Rebirths... after the storm

As farming families we celebrate the arrival of rain because it is synonymous with life. With it, hopes are reborn and, therefore, when the first drizzles begin we go out to greet them, we welcome them - there will be bread on our tables - we say.

Our grandparents teach us to take care of and respect nature and to prepare ourselves to receive the rain, and sometimes, because of carelessness, unfortunate situations occur. So it happened that, one fine day, the rain filtered through the roof of the space where we store our books, it was close to midnight; so we had to put them in a safe place despite the sleep that invaded us at that time. Questions, worries, sayings, projects were being born in the middle of the running; at times we were overcome with sadness: so many efforts had gone to waste. But we encouraged each other -when it rains everyone gets wet, after the storm comes the calm, every cloud has a silver lining. And we also reflected: it is a call to be better prepared, let us not lower our guard in the care of the dear house, the puquio books call us to read them, Qayaqpuma transmits strength, let's review our stories- and then each title inspired us.

In the middle of the night the family talked, read, messaged each other, and we confidently awaited the arrival of good volunteers to give us a little help. We lost many books, but yes, help did arrive - and the commitment to take care of this great legacy that our great comrade Alfredo Mires humbly left us, was strengthened.

Thank you, sacred water, for making these rebirths possible.

In flowers just like as in fire

The hummingbird deity in Amerindian and the winged god in universal mythology.

This is the book in which Alfredo Mires shows his extensive and meticulous research with which he practically pays homage to this fantastic, mythical and real character, the hummingbird.

In the prologue, Don Grimaldo Rengifo says that Alfredo has raised and brought to the present, the company of the legendary Nazca Hummingbird. In this book, Alfredo presents us with testimonies, stories, verses, images and even morphological details, so varied, of this marvellous being. He tells us where to find them and by what names to call them, according to the place where they lives and reign.

In this research, published in 2004 by Bibliotecas Rurales, we can discover what the quindecito, as Alfredo lovingly calls them, means for his own life and for the life of the community. It shows the presence of the winged deity, particularly the hummingbird, in American mythology. The research presents myths and other references in which the hummingbird appears as a sacred principle, as well as the role in contemporary iconography and the result of the direct observations that Alfredo himself made of the hummingbirds, in his daily contemplations. It also rescue traditions: tales, myths, legends, poetry and images, from different authors and artists, and, of course, also his own, because Alfredo always enjoyed drawing quindecitos, elaborating sketches, creating and recreating.

To learn more and to enchant us with the hummingbird, Alfredo left us a beautiful legacy: Así en las flores como en el fuego.

Reading unites us

On 16th December, as students and teachers of Sacred Heart School in Jaen, we gathered with joy to make the second reading walk a reality. It was great to share moments of reading with first grade students. The chosen site surrounded by greenery nourished our spirits and favoured concentration. We read different numbers of the Cernidas of the Rural Libraries of Cajamarca: Barro bendito, El pueblo del abuelo, Piedra adentro, Prenda querida, Empezó a andar, El pan nuestro, among other interesting Cernidas that are close to our customs inherited from our elders and that make us live, remember and not forget the essence of everything that surrounds our daily life at home, in the countryside, at school, in the neighbourhood and in the community.

Each one of us read and then invited interpretation of what was read, expressing why we read the texts of the Cernidas. With each sharing we commemorated our own experiences, we laughed at the situations that seemed funny to us - such as the one with the chilli bell pepper, of Cernida 12, which highlights the types of chilli bell pepper and one with the name "Pinchoemono" and that it stings too much and can not be eaten, being so small. We got festive with the couplet of Cernida 14 "Dicen que la trinitaria, es una bonita flor, remedio pa las muchachas, que están muriendo de amor" (They say that the trinitaria is a beautiful flower, a remedy for girls, who are dying of love). We also became reflective with the messages that made us think about our own attitudes and what we should learn to be better at - as in Cernida 20, with the title "Hagan cuenta que siempre sigo vivo" (Realise that I'm always alive) where the value of respecting, greeting, working, telling the truth, living together and sharing what we have is emphasized.

Finally, it was also an extraordinary moment to remember Alfredo Mires Ortiz, co-founder of Rural Libraries, who left us the precious legacy of reading, the rural library and other projects that open our minds and teach us to live in fraternity and learn more every day to be a better person and therefore, a better citizen.

Thank you Alfredo, your memory is nestled in our hearts.

We are Ñaupa

The grandfather of grandfathers: that is the ñaupa.

The ñaupa is the oldest ancient. 

The ancestor.  

The most ancient ancestor.

Ñaupa means the one that was, but 

also means the one that will be. 

Of the past and of the future.

The past. The future.

The one that is ahead, like a dream, 

the one that is going to be.

