Garisson Keillor once blamed long Minnesota winters for inspiring people to read War and Peace in self-imposed isolation. I can't blame Minnesota or the winter that you folks up North are approaching for my recent quest, so I'll blame the nine months of hard work that separates me from the end of my Peace Corps service.
Reading War and Peace is something that has always been on my life list of things to do, and what better time than now? The copy that currently sits on bedside cardboard box is a 1940's translation by Maude, three volumes in one printed on tissue-thin India paper. I’ve carried this little book with me for a long time, knowing that at some point I would get inspired to turn those pages. As of today I am 330 pages into the 1580 page epic and actually enjoying the experience. Keeping my World Book Encyclopedia open to the Napoleonic Wars of the early 19th century has aided me as I absorb the story of the many sides of war and life in Russia during that period.
This literary quest plays right into my second obsession of the moment, which is increasing my skills as a chess player. While trying to remember the names of the many characters in the book, I can challenge my Mac to a friendly game of chess. The battles waged against Napoleon provide me with the insight needed to strategically out maneuver my electronic foe. And likewise, the moves on a chessboard make sense out of the seeming confusion of the battlefields that Tolstoy depicts. Now, I know what you're thinking, could I have possible have chosen two more solitary and depressing activities with which to pass my free time? Probably, but I figure that having read War and Peace and being able to play a decent game of chess are things that can only make a person stronger. And while I love what I am doing, I am going to need that kind of strength to get to the other side of these next nine months.
10.28.2007
10.20.2007
VICTORY: Toledo Communal Land Case Results
CJ to GOB: hands off Maya lands
Friday, 19 October 2007
Mayan leaders Greg Choc and Cristina Coc share the good news with their supporters.
The Mayan communities in southern Belize are celebrating great victory today, having successfully convinced the Supreme Court that they are indeed constitutionally entitled to land rights they currently occupy.
Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh, in a bench mark ruling Thursday, agreed with the Maya leaders and villagers of both Santa Cruz and Conejo, stating that the Government of Belize was wrong in failing to recognise, protect and respect their land rights, which is rooted in traditional custom.
The Chief Justice, in his 67 page judgement, which took almost three hours to read, stated that “there is no evidence in any event, to warrant me to find that the Maya of southern Belize as the indigenous inhabitants, ceded their lands or suffered them to be taken as a spoil of conquest when the borders of British Honduras were extended south of the Sibun River in 1859, to include what is today the Toledo District.”
The Chief Justice’s ruling, which was witnessed by court room filled with Mayan people, who travelled from Toledo to hear the ruling, clapped in joy when Conteh finished reading his judgement.
The Maya community took the Government of Belize to court and asked it to declare that they do hold collective and individual rights to the land and resources that they have used and occupied in the past and that these rights constitute property as stipulated in section 3 and 17 of the Belize Constitution.
Chief Justice Conteh agreed with the Maya and stated that the evidence presented by their people was overwhelming.
The Government of Belize, he noted, failed to prove that the Maya rights to the land was forfeited when the government acquired territorial sovereignty over the area.
Nichola Cho, a government attorney attached to the Ministry of Natural Resources, argued the case for the Government of Belize.
Cho in her arguments before the court earlier this year, claimed that several factors had evolved during the pre-independence era of Belize which extinguished the Maya pre-existing rights and interest in the land after the assumption of the territorial sovereignty of Belize by the British.
But the Chief Justice explained that he was of the view that “regardless of when territorial sovereignty was established over Belize... historical fact did not by itself, ordinary, without more, extinguish pre-existing rights or to interest in land that the indigenous people enjoyed.”
Apart from agreeing with the Maya people, the Chief Justice also ordered the government to cease and abstain from any acts that may lead its agents or third parties to affect the Maya existence, values, use of enjoyment, unless such acts are done with their consent and in compliance of the Belize Constitution.
The Chief Justice ordered the government to determine, demarcate and provide official documentation of both Santa Cruz and Conejo’s title and rights in accordance with Maya customary law and practices.
The court has also ordered the government to abstain from issuing any lease or grants to lands or resources, registering any such interest in lands, issuing any regulations concerning land or resources and refrain from issuing any concessions for resources or exploitation of Maya land.
