While in Gorbea, I also stopped by the workshop of a family of carpenters and enjoyed seeing the variety of pieces they craft out of local woods.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Cerámica en Gorbea
I had the pleasure of meeting several local artisans at a Fair-Trade event hosted by the Chol-Chol Foundation in Temuco a few months ago. One ceramicist, Sandra San Martín, who specializes in creating replications of ancient Mapuche ceramics from museums throughout Chile (Alfarería de Origen Arqueológico Mapuche), even invited me to visit her workshop in Gorbea. Similar to Labranza, Gorbea is a small town about 30 minutes outside of Temuco.
When I got to Sandra's workshop, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that her family home is also the city's cultural center. Her father, Sergio, has written also several books on Mapuche culture and accumulated quite a collection of artifacts on display- their rooms are filled with hundreds of pieces of traditional craftwork, or artesanía.
The workshop's official website is: http://www.ceramicamapuche.cl/
El Taller, The Workshop
In the picture above, the yellow piece was formed by hand, whereas the black piece was casted in a mold. Although the San Martín's started off by crafting all of their pieces by hand, they eventually changed strategies and switched to casting pieces. This allows them to better achieve their mission of creating precise replicas of artifacts and also saves them a significant amount of time and energy. Currently, many of their products are sold in museums nation-wide and abroad.Molds
Pipes
The variety and intricacy of the pipes pictured below, reflects the important role they played in Mapuche culture- the ones with 2 openings, for example, were believed to be part of a ceremonial ritual where two parties would symbolically smoke together when making a pact.
More Replications
Some other pieces of craftwork around their workshop...
Leather Shoe
Udder Basket???
Wooden Wheel
I'd estimate the diameter to be at least 8" thick!
Sunset in Santiago and Mundo Feliz
A few nice pictures I've been meaning to post for a while, but accidentally skipped over.
Sunset in Santiago
taken from a 10th story apartment we rented near Cerro Blanco
Mundo Feliz, "Happy World"
a nursery school I passed by the other day
Friday, July 1, 2011
ExpoLana 2011
With over 70 booths, this 4-day "lana," or wool, exposition was recently hosted in the heart of Santiago at Club Providencia. Considering the fact that I've spent the last couple months trying to track down the best wool sources in Chile for my internship, it was quite impressive seeing so many related organizations and companies in one location. It normally requires a lot of time and energy to discover, locate, and arrange to meet with such specialized groups, but this very organized and professional event made it easy. From artisanal yarns and weaving looms to hand-made clothing and funky accessories, products covered a wide range. Several booths also held on-going hands-on demonstrations for the public. In addition, there was no lack of creative vendors, many representing small, family-run enterprises, eager to share their stories.
The quantity of booths with products related to felt particularly surprised me; never before had I realized that felt is actually derived from wool. As reflected by the items at the event, felt is actually quite a versatile product and can be molded into decorative balls, flowers, hats etc. Some gorgeous yak, alpaca, and llama yarns also caught my attention.
The event also featured several educational workshops and talks with titles like "Dying Wools," "How to Spin Your Own Wools," and "The Healing Power of Weaving."
For more information visit the event web-page at:
Looms for Sale
the machine pictured below is used to separate dreadlocks of crude or unprocessed wool, making it soft and preparing it for spinning or felt-work
Felt "Sewing Machine"
punches lots of tiny holes through colored felt pieces, permanently bonding them to a background cloth
Booths & Yarns
"Vestido de Novia," A Wool Wedding Dress!
Bags
Outside Club Providencia
...check out the mountains in the background at sunset (hard to capture on camera, but amazing in real life)
Sleepover in the Campo
The Mapuche New Year, called We Xipantu o Nquillatún, is one of the indigenous culture's major holidays. Taking place during the Winter Solstice, We Xipantu involves specific ceremonial rituals and celebrates the harvest. More information can be found here: http://www.interpatagonia.com/paseos/ano_nuevo_mapuche13/index_i.html
We were invited to sleepover at a friend's house in the campo near Chol-Chol during We Xipantu, and although we did not end up celebrating in the traditional sense, many of her neighbors and relatives stopped by to spend some down-time together and enjoy delicious food. Getting a chance to walk around neighboring the farmland during sunset and then again the following morning was also very refreshing.
