| caption: |
Chapter One. The Material Background |
| caption: |
clearing of swidden fields, how and who |
| text: |
The clearing of the jungle in the area earmarked for cultivation was done by the owners of individual plots. Sometimes the work was done entirely by members of the owner's family, and sometimes kinsmen helped each other on a basis of reciprocity. The older men and women cleared the undergrowth, while the young men felled the trees. A few of the trees were spared, but were so severely pollarded that their shade did not affect the growth of the crop. By allowing such trees to remain standing in the midst of the fields the Konyaks protected their land against erosion and facilitated the regeneration of the jungle at the end of the period of cultivation. |
