We cheated a little using a tarp for the roof and some synthetic raffia to tie everything together, but as you can see the rest is all natural.
We’re also learning that right after air, water and food, the machete (or bush knife as they’re called here) is essential to life here in PNG. We’re getting pretty handy with them ourselves, but we have long way to go compared to the Papua New Guineans who seem to be born holding a bush knife. <wink>
0 comments:
Post a Comment