Last Updated ( Friday, 19 October 2007 )
10.17.2007
Pre-Tikal Ceremony Video
I am trying out this video thing. YouTube wasn't cooperating with me, but hopefully this works.
10.16.2007
10.14.2007
A journey of tradition
Back in my bank teller days, Columbus day was one of those holidays I always took as a bonus, a day off when almost everyone else had to work, never really putting much thought into the break. Of course I knew that the Columbus story has many versions, but growing up the midst of the most popular version I never had a reason to think deeply about the significance of the "discovery" of the "new" world. This week I stood among temples thousands of years older than the arrival of the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria while hundreds of proud Maya from across Central America prayed and left offerings. This put things into perspective. But before reaching that grassy plaza at Tikal, there was a journey, and the theme of that journey was traditional.
My village is only about 20 miles from the Guatemala border, but traveling there usually means driving 150 miles north to the nearest road crossing or taking a 2 hour boat ride across the Bay of Honduras. But out group chose to take the most direct route, beginning our travels in the traditional way, on foot. Two hours by bus from Blue Creek brought us to Jalacte where we raced the approaching rain. Making our way down a muddy slope, wading through a river, and across a cow pasture, we found ourselves in Guatemala after a 20 minute walk.* Suddenly we were surrounded by Spanish language, electricity, and population, all lacking just 25 minutes before. A chartered van arrived shortly, getting us all packed in just as the torrential rain, which would fall almost continually throughout our entire trip, began to fall. Arriving in Poptun as darkness approached we made our way to Casa de la Esperanza, the school that would be hosting our group and several hundred other Maya travelers. We hardly had time to put our bags down on our bunk beds before the ceremonies began. After everyone had filled up on a traditional meal of beans and poch** the ceremonies began.
The school boarded about 400 students and focused it’s education on traditional Maya values and worldview, much like Tumul K’in, the school in Blue Creek that I was traveling with. Parents of many of these students had come to the festivities, most bringing offerings of food, fire wood, and copal*** that is an important part of the offering ceremony. As each person made their gift offering, they danced around the circle where the offerings were placed according to the 4 elements (represented by black, yellow, white, and red). Spiritual leaders, distinguished by bright head-wraps, organized the offerings and blessed them for the larger ceremony that would take place the next day at Tikal. The Miramba music kept the crowd going for the entire night, with people occasionally resting briefly before resuming the dance. At 2am Caldo (soup) and tortillas were served, at at 3am the coffee started going.
3:40am: After a few brief hours of rest, punctuated by the dancing and speeches that kept going all night, I woke and walked across the road to take an ice-cold bucket bath (no showers). I filled my water-bottle with sugary coffee drink and hopped in the van. We were on on the road by 4am. Three hours later the caravan of mini-buses approached the gates of Tikal, stopping only to use the bathroom, buy rain poncho’s, and get some breakfast. An hour of speeches at the visitors center allowed for stragglers to reach before the procession made the 20 minute walk to the Central Plaza. Here the large stone slabs stood ready for the hundreds of pounds of offerings that the procession brought, just as they had been at the height of the Maya Empire a thousand years ago. Candles, copal, alcohol, and any other gifts burned for hours as people came and left the never-ending circle of energy that surrounded the leaping flames. A conch shell blew and the whole crowd lowered to their knees and prayed to each of the 4 elements, facing East, North, West, and South for each element. I was told that the conch shell is used to invite the spirits of the ancestors that may be present to come forward during the prays. Standing to one side, I knew I was a mere observer to this event, but I could feel the love and spiritual connection that the people felt for this place and their heritage. It’s hard to describe what it’s like to see a piece of history tied so closely with the present.
We spent that night, exhausted, at the school. The return journey was much the same as when we came, though 3 days of heavy rains had made the already muddy path into Belize a ridiculous affair. The stream we waded across was now a flooded torrent and we had to chose between getting shuttled on a mule or pulled in a small boat. I chose the mule, holding my breath as the water came up to my knees while I held tightly to the animal as it struggled to get it’s footing in the flooded river. By 8pm I was home. I basked in the clean water that pounded on me from my shower, my first real bath in 3 days, and ate a late dinner of cereal and soy milk. I sank into bed, still in awe of my good fortune at being included in such an amazing piece of tradition.
