Sharing a Home Grown Pig for a Celebration

Last week I was with a relative who has a mother pig nearing her time. And it was quite an experience looking at the heavily pregnant animal and my relative was trying her best to keep the "father" away. So she took a few planks and walled up the pig sty and have everything cleaned out. The piglets would arrive any time now.Because of my working hours I could not stay to witness the birth of the piglets!!

I came home to put some of my old images together to share with you a special  series : How a pig is slaughtered and shared.

The workers who help slaughter the pig would get the head as "prize" or bonus. All who help pay for the pig would put the money together for the owner of the pig. The price was 8 ringgit a kilo before the pig was slaughtered. Pieces of the animal are shared on a plastic mat.

If the purchasers like to have a go at reading their fortunes then the wise man would come and read the patterns of the liver before it was chopped into 6 portions. This celebration pig was divided amongst 6 men. It was also possible for a man to ask for two portions. The slaughtering of the animal is a very male ritual so to speak and women do not step into the scene to make a decision about the purchase.

The swift river keeps everything clean and no mess is left behind.

The experienced butcher cutting up the meat.


Some portions of the pig equally shared by 6 friends.


Patiently waiting for the head to be cooked. Conversation would be on nostalgic topics or telling tales of experiences in the Congo or Papua New Guinea. Never too boastful or too arrogant. Just nice small talk while waiting for the shares to be completed and the pig head cooked and eaten. this male bonding would take several hours.


Beautifully prepared barbequed head. A good parang is often used.


The pig head would be cooked over a slow fire on the river rocks while the men all helped to slice the pork.


This is part of the stomach.



After the slaughter the men would drive away their vehicles with their meat in plastic buckets. Happy to go home to prepare their dish (most probably in bamboo). It was like going home from hunting!!