Each year there is a religious procession in San Pablito, Pahuatlan. The virgin and saints images are carried through the streets picking up more and more participants as the procession passes the homes of the villagers.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=y-Yg7WjWyl5lD2twqVxXKtAVP62C1go4W7oX7BQdBC7_rN5DBjDq-OMcXaO&dispatch=50a222a57771920b6a3d7b606239e4d529b525e0b7e69bf0224adecfb0124e9bed5d628c85727479b1b92b132a6281aac7982341a4a3ca00
I have visited many many villages and during the last ten years I have noticed the decline in planting of corn. It is hard work and many of the modern indigenous sons would rather not do it, they prefer to move away, either to the US or Mexico City to do day labor jobs and find a new life as a poor Mexican rather than a poor Indigenous person. While my focus is on documenting the traditional textiles which also represent a tie to the deep indigenous roots, to me nothing more clearly represents the indigenous ties to the earth than farming and in particular the farming of corn. Many of the holidays correspond to ancient agricultural calendars and are now called "Saints" days but are more in line with the cycle used in agriculture.
During a visit to the remote high mountain area of Mexico, In a small village I founds a poem written on the side of a building . On the other side of the building was a glyph representing a man and a woman adoring corn, with them a snake, ants and birds. The glyph was framed with the words " Indigenous communities united in defense of Corn and our culture". I hope by publishing this some how in my small way to help non indigenous people understand that progress does not have to destroy these cultures and the transgenic corn is a direct assault on the indigenous cultures of Mexico and other meso American areas
We are the Corn\
To Mi son
:
A poem - “Tata maiz” ( grandfather corn)
Corn is not to be thrown away
Nor to trample on it
Nor forget it
Because corn means our lives and the life of god
The Corn is our Father and our Mother
It is also our sons
Corn is us ( male and female)
Corn is our Father and Mother , because it gives us life
Because it gives us unity and identity
Like children from the same family and community
It shows us to love our mother earth and not to abandon her
Through corn rituals and offerings we discover God ,
Corn is our father and mother because we inherited our bodies, our blood and our heart
Through corn , we inherited our color and our language.
It shows us the universe
And to celebrate our the knowledge of our people and family
Corn is our father and mother because when we are sick it provides medicine
WE have to treat it like a son, we have to take care of it
We have to cultivate it, so it is always with us and never leaves
We have to give it our respect
to My son – respect it , because there ( in the Corn) are your grandparents and there you are too.
I have visited many many villages and during the last ten years I have noticed the decline in planting of corn. It is hard work and many of the modern indigenous sons would rather not do it, they prefer to move away, either to the US or Mexico City to do day labor jobs and find a new life as a poor Mexican rather than a poor Indigenous person. While my focus is on documenting the traditional textiles which also represent a tie to the deep indigenous roots, to me nothing more clearly represents the indigenous ties to the earth than farming and in particular the farming of corn. Many of the holidays correspond to ancient agricultural calendars and are now called "Saints" days but are more in line with the cycle used in agriculture.
During a visit to the remote high mountain area of Mexico, In a small village I founds a poem written on the side of a building . On the other side of the building was a glyph representing a man and a woman adoring corn, with them a snake, ants and birds. The glyph was framed with the words " Indigenous communities united in defense of Corn and our culture". I hope by publishing this some how in my small way to help non indigenous people understand that progress does not have to destroy these cultures and the transgenic corn is a direct assault on the indigenous cultures of Mexico and other meso American areas
We are the Corn\
To Mi son
:
A poem - “Tata maiz” ( grandfather corn)
Corn is not to be thrown away
Nor to trample on it
Nor forget it
Because corn means our lives and the life of god
The Corn is our Father and our Mother
It is also our sons
Corn is us ( male and female)
Corn is our Father and Mother , because it gives us life
Because it gives us unity and identity
Like children from the same family and community
It shows us to love our mother earth and not to abandon her
Through corn rituals and offerings we discover God ,
Corn is our father and mother because we inherited our bodies, our blood and our heart
Through corn , we inherited our color and our language.
It shows us the universe
And to celebrate our the knowledge of our people and family
Corn is our father and mother because when we are sick it provides medicine
WE have to treat it like a son, we have to take care of it
We have to cultivate it, so it is always with us and never leaves
We have to give it our respect
to My son – respect it , because there ( in the Corn) are your grandparents and there you are too.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Today is January 13 2010 it is almost 10 years since The project was founded, there have been many people that have help, given encouragement and enjoyed following my travels and discoveries. I want to thank all of you .
Today I finished the second part of the Cora of Nayarit. It has been a long time in coming and the new gallery shows the photos off much better. I am motivated because my best friend Joe Kohn died last week, he accompanied me on the first trip to the Nayar for the celebration of Easter week in Santa Teresa, Nayar Nayarit. The second trip was with a great friend Kristy Thompson who has been a great advocate for my work. I salute them both. Without being sure I feel a change coming, a transition to a new and high plane for the study, one in which others will participate.
Over the years I have been stranded, broken on rocks, sicken with all sort of bugs, stung, frozen , sun burned, flooded, robbed, stood to the point of a machine gun and so many other things. My experiences have been great and the wonders I try and share with my viewers is profound. My sense of urgency sometimes makes my work incomplete and I apologize for that but I have only visited 1000 of the 5000 villages, so much to do.
Mexico is moving rapidly into a transition and the time to document is short and the need is great. I hope some one will join and help with this work.
Through all this I have strictly adhered to historic principles and only publish first hand information.
Thanks bob freund
Today I finished the second part of the Cora of Nayarit. It has been a long time in coming and the new gallery shows the photos off much better. I am motivated because my best friend Joe Kohn died last week, he accompanied me on the first trip to the Nayar for the celebration of Easter week in Santa Teresa, Nayar Nayarit. The second trip was with a great friend Kristy Thompson who has been a great advocate for my work. I salute them both. Without being sure I feel a change coming, a transition to a new and high plane for the study, one in which others will participate.
Over the years I have been stranded, broken on rocks, sicken with all sort of bugs, stung, frozen , sun burned, flooded, robbed, stood to the point of a machine gun and so many other things. My experiences have been great and the wonders I try and share with my viewers is profound. My sense of urgency sometimes makes my work incomplete and I apologize for that but I have only visited 1000 of the 5000 villages, so much to do.
Mexico is moving rapidly into a transition and the time to document is short and the need is great. I hope some one will join and help with this work.
Through all this I have strictly adhered to historic principles and only publish first hand information.
Thanks bob freund
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
