20110730(185344)(2) a video by pequenasventanas on Flickr.
a quick video of inti raimy!! next year ii'm getting a chicken!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
i'm leaving a bit of my heart in pijal
Victoria is incredible. Her life is simple, humble, hard work and I have a difficult time keeping up her. This morning Xylia and I went with her to milk the cows and just hoofing it up the hill gets me huffing and puffing. The vacas were right next to Dolores' house and she breaks a sweat just doing the milking. Once that was done we collect the cows and move them up the mountain to another pasture. Once we get up to the top...about another 1-2 miles she cuts a small sapling with her machete and we steer the cows to the pasture. She whacks the sapling into 5 stakes and positions them with the cows throughout the pasture. This pasture is so far and so high up....and she has to milk the cows twice a day, so she will be back up here later tonight! We head back down to Dolores' house each taking 2 downed saplings to carry home. She carries the milk home on her back in the way everyone here carries a heavy load. She's small, strong, swift and can wield a machete like no one else I've seen. I can only hope to be as strong, capable and agile as her one day.
Our time here in Pijal is coming to a close. I get sad just thinking about it. We've all gotten so comfortable together in these last couple weeks, sharing meals, laughter, cooking together. I likee it when Victoria lets me help her, or gives us a supply list for Otavalo. Micheal definitely has an extra skip in his step when he has a task at hand.
It's Monday and Thursday night is our last night. I suppose that's bound to happen while we are on this trip and maybe I'm just being premature, but I'm still sad. There is such heart and love here. It does help to know we will be back at the end before we return to the states.....but i can't help feeling that I have left a piece of my heart in Pijal.....the sisters, Jairo, the generosity, the green, Cotacatchi and Imbabura in the distance, the smell of the fire when lunch is ready, Victoria's sing song voice and Dolores' laughter. They've both repeated over and over how they don't want us to go. Victoria even tried the idea of saying, how about you two go and Xylia can stay here. She says she lonely, solita otherwise, Elias is gone working all day so it's just her and Jack, her beloved perrito. It's nice to know we are always welcome to return....and we will, in a little less than a year...maybe in time for the harvest.
Our time here in Pijal is coming to a close. I get sad just thinking about it. We've all gotten so comfortable together in these last couple weeks, sharing meals, laughter, cooking together. I likee it when Victoria lets me help her, or gives us a supply list for Otavalo. Micheal definitely has an extra skip in his step when he has a task at hand.
It's Monday and Thursday night is our last night. I suppose that's bound to happen while we are on this trip and maybe I'm just being premature, but I'm still sad. There is such heart and love here. It does help to know we will be back at the end before we return to the states.....but i can't help feeling that I have left a piece of my heart in Pijal.....the sisters, Jairo, the generosity, the green, Cotacatchi and Imbabura in the distance, the smell of the fire when lunch is ready, Victoria's sing song voice and Dolores' laughter. They've both repeated over and over how they don't want us to go. Victoria even tried the idea of saying, how about you two go and Xylia can stay here. She says she lonely, solita otherwise, Elias is gone working all day so it's just her and Jack, her beloved perrito. It's nice to know we are always welcome to return....and we will, in a little less than a year...maybe in time for the harvest.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
inty raimy
Inty Raimy is the name of the festivals we´ve been going to. It goes on for about 8 Saturdays in a row. and we´ve been able to catch the last few. During the festival groups of dancers, muscians and singers walk in a procession down the street, usually followed by a big truck with massive stacks of speakers blasting either recorded music or amplifying a live band in the back. Every block or so the group will stop and dance in a circle, switching directions every once in a while. Chickens seem to be a big part of the celebration. They tie ribbons in their feathers, bind their legs and dance around with them and sometimes tossing them in the air. What I learned about the chicken thing is that it has to do with abundance and wealth, if you bring 2 chickens to the festival, next year you have to bring 12. (I´m assuming it´s for the feast, cause I´m don´t see how you could dance with 12 chickens!) Not everyone has a chicken, but a lot do. Drinking is also a big part, sharing bottles of Pilsener and passing cups of apple or peach wine around. they make a drink from corn that is fermented called chicha, people pass this around too. When the group is walking the musicians are either in the front or the behind the dancers, and when they stop to dance they move into the center with either 1 or 2 rings of dancers moving around them. This last Saturday we went again to Inty Raimy, but this time in a town named Caja. This time each group had a fretility effigy that was held in the middle, a tall pole and at the top was a lashed together pyramid of bamboo. From it was hung frutas y pan, somtimes bottles of wine or alcohol. The women wear their ususal ropa, sometimes a little more colorful with extra ribbons or a different shape white felt hat. The men however wear a white button down shirt, a fringed shawl around their waist and goatskin chaps, sometimes with bells on them. There are a good number of women who wear this instead of the traditional skirt and blouse. There is usually a leader of each group, this guy wears a mask representing the face of the devil, or la cara de diablo, he will sometimes have a whip or a long switch. He uses these for theatrics and is pretty lively keeping his dancers engaged. These groups will dace until 5, or 6 in the morning!
