#143 Resourceful Highlanders

What are those branches doing on that lady's back?

We've come to photograph harvest in the Hungduan Terraces in Ifugao. The folks here harvest their fields while still submerged in knee-deep water, so we couldn't step into the fields ourselves to take closer shots, all because of the love for dry socks. But from my vantage point I could see a broader view and that's when I noticed how resourceful these farmers really are.

To protect them from the searing rays of the sun, some of them resorted to attaching branches to their backs. Good one. Others formed hats out of bundled reeds. And still others re-purposed umbrellas into headgear. You have to admit these mountain folks wouldn't be tilling this land for thousands of years if they couldn't adapt. So much for city slickers and their love for dry sock. Enjoy.

(Pixel-peepers: The farmers were harvesting in a row, which made a great pattern for a composition. But a contrarian of a farmer decided she wanted to harvest at the near end of the field, frustrating my quest for a better composition. I tried several angles but this was the only one that worked.)

Where in the world is Hungduan in Ifugao?

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