I had the privilege of learning how to put a roof on a house last Friday. Nate and I took the 30 minute hike to a nearby village to where we knew this cultural event would be commencing. When we arrived (about 8:30am) there were not many people around and we hung out in a house, munched on sugar cane, and storied for a while. About an hour later, guys from the nearby villages started pouring in and the work began.
At first I stood and watched, and snapped some pictures, but it was not long before I was itching to take part. If Pal is going to be my home I had better learn how to be a Pal man. I walked into the house and then climbed up the posts and the beams until I was at the apex where half a dozen young men were working. “Put me to work,” I said. (Not in Pal. I don’t know how to say that yet in Pal. I didn’t say it in English either. Tok Pisin.)
Mebia, bamboo leaves all sewn together, were handed up to us and we went about placing them and tying them on. The crucial places, the edges and where the mebia overlapped, I was not allowed to tie. They had to be done just right. But the spaces in between, well, that I was allowed to do. The tying method was quick and easy and it was not long before I was keeping up with the rest, and they weren’t redoing mine anymore.
In less than two hours we were finished. Well, not quite. We were out of mebia, but the big work was done. Some other time the papa of the house will finish the roof by himself. It was a pleasant surprise to find food hot and waiting for us as we finished and so I enjoyed a bowl of yam stew before I headed home.
Now if my tin roof ever falls apart I know how to fasten a leaf roof.