Saturday, February 20, 2010

February 2010 - immersion

Well here it is past the middle sliding it's way to the end of this month already. The cell phone is here as am I.

I was honored to go with a friend to the Second Mesa on the Hopi reservation a couple of weekends ago to experience the 'bean ceremony'. It's a weekend long celebration for the Native Americans of the Hopi clan which I have come to respect a lot. At the house of our native friend we were given a tour from the children of the area; they showed us trails where the katsinas would come out in the night to start the ceremonies. We followed a trail that had a scattering of prayer feathers, and got caught up in the wonderous beliefs. It was refreshing to watch the children as all they wanted to do all day was play outside using their imaginations and the things they could pick up. Tried a couple of traditional soups; bean sprout soup (reminded me of cabbage and ham) and a mutton soup with hominy. Both were very tasty. We then went to the plaza (there is actually 2 of them) and sat with blankets and jackets - it was cold and watched the katsinas dancing and communicating with the body. They were amazing to say the least. No pictures that would've been invasive but I have them imprinted in my mind. The dolls they made for the girls were spectacular, the lightening bolts and rattles for the boys were as spectacular.

So the days go onward, the park gets busier, I am enriched by the immersion into another culture that goes back beyond our time yet remains timeless in meaning.