A story in progress to be told like Herodotus's narratives on the fall of Teutonic Tribalism due to their identity politics; Iñigo de Abad's chronicles of the fall of Arawak well organized inter island commerce due to the their refusal to follow the Europeans’ intentions to destroy their identities and replaced them with a Christian one, that in turn became quite different from the identity imposed from Rome since they did not speak or read Latin and were influenced by so many groups, developing a new identity, still following animistic rituals, dancing, leaving gifts and kissing the Ceiba tree.
In the Mayan lands in Central America, “Ceibas are opportunists. Although they can be part of mature forests, they come in during early stages, when things are not settled. They are colonizers of disturbed habitat, quickly taking advantage of open, sunny spots and of light gaps in the forest created when other species fall. [...]Different parts of the tree have been used as medicine: leaves to treat swellings, burns and rashes, roots as a diuretic; the bark to heal ulcerations, hemorrhoids, and gonorrhea, and to start menstrual flow and expel placentas. An extract of the bark has been shown to acton the central nervous system in a manner similar to that of curare. Shamans conducted their rituals by ceiba trees, often using incense to prepare trees for sacred ceremonies… curanderos took their patients to ceiba trees in the forest. The sacred ceiba is one found in the forest.. chosen because it is in a sacred location near water or a cave, or because of its appearance.”* Ceiba trees have taken over quite a few houses, sidewalks and walls in Puerto Rico, growing over them or simply, slowly destroying them.
*(https://www.natureevolutionaries.com/ne/2018/1/2/ceiba-the-world-tree)
No comments:
Post a Comment