Elias and Victoria had lots of friends and familia there, and I think there were looking for someone to take me into the dance circle, because they kept asking how I liked the dancing....it was so intoxicating how could you not!?! Rosita, Elias´ sister was there and so for my third time at the inty raimy festival I finally got to dance! I felt so excited and honored I was crying and laughing at the same time. We were 3 of 6 gringos amoung 100´s of Kitchwa. And I was definitely the only gringa dancing - that´s for sure. We were in the plaza of Caja, the final place of the dancing groups. They process through the streets and some down the panamerican highway until they get to the plaza, then they take turns dancing in front of the main stage.
As the night wore on we were all dancing - to the delight of many it seemed, as lots of people wanted to meet us and talk to us after that. We were invited to dance in other groups, but mostly we were dancing with those that we knew...even Elias and Victoria were dancing!
Elias and Victoria had lots of friends and familia there, and I think there were looking for someone to take me into the dance circle, because they kept asking how I liked the dancing....it was so intoxicating how could you not!?! Rosita, Elias´ sister was there and so for my third time at the inty raimy festival I finally got to dance! I felt so excited and honored I was crying and laughing at the same time. We were 3 of 6 gringos amoung 100´s of Kitchwa. And I was definitely the only gringa dancing - that´s for sure. We were in the plaza of Caja, the final place of the dancing groups. They process through the streets and some down the panamerican highway until they get to the plaza, then they take turns dancing in front of the main stage.
As the night wore on we were all dancing - to the delight of many it seemed, as lots of people wanted to meet us and talk to us after that. We were invited to dance in other groups, but mostly we were dancing with those that we knew...even Elias and Victoria were dancing!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
pequenasventanas' photostream
pequenasventanas' photostream on Flickr.
one of our work days in Pijal. one day we'll actually get to do the milking! for now we are just help in standby, but we can stack wood and break off corn.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
adventures with lard
well...last night i mistook lard for butter. things are different here...like buying food and recognizing what you are eating. we made bread in the big oven last night...and it was made with butter. just that there was an extra stick of what looked sort of like butter. so when the fresh bread came out of the `orno` my first thought was to find that ``extra´´ stick of butter and slather my fresh warm bread with it......yummy. i ate 3 rolls this way, and so did michael and xylia, until michael had the epiphany that maybe, just maybe what i think is butter is not...so we aked maria. and sure enough she confirmed that there are 2 kinds one made from the cows milk and one made from the fat of the animals. so that put a quick end to my bread and butter feast....and i tried to to think about the fact that i was eating straight lard on my beautiful bread.
I have eaten cuy though...guinea pig...which was surprisingly delicious. and michael has eaten papas con sangre (that´s potatoes with blood) and tripe...but he´ll eat anything.
I have eaten cuy though...guinea pig...which was surprisingly delicious. and michael has eaten papas con sangre (that´s potatoes with blood) and tripe...but he´ll eat anything.
to my ñañitas
Ñaña is sister in Kitchwa the local native language. So it seems next to learning español, I also need to pick up kitchwa. The family we are with are fluent in both languages.
This is such beautiful country, so GREEN! We are in a small valley near lago San Pablo which is all at the base of a mountain called Imbabura, an old dormant volcano rather. Imbabura has 2 peaks, the one on the left is the Mama, and the one on the right is Taita, or Papa. I found out yesterday that on the other side of the Mama is the ¨Corazon de Imbabura¨, a massive heart naturally carved out on the face of the mountain.
