Threshing of Millet and Barley
Description
In ancient times, there was a shortage of wheat in Gilgit, so people grew millet (áno) and barley (cheeng), grains that could be used to make flour. These grains were similar to wheat and after harvesting, they were threshed using the traditional threshing ground (khal). Hereby the [part of the] field designated for threshing was irrigated the day before. The next day, once the ground was firm, a large circular area was prepared and surrounded by a soil boundary. A thick wooden stick was then dug into the center of the circle and ten to twelve animals, such as cows, bulls, or donkeys, were tied to this stick with a rope, forming a straight line. The straw of millet and barley, still attached to the tillers, was placed inside the circle. A man would then drive the animals by hitting them with a stick, causing them to run quickly around the khal. The rapid movement of the animals' feet threshed the millet, barley, and even wheat, separating the grains from the chaff. After threshing, the wheat straw was separated from the grains through winnowing. This involved throwing the mixture into the air on a windy day so that the lighter chaff was blown away while the heavier grains fell back onto the threshing floor. Then we stored the grains in a wooden box (tawun). In those days, not a single grain would be wasted. Nowadays, ever since these modern thrashers have come, you see wheat scattered everywhere on the roads. In our times, we used to get 30-40 mounds61 of wheat and 100-150 mounds of maize. The threshing system for maize was such that after harvesting, we would gather it with a mix of chaff, and then we would beat it with large sticks. After that, we would clean it using winnowing [as for wheat]. When we would come home after work, the women would make traditional food mul, and we would eat it on wooden plates.
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2.5.17.1
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