Saturday, December 13, 2008

Rivers, slingshots, and new words


We hiked and scrambled for an hour up a river near us, with all the kids, to an abandoned village, with Killion as our guide-- Mendy said the river gorge was like paradise. On the way back, I got a new word for "cry for attention" and "give a piggy back ride" since Kate was asking for both attention and a piggy back ride. I also got the word for "to cut the end of a stick so it's sharp" and the corollary "to cut...so it's dull" because Hannah wanted a wild cane spear. I also learned some more about local magic. If you chew wild cane and spit it on someone's hair, it will grow like the remaining wild cane grows. If someone has poisoned you with sorcery, you tear a certain leaf into 10 parts, and drink them-- it will cause you throw up; and will rid you of the sorcery. I didn't know that their magical knowledge involved counting portions of leafs. Additionally, Killion told me about stone where you put a leaf before going hunting, and the devils in the hills will give you nohia-- a successful hunt.

On the way back in the village, I saw Stanley (in the picture) aiming his slingshot at a large green bird 50 feet up in a banyan (I couldn't even see the bird). He shot it and hollered "I got it!" About 40 people from the village rushed to see what he got. I hear it's tasty.

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