Monday 28 October 2013

Life is not all about fibre - Peru



My partner, John and I have just returned from an amazing visit to Peru.  The country has always been on my radar but is not a place one can visit without support and John was not interested in group tours.  That is until his Alma Mata (MIT) offered a small group tour lead by a Professor of Astronomy and built around the opportunity to explore the relationship of the various Inca sites to the sun.   The tour fulfilled John’s scientific interests while providing me with further opportunities to experience the vibrant colours of a culture where weaving and knitting play an important role.

Starting in Lima, we visited Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Pichu, Lake Titicaca and then flew to Iquitos and stayed in the Amazon Rainforest for a few days.  Much has been written about all of these places but nothing prepared me for the vibrancy of the colour and the reflection of those colours in the daily life of indigenous people who are still practice their traditional ways. 


Machu Pichu

 Machu Pichu was an incredible place as were many of the other Inca sites.  We spent two days touring the site and saw it in the moody cloud of approaching storms and the bright sunshine of a clearing sky.  Sightings were taken along the way proving again that the Inca did have a special relationship with the sun. 

Prof.Dr. Richard Binzel and guide, Haime taking sightings at Macu Pichu.
My Goodness.  The Inca were right!

Of course, my favurite moments were spent in the women’s weaving co-op in  Chinchero in the Sacred Valley where we watched a demonstration of traditional dying methods.  More particularly we were shown the uses of the cochineal beetle as a source of the perfect red.  

 Demonstation of wool dying.

 The women, who still wear traditional dress, speak English and proudly demonstrate their craft using back strap looms.  In a small market close by, I found a woman sitting on the ground with a variation of this loom in which the warp was hooked over her foot.  She was weaving a strap using a double weave technique in which the warp was manipulated through heddles made of different coloured yarn differentiating between the various patterns.  

Demonstrating a drop spindle.
Note warped looms in the bacground.

 Me receiving special instructions in how to use the dried beetle (cochineal) that I bought.  Add lemon juice for orange and alum for purple!


Everywhere we travelled in the country, we saw women working and if their hands were not busy then they were using their drop spindles and spinning yarn.   

 A vendor knitting on the tourist stop at the highest point on the plateau (14,500+ ft) between Cusco and Puna (Lake Titicaca).

On Isla Taquile on Lake Titicaca, it is the men who knit.  Our guide explained that, as a small boy his father taught him the craft and he was eventually required to knit a hat in the traditional style with a colourful band around the head, floppy ear pieces and a white top piece that fell over to one side and which was embellished with a colourful tassel.  These colours denoted his availability for marriage.  The hat was tightly knit.  If he wanted to express interest in a young woman he could present her with the hat.  She tested his knitting skill by filling it with water.  If it leaked, she handed it back!  This island has been declared a world heritage site for its weaving and the role of textile in the cultural fabric of daily life.  The women are renowned for their weaving and the intricate and delicate designs in their work.


Samples of the fine weaving from Isla Taquile.


Of course the famous Uros people of Lake Titicaca demonstrate their own weaving arts in the creation of the floating reed islands on which they live.  These island people rely on reeds for most of their existence as their homes; their boats, their furniture and most of the fabric of their existence is dependent on woven reeds. 

 Approaching a reed island on Lake Titicaca.

They also produce colourful embroideries and their eye for colour is reflected in their dress of multi-layered skirts and bright jackets, all topped with a bowler hat; a legacy of British explorers.

A welcoming committee.

The men were fishing but the women made us welcome and proudly showed off their homes which are now equipped with satelite dishes and t.v. sets.  They playfully dressed me up in local costume including colouful tassels for my braids denoting my availability.

Well, you can dress me up, but I am not sure you would want to take me out!
Note the home in the background made from reeds.

Next stop was the Amazon River, highway to the many small villages set in jungle landscape along its muddy banks.  This tropical rainforest has no seasons; just high water when the snow melts in the Andes, and low water during winter season.  As a result of climate change and the extensive glacial melt in the past few years, the increased run-off has created some hardship for villagers who's homes are regularly flooded during the time of high water.  

Visiting a typical home along the Amazon River. 

Note the corn, rice, yucca and other plants growing haphazardly around this house.  No need for seasonal planting here as we found corn stalks in various stages of growth.  Villagers mainly live on fish, corn and rice and other tropical fruits such as bananas, breadfruit, papaya, and citrus fruits.
  
