Winnowing by hand

After threshing, the rice must be winnowed to separate the grains from the husks. This woman is winnowing rice with a woven tray. (Learn more)

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Winnowing trays are round and generally plaited from bamboo strands woven tightly onto a rattan frame. In rural villages, they are made at home by members of every household along with most of their other farming and household tools.

Rice grains that have been pounded or milled to separate them from their tough husks are placed on a woven winnowing tray. The person winnowing the grains then tosses the mixed contents of the tray into the air. If done expertly, the light rice husks blow away in the wind while the heavier, and now clean, rice grains fall back onto the tray, ready for cooking. This task, usually performed by women or girls, takes practice to do well. It is not as easy as it looks.

Learn more about Mai Chau, Vietnam, baskets, crafts, farming, highlanders, hill tribes, rice, rural life, technology, winnowing, and women's work.

Definitions

winnowing n.
The process of removing husks or chaff from threshed grain.

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