Beating Sago

Beating sago the Kurti way.... (Kurti is a language group on the north coast of Manus island, PNG).


The men and boys beat the sago this way and then the women collect the pulp in bags (see two bags already filled) and then wash it using a filtration and decanting process.

The bow (n'drangkei) that Iam holding is made from the root of tree. At the edge of a bow, we attach a piece of bamboo (modou). As we lift the bow and strike the sago, it is the bamboo that scraps the sago off. The finer the sago pulp, the easier to wash by the women thus more sago is produced. A really mature sago tree like this (which is sectioned into three parts) can in total produce between two to four 10kg bags of sago