A Harvest of Hands: Corn Picking in the Traditional Way

A long time ago, people didn't have the machines we see today to help them with their work. Instead, they relied on their hands and simple tools. One of these things was harvesting corn. In our province, this tradition of hand-harvesting corn is still going strong. We don't have the money to buy machines, so we still use our hands to do it. Annyeonghaseyo, my beloved hivers. I'm back with another blog. Say hi to @jenajean. Today, I will be able to show you how people harvest corn in our province by using both hands.

In our province, people who want to help with the corn harvest can do so. As payment for their hard work, they'll receive corn instead of money. This is a good option for people who eat corn. However, if you only eat rice, this might not be the best way to help, as you won't be able to use the corn you receive. Planting corn will only take 3 months to harvest. It's not bad, right? You just need to wait for it. However, it's a hassle for me as you also need to get all the grass that was in the soil of your corn field. It's tiring.

Aunt Temie was harvesting her corn, and some of our neighbors helped her out because they wanted to get some corn for themselves. Even some kids and their moms joined in. They started working around 6:30 in the morning and finished by 8:00. Since Aunt Temie's cornfield wasn't very big, they were able to finish in just almost two hours. As I saw them from a distance, I saw how well they worked together. It reminded me of the Filipino spirit of cooperation, and I love watching it.

Harvesting corn is not easy, and you will have to stand until it is done. In ours, it will be divided into two groups: those who will pick the corn from its node and those who will carry the sacks with harvested corn inside and put it in the ground. These were them; as you can see in the picture, they are already harvesting the corn. They're must be thankful that there's no heat, so they won't suffer heat from the sun. You can't see all the people that were there because the corn was taller than them.

The woman who's been cutting the corn is the owner; she's cutting it to fully let her cornfield be clean.

This is how you get the corn.

After getting it, you will put it in the sack.

And these are the people who carried the sacks; most of them are boys because they're stronger than girls. They put it on my aunt's ground.



You can still see on their faces how happy they are despite their work.

These are some corns that they harvested. It looks like it formed a heart shape. They are filled with love while harvesting.

After harvesting them all, they will get some ears or husks. These are the jobs of the moms, not the children. It takes time, too, to be done with it. Afterwards, the owner will give them corn as an exchange. And those corns that the owner gives will be divided among those that were harvested.

Not gonna lie, people from the provinces are often underestimated, but they're incredibly resilient and capable of working under pressure.