PHOTOGRAPHS OF LISA'S RESEARCH

Lohiatala, Maluku, Eastern Indonesia (1995)

Processing sagu for food from the starchy pith the sago palm Metroxylon sp. PALMAE

The sago pith is crushed and washed and...
the filtered juice is left to dry in the sun for a few days to be packed into cakes for long term storage for a wide variety of eats
Papeda, has a texture similar to Hawaiian poi and a gentle tang to it. Papeda is the favored starch in Maluku, along with rice. It is a fine counter balance to all the spicy, rich, and salty foods that make up a meal.

The grubs that feast on the pith of the sago palm are themselves eaten by Lohiatala residents, as rich and fatty as a peripatetic pads of butter.

A meal of tumeric rice, shaved coconut, salted fish, tempe, tofu, swamp cabbage (Ipomoea aquatica, a soporific!) and ferns...toothsome grinds.

This is my host's kitchen and the make shift drying rack for plant specimens

Katok (Phyllanthus sp., EUPHORBIACEAE. Eaten for its galactagogue properties by nursing mothers

Manirang (Phyllanthus debilis is used in a few compound medicines to treat malaria, jaundice, and bengkak.

East Kalimantan, Borneo (1994)

Upper Bahau, Kalimantan

Kenyah Dayak healer

Pui Bilung Lerang, dayung (traditional healer) of East Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Kumis kucing, Cat's Whiskers, used for a variety of bladder and kidney ailments.

Plant remedies and commercial products of Java (1991)

Some of the spices featured in traditional and commercial jamu remedies and tonics.

Commercial jamu packages.

Jamu being sold at a market in Sumatera.

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Last modified on 3 July 1996.

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