The indigenous practice of processing sugarcane

Francis B. Degay

SADANGA, Mountain Province – Sacnit, the traditional way of processing unash (sugarcane) into its by-products is still being practiced by the people of Sadanga.

The processed products are called tinva or inti (molasses) and fayash (wine).

When the sacnit commences, erdad, a rest day (teer), is declared by the elders. This would take a day or 3 days depending on the decision of the community elders.

During the rest day, the men shall prepare the shugo, where all the major activities shall be done, gather logs to be used for cooking, clean the jars (ro-ot) and vats, and install the wooden mills and kepar that are used to extract the sugar cane juice. 

Kepar is a long wooden log that is attached to the mill that when it is pushed by persons will turn the mill that extracts juice from the sugar cane. 

If nothing untoward happens during the teer, the fuknag shall be proclaimed and shouted by a village crier within in the community for the villagers to proceed with the activity.

On the first day after the rest day, the men will go and cut the sugar cane trunk (patpat), clean the stems (wakwak) and bring them to the avuyongan, where the sugar trunk shall be milled and cooked. The avuyongan is found  infront of the rice granary.

The activities are done by a team of men locally called pangubfo. The team is subdivided into smaller groups that perform specific roles. More of them take the task of pushing the (kepar) in circular motion. The kepar propels the wooden mill (falliwesh) that squeezes the sugar cane trunks to produce finanar (sugar cane juice).

It is part of the practice for the gentlemen to go to the ladies dorm (pangis) to invite or persuade the ladies to go and help push the kepar. In return the ladies will be given share of molasses. Aside from making the molasses, wine making is another by product. The later takes days or months to ferment.        

When all the activities have been finished, the village crier roam and shouts around the village for the concluding rest day called shukto. All the falliwesh and the kepar shall be disassembled and the other gadgets used in the activity shall be cleaned and kept properly.