Dear Friends,
Again we’re back in Durango after a good time in Lajas. The veggie
garden was full on and we’re able to eat fresh zucchinis and green beans. We’re still waiting on the tomatoes and chilies. It’s a lot of fun to be able to give away some fresh food, which always encourages a Tepehuan friend. The waterholes are all full due to the ample rains, and so the kids enjoyed swimming as often as they could.
July 25th is Saint James Day, and the Tepehuan celebrate it in unusual style. Saint James (whom the Tepehuan refer to as one of the “little gods) is carried out of the church and placed on a horse for a short while. Eventually after riding around, he is placed in a central place, and villagers begin offering food, money and live chickens. This begs the joke: why did the chicken cross the road? The answer: to get away from Saint James! It is by no means an honour to be offered as a chicken to Saint James. It basically means your life will be soon terminated in the most bizarre and cruelest of fashions. First of all the chicken is tied by its legs to a rope hung between two long poles. Two energetic young Tepehuan boys wave the polls in and out causing the unaware chicken to be jerked violently into the air. Underneath, eager Tepehuan men on horses ride between the poles trying to grab the chicken as it is flung up and down. It can take a few seconds or half an hour before someone actually grabs the chicken. If this alone doesn’t kill it, then the following events will. The lucky rider who managed to grab the chicken then unties it and chooses another rider to race with him. Off they charge up the road swinging the helpless bird between them as they go. Usually the chicken does not survive this. He will be taken home at the end of the day and used for soup. Another chicken is then ceremoniously tied up, and the riders start in again. Sometimes a chicken’s head will be ripped clean off and blood spurts all over the riders. This brings on much joy and laughter from the spectators.
As the day wears on, another lucky chicken is chosen and buried up to its neck. Young Tepehuan boys are given a long stick, blindfolded, spun around, and then they get to try and hit the chicken. Much like a violent form of “pin the tail on the donkey”. So for the next hour and a half, the ground in and around the chicken took quite a beating. Julian edged up enough courage to try a turn, and this caused quite the stir as everyone wanted to watch the little white boy have a go. His first five steps looked good, but unfortunately he proceeded to head the opposite way, and almost hit one of the horses. After what seemed like an eternity, someone nailed the chicken and everyone was relieved that it was finally over.
I must say, in spite of the unfortunate misery for the chickens, it probably is my favourite of all the fiestas. There is no food involved, hence not a lot of sitting around watching nothing while the food is prepared. The Tepehuan find the events surrounding the chickens extremely funny, hence there is a lot of laughter. I get a real kick out of seeing them all laugh so much. I hope you enjoy some of the pictures we attached.
It was a very productive time in language study, and Anne Marie and I were able to have some really good language sessions with several helpers. We were able to get some good recordings of higher levels of the language. Placido (the guy with four wives) is someone I have been using as a helper over the past year both out in Lajas, and also while he was here in the city. He had been sick, and so spent about three months living in Durango. While here, he was heavily exposed to the Jehovah witness teachings, and was quite interested and impressed. I had had a number discussions with him in Durango about it, but it was to little avail as he seemed quite sold on the JW way. I encouraged him to keep searching. Back out in Lajas, he had talked to Barry a few times about his JW discoveries and desire to follow their teaching. I had hoped to avoid the subject when I visited him one morning for a language session. Unfortunately when I arrived, he was reading (albeit very slowly) one of the Watchtower magazines. He wanted me to take a look and asked if it was true. In the few seconds I had to think, I realized that if this man is willing to try and understand a false religion in a language that isn’t his own, maybe he needs to hear the true gospel. The magazine contained a pictorial presentation of creation to Christ highlighting God’s holiness and man’s sin and offering man the way into Paradise. I told Placido everything for the most part was true except the part about Jesus. The magazine stated that Jesus was made by God and was like one of the powerful archangels. I told Placido that Jesus was God in the flesh, the creator, God almighty, not just an angel. To cut a long story short, we had quite a lengthy discussion on what sin was, that we were all sinners, and that God in the flesh, Jesus, died for our sin. Another part the magazine left out was, that its by faith in Christ we receive salvation and the forgiveness of sin. I told Placido that we had come to give him this message in his own language. He said that he felt hearing it in his own language would be helpful.
He told me he really wanted to believe what we believed and told me he would think about it some more. I encouraged him that God was wanting him to turn to Christ and leave all his Tepehuan beliefs and practices behind. He seemed so close, yet not quite convinced that there is only one way. I left him with these thoughts and told him I would try and find a simple version of the Bible in Spanish. Pray for Placido and his family to realize their need for a relationship with Jesus. That Jesus is the only way to eternal life.
The final photo (#11) is of our family and Anselmo’s family (our closest neighbors). This was Joseph and Madeline’s last time in Lajas before furlough in December. Everyone wanted photos with them before we left, and so we shot this group picture. Here are the names starting from the back row left to right: Teadora (sister to Feliciana), Emiteria (Marselo’s wife, Anselmo’s daughter-in-law), Anselmo, Anne Marie, Madeline, Silvana (Anselmo’s wife), Juana & baby (Anselmo’s daughter, Feliciana (Efren’s wife, Anselmo’s daughter in-law), Efren (Anselmo’s son), Joseph, Bernadino (Anselmo’s grandson). Front row left to right: Andrew, Julian, Sophia, Juana’s daughter, Alicia (Efren & Feliciana’s daughter), Alfreda (Efrenand Feliciana’s daughter. Missing are: Marselo (Anselmo’s son), Faustino (Anselmo’s son-in-law), Teadora (Faustino’s wife and Anselmo’s daughter).
I suppose We could fill a book with all that happens in Lajas, different conversations, cultural events and funny things. I hope this at least keeps you in the picture and praying more effectively. We have a busy two weeks in Lajas before heading out again. Five Australian passport renewals (one of which requires us to show up in person at the Australian embassy in Mexico City), applying for Anne Marie’s permanent residency papers for Australia, investigate flights and tickets for flying to Australia, enrolling Joseph and Madeline in a Mexican school, buying uniforms and books, buying the huge list of things that Tepehuan folk have asked us to get get for them, and also having our language evaluation done by our mission consultants before we head to Lajas. It’s a busy two weeks so we’d appreciate prayer to be able to cope and get it all done.
For Jesus,
Andrew and Anne Marie
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August 2008 letter