PS – I forgot to mention the hospitality. Even though I am clearly not Maya and do not speak K’etchi at all or Spanish very well, I was made to feel very welcome at these emotional events by the people at the school and at Tikal. Sure, I got a few odd stares, but I got a lot more smiles, plenty of laughs, and handshakes that communicated the welcome atmosphere.
*This is perfectly legal as long as you report to the Police in Belize when you leave, and then to the Police in the nearest town upon arriving in Guatemala.
**Poch is a big hunk of ground corn cooked in a banana leaf.
*** Copal is tree sap that is burned as incense in offering ceremonies.
My village is only about 20 miles from the Guatemala border, but traveling there usually means driving 150 miles north to the nearest road crossing or taking a 2 hour boat ride across the Bay of Honduras. But out group chose to take the most direct route, beginning our travels in the traditional way, on foot. Two hours by bus from Blue Creek brought us to Jalacte where we raced the approaching rain. Making our way down a muddy slope, wading through a river, and across a cow pasture, we found ourselves in Guatemala after a 20 minute walk.* Suddenly we were surrounded by Spanish language, electricity, and population, all lacking just 25 minutes before. A chartered van arrived shortly, getting us all packed in just as the torrential rain, which would fall almost continually throughout our entire trip, began to fall. Arriving in Poptun as darkness approached we made our way to Casa de la Esperanza, the school that would be hosting our group and several hundred other Maya travelers. We hardly had time to put our bags down on our bunk beds before the ceremonies began. After everyone had filled up on a traditional meal of beans and poch** the ceremonies began.
The school boarded about 400 students and focused it’s education on traditional Maya values and worldview, much like Tumul K’in, the school in Blue Creek that I was traveling with. Parents of many of these students had come to the festivities, most bringing offerings of food, fire wood, and copal*** that is an important part of the offering ceremony. As each person made their gift offering, they danced around the circle where the offerings were placed according to the 4 elements (represented by black, yellow, white, and red). Spiritual leaders, distinguished by bright head-wraps, organized the offerings and blessed them for the larger ceremony that would take place the next day at Tikal. The Miramba music kept the crowd going for the entire night, with people occasionally resting briefly before resuming the dance. At 2am Caldo (soup) and tortillas were served, at at 3am the coffee started going.
3:40am: After a few brief hours of rest, punctuated by the dancing and speeches that kept going all night, I woke and walked across the road to take an ice-cold bucket bath (no showers). I filled my water-bottle with sugary coffee drink and hopped in the van. We were on on the road by 4am. Three hours later the caravan of mini-buses approached the gates of Tikal, stopping only to use the bathroom, buy rain poncho’s, and get some breakfast. An hour of speeches at the visitors center allowed for stragglers to reach before the procession made the 20 minute walk to the Central Plaza. Here the large stone slabs stood ready for the hundreds of pounds of offerings that the procession brought, just as they had been at the height of the Maya Empire a thousand years ago. Candles, copal, alcohol, and any other gifts burned for hours as people came and left the never-ending circle of energy that surrounded the leaping flames. A conch shell blew and the whole crowd lowered to their knees and prayed to each of the 4 elements, facing East, North, West, and South for each element. I was told that the conch shell is used to invite the spirits of the ancestors that may be present to come forward during the prays. Standing to one side, I knew I was a mere observer to this event, but I could feel the love and spiritual connection that the people felt for this place and their heritage. It’s hard to describe what it’s like to see a piece of history tied so closely with the present.
We spent that night, exhausted, at the school. The return journey was much the same as when we came, though 3 days of heavy rains had made the already muddy path into Belize a ridiculous affair. The stream we waded across was now a flooded torrent and we had to chose between getting shuttled on a mule or pulled in a small boat. I chose the mule, holding my breath as the water came up to my knees while I held tightly to the animal as it struggled to get it’s footing in the flooded river. By 8pm I was home. I basked in the clean water that pounded on me from my shower, my first real bath in 3 days, and ate a late dinner of cereal and soy milk. I sank into bed, still in awe of my good fortune at being included in such an amazing piece of tradition.
