Osprey - 11-18-2012 at 09:43 AM
No Grass Skirts in Baja California
Grass skirts are not made of grass. Surprised? They’re made of palm fibers and are usually worn as traditional/ritual/ceremonial costumes by people of
Polynesia, Melanesia, Oceania, Africa and many other temperate or tropical regions of the globe.
The tradition, the style, is not known in Mexico even though most of the country boasts many types of palms which are used for shelters, food items,
cash crops and dozens of other articles of adornment and trade.
I, for one, am very glad things worked out just that way with the palms. My worst fears for Mexico and Mexicans are visions of busloads of
international tourists queuing up to buy tickets for the Mexican War Dance at some sleepy little Baja village. The War Dance would showcase the
ancient garb and movement and rhythms of the aborigines as performed by local Mexican farmers and cementeros and fishermen and out of work laborers
and sundry others.
It might be the sun, the tropical noonday sun puts Mexicans more in the mood to sit in the shade and carve and burnish the exotic and unforgiving
toughness of the ironwood tree into incredible works of art. It also might be that today’s cholleros, Baja Mexicans, don’t choose to honor, by theater
or display, the Amerindians who lived here long ago. If they did, it would not be an easy task; those we now refer to as Californios walked (some came
by rafts or boats) down to occupy the long peninsula from what is now California, Arizona, the Great Basin and the Mexican mainland. They were rugged
groups who usually just went naked – some did employ palm-grass skirts. One prominent tribe made capes from human hair for the leaders.
Most of their dances, songs, celebrations have been lost over the centuries. Baja Mexicans celebrate their own unique proud heritage in honor of a
colorful agrarian society past and present; Folkloricos, Cabalgatas, fiestas which honor ranch life in a very rugged country. Usually these events are
held to also honor saints and Mexican heroes and most are not promotions for tourists but for themselves, people of local villages, towns and cities.
Things go slow in Baja. Might take some time before some enterprising Mexican or gringo puts on a tourist production called Dance of the Giant
Painters. I can see near naked actors covered with tattoos and pigment scrambling up stage prop scaffolds to pretend to fashion the famous cave
paintings in central Baja. Maybe some back round music --- maybe from the Planet of the Apes or 2001, a Space Odyssey. Now I’d get off the bus for
that.
Iflyfish - 11-19-2012 at 09:51 AM
I would pay to watch you dance naked Osprey! How about a Bloody Mary line dance of naked gringos drinking the blood of the goddess? You could serve
your famous hummingbird hearts for starters and it wouldn't be hard to roast a young pig for the main course.
Iflyfish
BajaBlanca - 11-19-2012 at 09:53 AM
interesting writing, as always.
David K - 11-19-2012 at 09:54 AM
Now there's something of interest!
Iflyfish - 11-19-2012 at 09:54 AM
It just dawned on me that for our gringo friends from Washington State and Colorado we could have the dancers slather themselves up with some local
mud and torch up a grass skirt or two. You could call that an indigenous "Fire it up" dance. If someone sang they could be called "Torch Singer". You
get the picture.
Iflyfish