Once in a lifetime experience

So often you hear the phrase “once-in-a-lifetime experience”. There are countless places and a diverse and extensive list of things people do that fit in the category. But anything, if done only once, is by definition a once is a lifetime experience. I was privileged to experience an event that will probably be a once-in a lifetime experience for myself and one which I doubt few, if any person outside of the interior jungle of Suriname will ever see. I got witness and be a part of what is known as Ponsu. An odd word it is, with no particular resemblance to any commonly used English word. How it is performed and the results are just as unique.

In the jungle there exists a certain plant which Aukaaners call “Neko”. It looks just like any piece of wood or medium-sized vine you see everyday but it possesses a striking potency when it is prepared and used in a particular manner. So the vine is sought and brought to a place upstream from the village, it is mashed and pulverized with hewn-out wooden clubs awaiting its fate: being washed in the Tapanhoni river. And what Neko does is a splendid and puzzling thing: as the Aukaaners say, “a meke den fisi dunguu”. Translation: It makes the fish drunk. Okay, so I’m gonna go out on a limb here and presume that you haven’t been around drunken fish. Well…..I’d take an intoxicated fish over a sober one any day…and not because they’re a lot more fun to be around. I know it sounds like I’m pulling your leg and you’re probably thinking a year in the bush is beginning to have adverse effects on my mind. But believe me, when I heard how this thing works I was just as incredulous. So when I witnessed Ponsu I made sure to take video and photographic evidence.

So what does a drunk fish do and why does every soul in the whole village come to take part in it? If you know the jungle you know every form of protein: fish, meat, fowl is diligently sought for consumption. When you find an effective method to acquire it you ride that wave. Physiologically, a “drunken” fish is simply one deprived of oxygen. And what is causing the water the fish is living in to be deprived of this precious oxygen? You got it: Neko. And so that’s how Ponsu works. The Neko has some chemical property that deprives the river water downstream from where it is washed of Oxygen. As I witnessed, a little Neko was effective for more than 10 kilometers downstream for a river at some spots is over 600 Meters across.

Well the fish behave well…like drunks. They are disoriented and sluggish. They float to the top of the water, flop around, sink back down, languidly swim in circles. And they are easy targets for an entire village (including myself) armed with spears. The village Ponsu’s the river once annually. So with a chance for an abundant catch of fish no one misses out. Even a rookie like myself speared at least four. It was a blast. We’re going into rapids and there are countless boats. It was like a roller coaster ride. I couldn’t believe I was really doing this. The implements were maybe six feet long and most were handmade of wood with a sharp tip. Needless to say, people we’re surprised to see a white guy (one who just arrived two weeks previously) out there.

The whole thing began on a Tuesday afternoon and ended Wednesday around 11 A.M. We camped on the river Tuesday night and got up around 4 A.M. and as the sun began to rise, a few men began to wash the Neko in the river. Behind these men lay a sea of boats and entire families waiting in visible anticipation. It was a race as I came to realize. After the washing was complete, someone shouted “Go!” and everyone began to rush downriver, maneuvering and dodging fellow boats; all while spearing fish they could find. We found one spot in the river and waited as all sorts of fish of every shape and size floated by from the tiniest guppy to six-pound peacock bass. I was in one boat with two seasoned veterans, Baa’ Bodi and Baa’ Yunkuman. When you saw a big one the excitement level jumped. The spotter pointed and if (when) someone missed, we all tried to take our shots as the fish would dip down and we looked intently to predict where it would pop back up. After about four hours it was complete. Everyone went home with a hearty portion of fish, much of which will not be eaten within a day or two. The rest is smoked, salted or dried for preservation. So this fleeting rush of fun has now come to a close but as for the once in a lifetime deal….well I’m here till October 2010 so there’s a high probability there will have to be a word replacement with the insertion twice -in a lifetime experience.