Ñaupa is oneself and the others.

We are Ñaupa.

Alfredo Mires

We are still: part one

For at least 2000 years, a character has been constantly reproduced in Cajamarcan ceramics. The callanas or pieces scattered in the huacas or sanctuaries in the mountains bear witness to this presence.

The character wears a smile -sometimes with teeth, sometimes without-, has an oval head and has different proportions and shapes: with hair -upward or downward- or without it; with short or long ears or without them; with dot, circle or double circle eyes; with scrolls or tufts or without them.

In the Andean world there is no individual, the isolated person: the word suq that names the one is the same that refers to the other. One is another. Perhaps this explains another characteristic of the character: he usually has a similar one inside himself, as if he were his inner self or his centre. This is ratified in the fact that when he is not with his arms up, he is also intertwined with others.

But the character is not only in ceramics. In the rock art -the most remote manifestation of the culture- they are also present, which would demonstrate their continuity. In the cliffs of the Apu Yamalán -whose marks could be no less than eight thousand years old- we have found a similar image, of great size, painted in red.

Alfredo Mires

in: El Ñaupa

Dear readers,

in the last few months, after the death of Alfredo Mires, we have noticed the improper use of his books, texts, images and recreations. As an association and as a family we hold the copyright of these publications and we are trying to protect them in different ways. Sharing this text -the introduction of "El Ñaupa"- is one of these ways.

Thank you for disseminating, for sharing, for learning and for helping us to protect the intellectual and artistic heritage of Alfredo, as well as of the community members who participated in the production of the books of the Network.

Assembly

When we hear the word "assembly", the memory of a long, tedious and tiring meeting may come to our mind, like those we often had at our children's school... or have, still.

Fortunately, in the Rural Libraries Network, this concept is totally different, since it is a "government" and decision-making body, with representatives of the communities where the libraries are located.

We begin each Assembly asking for permission and the blessing of our land, of the Apus and of our deceased. We entrust them with the success of our activities and the care of our families who stay at home. We look for different ways to review the history of our Network and the values that a volunteer should show, because from time to time it is necessary to remember our beginnings and our raison d'être. We also read together and evaluate how we are doing in the exercise of reading to understand what we read, to give our opinion and to discern.

We participate in the book exchange party. We enjoy together the moments of meals, we laugh with each occurrence and memory. We pray remembering those who have already gone and left us all this legacy, especially our dear Alfredo, we ask him to continue guiding us along the path he showed us years ago.

We take a moment to review the tasks that have been done and the tasks that are still pending. We look together for the solution to some difficulties that we committed ourselves to solve in the time that we see each other, before we return to our communities.

The days pass quickly and it is time to say goodbye. We all return to our homes and communities, with new books and the task of insisting on reading, "because we are stubborn", as Alfredo used to say.

This is what a General Assembly in the Rural Libraries Network is like.

This year, we are already preparing for what is to come because in April we will have our first Assembly.

The widow who was happy

In a house there lived

a widow and her little children

and God only knows how

the poor little ones suffered.

One day a little old man arrived

all broken and hungry

"Maybe I would have for my hunger

A little of your food"

"I have nothing," she said to him

"although there is one chicken left:

I'll prepare it for you now

and I will do all I can."

The old man gratefully

told her that when preparing it

not to throw away the feathers

but to go and bury them.

After eating, he said

in a farewell tone

"God will help you, my daughter,

for being so compassionate."

The next day in large numbers

the roosters awoke:

the feathers that had been buried

in birds they were converted.

In the morning, I tell you

lots of roosters sang:

the feathers that had been buried

in birds they were transformed.

From then on the family

no longer went hungry:

I'm sure it was God

who walked in those times.

Alfredo Mires

"Resuellos"

Original in Spanish:

La viuda que fue feliz

En una casa vivían
una viuda y sus hijitos
y solo Dios sabe cómo
sufrían los pobrecitos.

Un día llegó un viejito
todo rotoso y hambriento
“Tal vez tuviera pa mi hambre
Un poco de su alimento”:

“Nada tengo –le dijo ella–
aunque una gallina queda:
ahorita se la preparo
y haré todo lo que pueda”.

El viejito agradecido
le dijo que al prepararla
no bote las plumitas
sino que vaya a enterrarlas.

Después de comer le dijo
en tono de despedida
“Dios te ha de ayudar, hijita,
Por ser tan compadecida”.

Al otro día a montones
los gallos amanecieron:
las plumas que había enterrao
en aves se convirtieron.

Por la mañana, te digo,
montón de gallos cantaron:
las plumas que había enterrao
en aves se transformaron.

Desde entonces la familia
más hambre ya no pasaba:
seguro que fue Diosito
que esos tiempos andaba.

Alfredo Mires
“Resuellos”