Harvest
Posted 07-02-2008 at 05:18 PM by paloma
Last week was the saguaro harvest. This is the start of the new year for my tribe. There's no calendar date for the new year-we just keep an eye on the saguaros as they start to blossom and form fruit. Then when we see the red ripe fruit at the tops of the saguaros, it's harvest time. It's usually mid June, but we had a colder winter than usual. The ripe saguaro fruit is called bahidaj (there is no standard O'odham orthography). There are names for the fruit at the different stages of ripeness. My mom says I used to ask as a kid, "Is it food yet?" when the fruit were ripening. I don't have a lot of my own pictures to share because other families don't want pictures taken of the harvest.
So the baby and I went to my parents for a few days visit during the harvest. The whole family got up at 4 am and headed out to the mountain. The early start is to avoid as much of the summer heat as we can. This time of year, it's 100 degrees by 8 am. I stayed for as long as the baby tolerated the heat, so we left around 9:30 that morning. The other families stayed into evening to cook the fruit down into a syrup called sitol. In the old days, villages would make saguaro camps and there were more ceremonies. The pulp is also fermented into a wine called nawait that is central to a rain ceremony. Basically the men drink the nawait until they vomit. The fermented fruit has a low alcohol content but is an emetic, and it is believed that the people must give moisture back to the earth to bring the rains. In a very simplified nutshell.
The saguaro fruit is grenade-shaped, about the size of a peach, and the inside is similar to a kiwi, with hundreds of tiny black seeds. The fruit meat is bright red or lurid pink. It has stickers on the thick skin that you have to be careful with when cleaning the fruit.
A few days before the harvest we made our sticks to harvest with. I don't know the average height of a saguaro cactus. 12 feet or so for a mature one. So the ripe fruit are knocked down with long sticks, which are dried saguaro ribs bound together, with a short cross at the far end to pull the ripe fruit with. There are rituals on how to make the sticks too. There's a ritualized way of everything connected with the fruit, even how to clean it and what to do with the first one harvested, how to dispose of the emptied skins, etc.
Those pictures give an idea of how tall the saguaro are, and how long the sticks have to be. The saguaro are so tall that sometimes I get vertigo from aiming so high up, standing on a sloping mountain ridge. If you lose your balance, you are SOL. Nothing but rocky slopes, spiny plants, and sharp cactus to grab onto. The dried saguaro ribs are sturdy but lightweight, so they are perfect for holding up so high all morning. Your upper arms still ache afterwards though. This harvest is something my tribe has done for probably hundreds of years, so this year I was very proud to take my son along for his first harvest. He can't eat the fruit yet, but definitely next year! Here's a picture of him from that morning's sunrise.
So the baby and I went to my parents for a few days visit during the harvest. The whole family got up at 4 am and headed out to the mountain. The early start is to avoid as much of the summer heat as we can. This time of year, it's 100 degrees by 8 am. I stayed for as long as the baby tolerated the heat, so we left around 9:30 that morning. The other families stayed into evening to cook the fruit down into a syrup called sitol. In the old days, villages would make saguaro camps and there were more ceremonies. The pulp is also fermented into a wine called nawait that is central to a rain ceremony. Basically the men drink the nawait until they vomit. The fermented fruit has a low alcohol content but is an emetic, and it is believed that the people must give moisture back to the earth to bring the rains. In a very simplified nutshell.
The saguaro fruit is grenade-shaped, about the size of a peach, and the inside is similar to a kiwi, with hundreds of tiny black seeds. The fruit meat is bright red or lurid pink. It has stickers on the thick skin that you have to be careful with when cleaning the fruit.
A few days before the harvest we made our sticks to harvest with. I don't know the average height of a saguaro cactus. 12 feet or so for a mature one. So the ripe fruit are knocked down with long sticks, which are dried saguaro ribs bound together, with a short cross at the far end to pull the ripe fruit with. There are rituals on how to make the sticks too. There's a ritualized way of everything connected with the fruit, even how to clean it and what to do with the first one harvested, how to dispose of the emptied skins, etc.
Those pictures give an idea of how tall the saguaro are, and how long the sticks have to be. The saguaro are so tall that sometimes I get vertigo from aiming so high up, standing on a sloping mountain ridge. If you lose your balance, you are SOL. Nothing but rocky slopes, spiny plants, and sharp cactus to grab onto. The dried saguaro ribs are sturdy but lightweight, so they are perfect for holding up so high all morning. Your upper arms still ache afterwards though. This harvest is something my tribe has done for probably hundreds of years, so this year I was very proud to take my son along for his first harvest. He can't eat the fruit yet, but definitely next year! Here's a picture of him from that morning's sunrise.
Total Comments 9
Comments
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The fruit looks yummy. What does it taste like? By the way, you have the cutest little baby.Posted 07-02-2008 at 05:47 PM by twilightsam
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They taste plummy, and very sweet. It's not stringy-the texture is very much like a kiwi, just with way more seeds.Posted 07-02-2008 at 06:30 PM by paloma
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wow those sticks are incredibly long. Sounds like a very cool tradition. I have never heard of it. Thx for sharingPosted 07-02-2008 at 06:44 PM by Diesel11
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What a great tradition. Goes to show you all of us are more alike than different. We all have traditions. Oh, and the baby is absolutely adorable! What a cutie! Paloma you are so blessed!Posted 07-02-2008 at 07:59 PM by msohaiku
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that fruit reminds me of ripe mangos and warts. joking. it looks so good. i have not had any for a very long time.
your son is one of the cutest boys ever and i love his outfit.Posted 07-02-2008 at 09:09 PM by xqzmi
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Sounds like a nice ceremony. If I'm being honest those fruits weird me out a bit but I'd certainly try a couple. Your little monkey is growing pretty quickly
Posted 07-03-2008 at 04:03 PM by Ricecooker
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You do have a cutie ... I assume he's a boy the way he is dressed? I don't know for sure ... I am a guy!
Is the emesis cause by over-consumption or something added during the process? I would think the wine would look fabulous if it retained the color of the pulp and also the plummy taste.
I love the fact that you're introducing your baby to your heritage at such a young age. Way too many folks are losing sight of their heritage and the traditions that enriched their lives since most traditions have been carved out of respect for one thing or another. That is such an interesting ceremony that your family practices!Posted 07-04-2008 at 02:57 AM by wasabijack
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jack, the fruit itself is an emetic. However I know nothing about the winemaking because that knowledge is not shared with the women. I don't know what they add but I do know it is made so quickly, about two days, that it is not a smooth drink because of the unstable quality. I've been told it has a vinegar aftertaste. I haven't seen or tasted the wine.
A lot has to be drunk before there is any inebriation, so the purging effect is why it is a ceremonial wine. When a man is vomiting the nawait we say he is throwing up the clouds.Posted 07-04-2008 at 11:45 AM by paloma
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Wow ... that must be the most refined way I have ever heard someone describing the process of throwing up!
I will (try to) remember this phrase the next time I have to hold someone's head over a commode ... the last one I did looked like she was throwing up some very dark storm clouds!!
Posted 07-05-2008 at 08:34 PM by wasabijack
