The Risks the Harvesters Face

The journey of searching for oud is not a stroll in a forest, but an adventure surrounded by real dangers befitting a pristine tropical jungle. In this article we survey the risks the harvesters face on their way to oud: from the ruggedness of the ground to the living nature to the fluctuation of the weather and the remoteness from any aid. We mention them with a general description, out of respect for those who endure them, not belittling them, and without an exaggeration that makes a myth at the expense of the truth.

A forest that does not spare the inexperienced

The first thing the harvester faces is the forest itself: rugged terrain, slopes and slippery valleys, and a plant density that blocks the view and slows movement. And getting lost is a standing possibility in a jungle of similar features, and falling or injury during the crossing is a daily danger. And so no one undertakes this journey except one who has known the forest up close, for local knowledge here is not a luxury but a condition of safety.

And many of the trees' habitats lie in areas hard to reach, crossed on foot or across rivers, far from any paved road. And this remoteness itself multiplies the danger of any incidental accident, as reaching help becomes slow or unattainable.

The dangers of the living nature

The tropical jungle is a home for a rich wildlife, some of which poses a danger to a human being: from reptiles and venomous insects to the animals the harvester may surprise on his way. And the disease-carrying insects remain among the most mentioned in this context, because their effect may not appear until after the return. And we are reserved here about mentioning details or numbers about particular injuries, and we content ourselves with saying that these dangers are part of the work environment that the people of the craft deal with by their experience and their caution.

The weather, the rivers, and the isolation

The tropical climate has a harsh face in these journeys: sudden heavy rains, a rise in the river levels that may cut off the return routes, and floods that make the paths dangerous. And crossing the rivers in the jungle is not an easy matter, especially with the fluctuation of their levels. And the harvester may be forced to wait for the waters to recede for days, or to change his route entirely.

And the isolation remains the gathering factor that magnifies every other danger: for the harvester in the depth of the forest is far from communication, from aid, and from supply. And he relies on what he carried with him and on his experience in dealing with what may arise. This isolation is an authentic part of the hardship of the craft, and it is what makes the expertise of the people of the land a condition of survival before it is a condition of success.

Why do we mention the risks?

We mention these risks for two reasons. The first is respect for those who endure them: for behind every piece of oud is an effort and a risk the buyer does not see, and it is only fair that it be mentioned honestly. And the second is that this hardship is part of the story of oud and its value; for the time and the risk expended in reaching it explain a part of its rarity, as we indicated in the length of the oud search journey.

But we are keen not to make of the risks a marketing myth. For the aim is not to stir admiration nor to raise the price with a tale of heroism, but to describe the reality honestly, and to link that to our responsibility in sourcing: to appreciate the work of the harvesters and their risk fairly. And this is what we return to in the axis of the ethics of sourcing from harvesters within this guide.