The arts and sciences folks had an extremely busy and exciting week on our field research trip across Oaxaca! For our Anthropology of Music class we first traveled north to Apoala and then worked our way south until we reached the coast of Oaxaca. This trip was an excellent way to learn about different types of music, dances, and cultures throughout the state in a hands-on way.
Our time in Apoala was spent learning about the saltery (salterio) and seeing amazing sights! After arriving in the town, we kicked off our trip with a pleasant hike to see the waterfalls of Apoala. Some students were brave enough swim in the cold tidal pools, while others were perfectly content taking pictures from the sidelines. In the picture to the right, you can see the entire arts and sciences crew with our professor, Sergio, and our special guest musician, Ruben.
The next day, the group traveled to Tlaxiaco, where we watched a band made up of children ages 8 to 17. The band played four of their pieces for us, and during one song, local dancers performed the traditional guelaguetza dance. After these performances, us UVMers had the opportunity to break off into small groups and chat with the children in the band. Many children were curious to know whether we had any musical talent and had us sing or try their instruments!
After Tlaxiaco we made our way to Pinotepa de Don Luis. We met up with a gentleman from the Cultural center who brought us to the house of a family in town. There several dancer from the town gathered to show us a series of dances from Carnival el baile de los tejorones. The dances showed stories of encounters with troublesome bulls, pesky rabbits, and dangerous panthers. A couple of the dances were also made to make fun of the Spanish conquerors as carnival was the only time the indigenous had the opportunity to do so. All of the dances involved costumes with elaborate masks and beautifully carved maracas. We even joined in for a few dances!
The next day we found ourselves in Cuajinicuilapa, a region of the northern neighbor to Oaxaca state called Guerrero. This is an area of Mexico where many black Mexicans (cultura afromestiza) reside and one can find a wonderful mix of black and mexican cultures and music. We met up with the director of the Center of Art and Culture. He and several folks from town played us some traditional music with some very curious instruments. Among these were the mandible of a donkey and a el bote del diablo, or devil’s bottle (a drum with a stick attached to the top that you rub to make an odd sound). After a couple songs they let us join in with our own instruments we brought from the city. A few chamacos (youngins) from the town came and freestyle rapped for us.
On our way to Mazunte we stopped by the hometown of our driver Goyo, Rio Grande. We had a lovely lunch with his family (chicken tamales, veggie tamales, and mole amarillo). Also, Goyo's brother in law is in a band from the town, and they came by to play their traditional music for us. The band consisted of two men, a singer and guitarist, a younger boy who was the violinist (taught by his father by ear), and a younger girl who played the trumpet. They played merequetengues, chilenas costeñas, and other types of typical costal music.
The end of the trip was spent in Mazunte, a beautiful town on the coast of Oaxaca. While here for three days, students experienced amazing food, night-time beach jam sessions, and an earthquake (no damage anywhere in Mexico- just some shaky students)!!! During the day, we had music class, where we learned 4 different songs. A few of the more musically-inclined students played saxophones, clarinets, and flutes, while the rest of us stuck to maracas and simple drum beats. However, after three days of working together with our instruments, we sounded pretty darn good. After our three hour classes each day, we had the afternoon to enjoy the beach! One night, the group set out to Punta Cometa to see the sunset. Apparently, this is one of a very small number of places where you can see the sun rise and set over the ocean. The hike itself was almost as incredible as the sunset. Mazunte was not only a good way to end the music trip but it also felt like a good way to wrap up our time in Oaxaca in general. Many of us UVMers are shocked that we are now in our final week of the program. At least you readers will get to see our smiling and tan faces soon enough!
Saludos,
Jack Braidt & Allison Keen
No comments:
Post a Comment