Amazon Wisdom Keeper by Loraine Y. Van Tuyl

Author:Loraine Y. Van Tuyl
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: She Writes Press
Published: 2017-11-09T05:00:00+00:00

“This is what a man gives to his woman as a symbol of his love when he leaves for a few days,” he said and gave me a beautiful comb, hand carved out of wood with very long and delicate teeth, decorated with rich patterns.

“This is what a woman gives to her man as a symbol of her love when he leaves for a few days,” he said and gave Robert a carved calabas that looked like a thin, emptied out, half coconut shell and served as a drinking cup or bowl.

“May your union be blessed for another two hundred years. I know that people in America and Holland switch spouses like clothes, but, after this blessing, you cannot bring a new lover here. This bond that’s blessed here is everlasting,” Boikie said.

“Okay,” we nodded, grateful and surprised that this polygamous community upheld commitment with this level of seriousness. After the blessing, the women bent over with backs as flat as tabletops and started to clap and sing, accompanied by drumming in the background. They were singing tender love songs about a couple circling around the lovers’ tree and waiting longingly for one another.

The program for the night was fluid. After the women sang a few songs that honored the coming of the new year, Boikie started to do a chicken dance to the beat of the drums, his outstretched arms and chest moving in and out in jerky motion.

“Come on,” he said, and soon Robert and two guys were following in stride to the beat of clapping and the drums until the entire community moved as one body and one heartbeat. It did not feel as if a show had been put on for us. Instead, we’d been taken in by the village and had participated in cultural rituals and living ceremonies that were common and routine, yet sacred and special.

Overwhelmed with gratitude for this magical evening and unforgettable anniversary celebration, I wondered what it was about our gifts that felt so extraordinary. They were so simple— reminding me of an ordinary circle and line—yet they infused my soul with a regal sense of power, dignity, and deep meaning. I held the comb close to my heart and the calabas wrapped in a towel. The thought of accidentally breaking them while traveling was unbearable.

That very same night, I had a dream. I dreamed that I dropped and broke the comb and calabas, because I couldn’t stop worrying and fidgeting with them. I woke up in horror and scrambled around to find them. They were still intact. I let out a sigh of relief and acknowledged the message. The more tightly I held onto what I cherished, the more likely I would break it. True love is about generosity and letting go, not holding on, something that the people within this community practiced on a daily basis. I sat on the bed, trying to absorb it all.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.