PS – I forgot to mention the hospitality. Even though I am clearly not Maya and do not speak K’etchi at all or Spanish very well, I was made to feel very welcome at these emotional events by the people at the school and at Tikal. Sure, I got a few odd stares, but I got a lot more smiles, plenty of laughs, and handshakes that communicated the welcome atmosphere.
*This is perfectly legal as long as you report to the Police in Belize when you leave, and then to the Police in the nearest town upon arriving in Guatemala.
**Poch is a big hunk of ground corn cooked in a banana leaf.
*** Copal is tree sap that is burned as incense in offering ceremonies.
10.10.2007
26 and counting
I'm a little older now, after spending my entire 25th year in another country (well except for brief escapes to Guatemala and the states). Honestly, I was expecting the day to pass much like any other, maybe a plate of rice and beans instead of beans and rice, but not so.One of the members of the 2007 group of volunteers took it upon herself to
make my birthday into a real event, complete with Strawberry Shortcake party hats, chocolate covered bananas with sprinkles at midnight, and cake for breakfast. I felt pretty special, which is a good thing to feel when you reach the 30 side of your twenties.
Tomorrow, in celebration of Pan-America days I am going with a group of Maya
leaders to Tikal in Guatemala (see cover of August National Geographic for a
picture of Tikal: Below). It should be a great experience as Maya communities from
throughout Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico converge on this major ancient city
to tell their version of the Columbus story. I am excited to be included in
the event and should have some good stories to tell after we cross into
Guatemala on foot, catch a few local buses, sleep over at a high school and
parade into Tikal with thousands of others. It's as close to going native as
I'll probably get.
10.02.2007
Welcome Back Mac
I am an irresponsible computer owner.
It's true, I was responsible for the "hardware problem" that crippled my computer, taking with it my ability to regularly write. In making this confession and clearing my conscience, I can only hope that Apple employees responsible for honoring the AppleCare Extended Warranty are not reading this, and if they are, will respect my honesty. Anyways, I often travel(ed) around Belize with my computer in search of free wireless internet. This was the case when, shortly after returning to Belize from my vacation in the states, I met a good friend and RPCV from Nicaragua in Placencia for a couple of days. Placencia has free internet, great beaches, decent food, and at least one place to indulge in fruity over-rum'ed drinks. And that is exactly how the day went, in that order. After the fruity rum drinks, myself, my visiting friend, and another Belize PCV returned to our hostel to continue the rum-drink trend. My Mac and portable speakers provided us with the tunes, and after a little bit we started socializing with a group of traveling Austrians in the common room. We forgot all about the still music-playing computer that was sitting on the dresser, next to the window in our room.
Then, as in all great tragedies, a storm blew in, soaking everything in our room: beds, pillows, bags, towels, and of course, my ibook. I didn't realize this at the time, because I was enjoying my conversations with friends and fellow vagabonds in the still-dry kitchen of the hostel. When we saw how soaked our room had got, I put my computer to sleep, found a drier room, and slept off the head-splitting after-effects of Belize and Nicaragua's finest rums.
The next day, sometime in the mid-morning, I returned to our original room to pack up and change. I went to start up my computer in order to write some emails and the unthinkable happen. The spinning color wheel of purgatory (this is something akin to the blue screen of death for PC users). That wheel just kept on spinning, leaving me hanging in the no-mans-land between an off-computer and an on-computer. I tried to reboot in safe mode, but this pushed the ibook into the great white light, from whence it did not return. I packed up the computer, sure that once it dried out it would again greet me with the happy "Ahhh'nnn" sound that ibooks make when they wake up. It didn't.
The story ends well, as you may deduce from the fact that I write this from the same computer that experienced an untimely death at the hands of its rum-soaked owner. I had purchased the extended 3-year warranty before leaving the USA, and had backed up all music, pics, and docs on the external hard-drive I got for Christmas from my Dad. My Country Director, Eileen, helped me out with getting the computer to the states, my Mom did the leg work getting it to Apple, and the US Embassy did it's part by unknowingly sending and receiving the computer through APO (shhh..this is a secret). Long story short: a happy mac is made sad by water, so keep your mac a happy mac and keep it a dry mac.
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