We were also able to visit a school and meet the children who greeted us warmly and told us of their aspirations to be teachers, doctors, nurses and travel guides.  Clearly, tourism is expected to play a major role in the future of Peru.


 
Some of the children at a school on the Amazon.
To fully appreciate the jungle, we were invited to walk high in the tree canopy above and to see a world unknown to those who prefer the jungle floor.  In the bright sunshine, orchids and other brilliant flowers thrive on their host trees as do other jungle creatures such ad iguana and monkeys.

Our guide, Cesar walking in the high canopy of the jungle some110 ft above the jungle floor.

Proof.


River life appeared abundant and, after our boat broke down and while we we were making a transfer into a rescue boat in mid flow, we found ourselves surrounded by blue dolphins.  Further explorations along the river found the pink dolphin swimming at the confluence of one of the may tributaries to the mighty Amazon.

Despite what we would describe as poverty by western standards, our guides were all from the local communities and spoke several languages; most commonly one or both of the two main indigenous languages,and Spanish and English. They were all university trained to provide interpretive services to the growing tourism trade and all shared a universal love of their country and their communities.  They were well informed about their history and even the local shaman knew all  the botanical names of the herbs and plants he used in his practice.  Like most other Peruvians, despite the remoteness of these communities, they all also have cell phones and are very much connected to the outside world.

   The local Shaman ridding a fellow traveler of negative vibes.
He wore wellies, camouflage shorts, a t-shirt from the 2002 walk for multiple sclerosis and a feathered head dress and he carried a cell phone - a true representative of contemporary Peru.

Sadly, tourism and technology are opening up these spaces to the modern world and there is little likelihood those traditions will survive over the next ten years.  Despite the poverty, I sensed a degree of contentment among the folks we met that is unmatched in North American society.  I expect that contentment will dissipate as young people are exposed to the acquisitive values of western, contemporary society.   Modern Peru (cities like Lima and Cusco) are already being overtaken by McDonald’s and Starbucks.  Can rural communities survive us all trooping through in out air-conditioned coaches with our cameras ready for the many opportunities to capture the’ quaintness’ of indigenous peoples lives?


For me, the memories of this visit to Peru are about wonderful people, extraordinary sights and colour.  And yes!  It was also about fibre.

Elvis




August and September were busy months.  While the lambs were growing we turned our attention to processing the special fleece I had set aside and thinking about the future advancement of the flock.  We needed a new ram and, since Walter was white and his progeny was primarily white, it was determined the next ram would be coloured. Our search led us to Jo Sleigh of Bramblewood  Farm in the Fraser Valley and we negotiated the purchase of a black yearling to be picked up at the Cowichan Fall Fair in September.


Cleaning fleece is hard work - for some......!
Rosie asleep on the tags.


Fall Fairs are vital to farming communities across the country and offer an opportunity for farmers to exhibit the results of their hard work to the public.  Livestock is showcased in competitions that demonstrate the best qualities of individual breeds.  Food producers are able to exhibit their crops and demonstrate the many and varied uses of their products in baking, canning, drying and other processing and preserving methods.  Fibre is also exhibited, both in the raw state and in knitting, weaving, quilting and  the crafts practiced by local artisans.
 The guild work on their Fibre display layout for the Salt Spring Island Fall Fair.

Jo was showing our new ram, who we had decided to call Elvis, along with other members of her flock and Dave and I attended the judging, checked out his lovely fleece and watched him win ‘best in class’. 

 Me, checking out that fleece

The grand finale of the competition required Jo to show all five of her flock together and she handed Elvis to Dave with the direction that ‘he is yours now – you show him’!  At this point, he had been in the ring for some time and was getting pretty fed up with the proceedings.  The judge announced that Jo Sleigh’s ram would be shown by David Astill who had just purchased him.  Elvis had had enough.  He headed off in a dance across the ring with Dave on the end of the rope.  Needless to say neither of them won points for deportment.
 Dave and Elvis - just before the dance!

 Following judging, Peter, our shearer removed Elvis’s coat before we loaded him into the truck for the ride to his new home.  He spent the first few days getting used to his pasture with one eye on the many girls awaiting his attention.  He settled in well and on October 1, Dave let him into the field with his new harem.  He fell instantly in love and has been taking care of business ever since.

Elvis, without his coat and in his new home.

The gestational period for sheep can range from 138 – 149 days although the average is 146-147 days.  While there are other factors involved (estrus cycles etc), we can anticipate the arrival of our first lambs on or about  February 23-24.  That will be a nice birthday present for me!