I´m getting used to riding the buses around here, bumping back and forth on the panamerican from Pijal to Otavalo or Cayambe. We are in a dense indigenous area of Kitchwa people. A beautiful race with such noble features. High cheek bones under slighly slanted smiling eyes, the smoothest coffee colored skin and rich shiny blackest black hair. Their culture is strong and important (...a totally different concept to my american eyes. It is so refreshing to see a culture celebrate their heritage!) In the 2 festivals I´ve been to they were full of adolescents, young adults, and all ages in full dress, singing and dancing.
The Cayambe tribe of Kitchwa of which the Pijal family is, the women wear a wool skirt to the mid calf with tight pleats trimmed in ribbon of colors representing the earth and their environment...vibrant colors of blue, pink, green, browns, grey, reds and yellows. A white blouse with lacey full sleeves and embroiderd trim in colors to match the skirt. Red beads, traditionally red coral around both wrists and many strands of gold beads around their neck. They wear their hair tied back in either a braid or wrapped in a narrow woven ribbon, always topped with a fedora. On their feet they wear simple little flat black sandles that tie around the ankle.
When someone comes over to the house or when you meet someone you know in the street you hug and kiss, or for men handshake and hug each and every person hello and goodbye! They are a very affectionate people. Babies are stapped to almost every woman´s back, or another siblings. Breastfeeding is ubiquitous...walking down the street, in the bus...everywhere. I didn´t realize how sterile our culture is with that until I came to one that recongnized it for what it is.
....and the Mother, she´s here too. Pachamama is honored and seen as the always present volcanos ans mountains, and the maize they eat every day. but in the churches and the cathedrals it is Mary and child at the forefront... bigger and more impressive than any other diosa. She also has shines everywhere, places you wouldn´t expect like the dusty bus terminals, or just along the highway.
This is such beautiful country, so GREEN! We are in a small valley near lago San Pablo which is all at the base of a mountain called Imbabura, an old dormant volcano rather. Imbabura has 2 peaks, the one on the left is the Mama, and the one on the right is Taita, or Papa. I found out yesterday that on the other side of the Mama is the ¨Corazon de Imbabura¨, a massive heart naturally carved out on the face of the mountain.
I´m getting used to riding the buses around here, bumping back and forth on the panamerican from Pijal to Otavalo or Cayambe. We are in a dense indigenous area of Kitchwa people. A beautiful race with such noble features. High cheek bones under slighly slanted smiling eyes, the smoothest coffee colored skin and rich shiny blackest black hair. Their culture is strong and important (...a totally different concept to my american eyes. It is so refreshing to see a culture celebrate their heritage!) In the 2 festivals I´ve been to they were full of adolescents, young adults, and all ages in full dress, singing and dancing.
The Cayambe tribe of Kitchwa of which the Pijal family is, the women wear a wool skirt to the mid calf with tight pleats trimmed in ribbon of colors representing the earth and their environment...vibrant colors of blue, pink, green, browns, grey, reds and yellows. A white blouse with lacey full sleeves and embroiderd trim in colors to match the skirt. Red beads, traditionally red coral around both wrists and many strands of gold beads around their neck. They wear their hair tied back in either a braid or wrapped in a narrow woven ribbon, always topped with a fedora. On their feet they wear simple little flat black sandles that tie around the ankle.
When someone comes over to the house or when you meet someone you know in the street you hug and kiss, or for men handshake and hug each and every person hello and goodbye! They are a very affectionate people. Babies are stapped to almost every woman´s back, or another siblings. Breastfeeding is ubiquitous...walking down the street, in the bus...everywhere. I didn´t realize how sterile our culture is with that until I came to one that recongnized it for what it is.
....and the Mother, she´s here too. Pachamama is honored and seen as the always present volcanos ans mountains, and the maize they eat every day. but in the churches and the cathedrals it is Mary and child at the forefront... bigger and more impressive than any other diosa. She also has shines everywhere, places you wouldn´t expect like the dusty bus terminals, or just along the highway.
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