Life in village these past few months has revolved around the peanut harvest. Peanuts have been the buzz of village conversation: How many peanuts have you harvested? Did we get them all from the fields? Have the been brought in from the fields before the goats and cows got to them? Does Nacho still eat peanuts from the shell? How much is one kilo of peanuts selling in Diaobe (the biggest outdoor market in west Africa that is about 50k from my road town) these days?
One of my favorite parts of the peanut harvest is the part that takes place right outside of my hut door. Everyone keeps their peanuts in tall, bamboo, cylinder-like structures that sit right outside of their huts (my brothers’ is outside my hut door). Here the peanuts will stay until they are captured by rogue squirrels or until people have decided they are ready to roast, eat, shell, or sell them.
The process of getting the peanuts into these holders is amusing to me because the bags they use to transport the peanuts from the fields to the huts are huge, awkward, and heavy, and the holding structures are of course then very tall. Everyone has their own methods of putting the peanuts in their place, but my favorite (illustrated below) was how my three brothers decided to tackle the job amidst much yelling, fighting, and laughing.
First, drive the donkey cart so that the donkey’s nose enters Amanda’s hut door.
Then, topple the five or six huge bags of peanuts from the charette onto the ground.
Attempt to lift the bag high enough to pour the peanuts into the bamboo holding container. Literally using your head helps.
Hop up to check on how the process is going.
Bag number two! Make the smallest guy jump in the bamboo container to assist in the peanut-dumping process.
POUR POUR POUR!
Shake the bag furiously to make sure that every last groundnut makes it out.
Bounce out of the peanut holidng bin just in time for lunch.
