Day 2

Tuesday, December 11, 2018  - The experts have arrived today. I am not speaking of the professors or the people holding PhD’s or other advanced degrees, rather the real experts, the Ngöbe. I had the great honor of visiting with them for a few minutes after supper tonight. While I am nobody of any significance among my people I felt truly blessed to share a small piece of what I know about the Aaniiihnen lifeways. There are many men with more knowledge than me who would have made this exchange momentously better and they could explain it with the depth only afforded ones who know. I am eternally grateful for Bridget from Haskell Indian Nations University for translating the stories between our two people. I am happy that I know a minuscule amount of our language so I could share some things in Aaniiih. There were undoubtedly things lost in translation but it was amazing to hear them emphasize some of their key points in their language as well. The connection of their stories was awesome  though separated by thousands of miles the relationship between our peoples was apparent. Their story is very much ours. They talked about the loss of much of their ways to Christian colonization. They talked about the ceremonies they still perform. They discussed their reverence to the cats of this  area (ocelot, jaguar, puma) and how their name Ngöbe was in reference to that familiarity!

We later met the entire CRIRE group and it was a thing of true beauty to hear so many young people speaking their languages in this place of the Ngöbe. The students expressed their humble gratitude to the Ngöbe and the programs  CRIRE, SKC, Heritage University, and OTS. Along with these awesome organizations I have to take a moment to personally thank Dr. Carol Falcon-Chandler for allowing the students and I to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity. After the introductions the students were able to share some small gifts with the Ngöbe. This is likely a day my sons will never forget. 

Earlier in the day the students and I worked on a plan of attack for our first field day tomorrow. I was also able to visit my old friend the strangler fig. Before I left in 2016 I said utnahaban (I will see you again) knowing I would likely never see it again yet there we were visiting like old friends. My sons and numerous other indigenous students from throughout the country got to meet the old warrior. It starts out a small seed placed atop a fig tree and grows to an immense size. It stands victorious in the place of its vanquished foe. The only remnant of the (decades/centuries!?) long battle is the hollow core where only the original fig tree’s clear silhouette remains. The warrior is fighting another battle now as a young strangler fig is perched atop his apex and issuing some of the same moves my old friend deployed in his victory a generation or more ago. If I had to bet I would put all of my Costa Rican Colońes on the old man as he is unlikely to buckle beneath such an inexperienced opponent. He will more likely don his young challenger like a feather bonnet a right this elder has earned through his years of service as a lone sentry at a trail junction. Time will tell. I too, will not soon forget this day! Met friends old and new and I am now psyching up for the real work to begin in monyana! Niibiiko(goodnight)!