These shots are of the last fifteen days of my life - a little montage of photos that I took when my phone was actually on. My life in the Pueblo is a private world and every year I move into the ancient village to regroup and to be in the ancestral arena with no politics, no dogma, no electricity, no running water. Everything is based on food, nature, song and dance. When you're living in the ancestral world you tend to drive differently, you even talk differently. The sunlight and lack thereof is the driving force of the day. Necessity can make or break you and in the end it's the ancestral spirits that guide you and protect you. They lived with love amongst hardship intertwined with the coldness and snow. Their priorities were wood, water and food. The icing on the simple cake was a story to go with their meal and a deer dance feast on Christmas, a turtle dance feast on the new year and on January 6th buffaloes came and pounded the traditions back into our souls. Once again we feast for them. Then on that night there is more feasting and more singing and more dancing. To dance crazy is the only way to be free. Their richness (and my richness) is knowing that they were choosing people to turn the axis of the world. In between these feasts, for me, was sleep and hunting. Very, very few days of ass time on the computer or watching stupid TV and YouTube. The brain dies when the ass doesn't move.
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| Northeast side trail bowls of sleeping remnants of elk who lay keeping warm in the southern sun. |
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| On foot with a Brother of mine packing out meat, anything killed up here and you're damn lucky if the sun is still up. I think that day it got up to a whopping 11 degrees. |
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| Gathering some pitch-pine across the gorge bridge for the gigantic bonfires on Christmas eve, truck looks small but its a full 3/4 ton Indian truckee |
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| Snowy morning not sure what day this was, everything was hazy after the world was supposed to end heehee. you know I think this was the day 12-21... Welcome to my beginning. |
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| Packing it all in and packing it all out. There was no food for the
horses so you bring bags of feed but it makes the horse feisty and hot,
but a mile into the thick snow calms them down. |
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Bring good thoughts and food, something sweet to share - a story, a
picture, a secret and a smile will get you far in the cold northern nights
of the sangre de cristos.
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A simple life for a simple man. Makes him seem more complicated (heehee.)
My people are farmers, hunters, botanists, scientists, mechanics,
veterinarians, butchers, comedians and love makers and much more - singers, dancers, story tellers and eaters.
We have
survived because we are needed here today to remind everyone that
sleeping on the raw earth, eating from what mother gives you and blesses you with, might not be so dumb after all.
Love and honor and happy holidays.
Your Man MIRABAL
17 comments:
Hello :) Nice post, what I like more is the sense of peace of your land. Is the sense of peace that moves on the gentle spirits of kind mans and womens on our Mother Earth, the sense of inner peace that comes out from inside. I'm happy to be still young enough to learn from life and experiences (especially those not so good for me), and I've learned so much being in contact with my true essence and the essence of who, like me, still believe in a better world. I agree with you when you say that is better being not so much on the internet, but.. what I believe is that it's not the tool the real problem, but the use one do of it.The web must be a tool of peace.. A bit like your land. Happy new year to you and family.
Sorry.. "men" .. my english is terrible!!
Thank you for the photos and the message.
Robert, thank you for sharing parts of your world and life with us! You are truly an inspiration for all to live by..
Robert, the photos are so beautiful and just looking at them shows me the quitness and peacefulness of such beautiful place. I do thank you so much for sharing with us.
You are a blessed man Robert. Thank you for sharing this very personal private part of your life.
Very beautiful - we all need times to "recharge" and reflect. Problem is not every one can make time. I cherish long walks I take alone that help me sort out problems as I appreciate nature and the beauty of the world. Not as extended as your winter experience, but it serves the purpose. Peaceful blessings!
Ahhh...living authentically revives ones being! ;-)
Ahhh..living authentically revives ones being! ;-)
It sounds beautiful! It is always good to reconnect to the beauty that you come from...
Beautiful, Robert, thank you and happy new day!!rctoryda
Thank you for sharing your journey with us, we grow a little more through your words and experiences.
Beautiful snowy, and beautiful scenic Winter scenes, Robert!
Good to see all is well. I remember the cold from growing up in Minn. I don't need it any more. but remember how it was when every breath froze the inside of one's nose, How good a bowl of Grandmother's hot soup for supper tasted when it was 40 below outside.
It is amazing when everything is based on food,nature, song and dance.To walk hand in hand with Mother Earth is the most powerful blessing.. Our souls are made to live simple life.. Simple life is when simple human being keep the child spirit in the soul..With love and honor, many blessings from Croatia
I can almost put myself in that place, of living simply and truthfully. How so many of us need a chance to experience that! It's like a dream to think I could have even a few days to just be, to see without having to think, to be gracious and thankful for life itself without distractions. The high of breezes thru aspens, the sun coming up on a cold morning and the first rays of light coming over the mountain. Thank you for sharing and keep writing. I hope to visit Taos Pueblo soon, as my first experience of it was 3 decades ago, yet I know I'll feel the same sense of contentment if I were to go now.
Thanks for reminding us that simplicity isn't so "dumb after all"...
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