One other interesting (and unrelated) observation about the weekend, was that the running water in our friend's house stops working every once in a while. Apparently the public funds that are supposed to cover running water were misused- the community chose to install a cheaper piping system and is paying for the consequences now- lots of reparation fees that end up costing more and creating water-flow issues every once in a while. When this happens, she has to drive and fill up 45 liters of water in buckets to store in her house for the week.
Local Lunch
this pork came from a neighbor's farm
Maté
brewed with local herbs, including Bailahuén, which is supposed to be good at cleansing the body and getting rid of gases
Porotos
beans growing around the house
Bedtime Brushing!
Café de Trigo
Café de Trigo, literally "wheat coffee," is a traditional drink found in Southern Chile. I have been hearing about it for quite a while now, so I got excited and jumped at the opportunity to buy a bag when I saw it being sold by street vendor in Nuevo Imperial.
The base for café de trigo is toasted wheat or barley (not quite sure which it is by talking with locals, but the grain is pictured below). To brew the coffee, one just boils the trigo in water for a good 15 minutes and then lets it "remojar," or soak for another 15 minutes or so.
After trying the beverage for myself, I have decided it is like a hybrid between coffee and black tea. The grain gives it a bit of a thicker texture and has a strong flavor, however it does not actually contain any caffeine. Hopefully, customs will let me bring some to the states to share with friends and family : )
Café de Trigo Grains
Brewing...
Sunday, June 26, 2011
El Campo
I had to drop off some wool yarn at a weaver's house last week and absolutely enjoyed the trip over to her house. This particular artisan, lives in the campo, or farmland, between the cities of Nueva Imperial and Chol-Chol.
Getting there by public transportation involves taking two buses on a very limited and set schedule and takes about 2 hours. In contrast, the trip takes about 45 minutes by car...just goes to show how necessary a personal vehicle is for getting work done in this part of the world, even though gas prices here are also quite expensive (750 Chilean Pesos per liter).
Once at the artisan's house, it was very nice to see her acres of farmland- complete with herds of sheep, cows, pigs, and chickens. After dropping off the wool, the family generously gave us some fresh chicken eggs and lettuce straight off the land as well. The contrast between her lifestyle and that of the businesspeople in Santiago where I was living earlier this year is quite striking. While she wakes up at daybreak to feed animals and tend the fire, those in the city kick off their days by grabbing a cup of coffee to go and hopping on the metro.
Personally being raised in a society more akin to the latter option, talking with artisans as well as their extended family is extremely educational and grounding for me. For example, I had a very nice conversation with her grandmother about modern medicine vs. traditional, natural herbs. At the age of 78, she explained to me that she has never taken pills or modern medicine, except for one time when she needed a serious operation at a hospital in Temuco. She also very kindly showed me some of her more recent weaving pieces and explained more about the yarn-spinning and dying processes she uses.
The way these people live in harmony with nature fascinates me. However, their age-old knowledge and customs are disappearing in the face of the realities of our globalized world. Her grand-daughter, who is 20, knows little about weaving and currently attends a boarding school 4 hours from their house. She is studying to achieve her life's dream and become a professional veterinarian- an occupation that will help her earn a living wage in the future. In order to help her attend school, the family must work extra hard to save money. Her mother, for example, left home to work on a fruit plant several hours away to help make ends meet.
El Campo, Farmland
Sheep on the Horizon
Chancho, Pig
The Bus-Ride There
Although we were planning on taking a bus back home, a cab saw us waiting by the road and offered to take us for the regular bus fare of 50 cents each. Taking a cab out this far into the campo usually costs about $10 USD, however getting back to main cities is almost always easier and cheaper. This is because cabs usually get paid the normal amount to drop off someone and then look for an easy way to make a little extra by picking up stragglers on route back to the cities.
In the campo, people also tend to be more generous with others since they understand how difficult it can be to make it back to cities. (the buses only pass by a few times a day and go extremely slowly compared to cars) In turn, it's also quite common for people with cars to offer free rides when they run into others waiting by the side of the road.
Vacas, Cows
our cab had to swerve out of the way to avoid this herd crossing the road : )
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