Music and dance transcends language barrier
San Benito County Free library staff kept their doors open late
Feb. 20 for a special reception in honor of photographer David
Bacon, whose artwork remains on display through Saturday, March
14.
Bacon’s show,
”
Living Under the Trees: Indigenous Mexican Farmworkers in
California,
”
features photographs of indigenous farm workers from around
California and includes images of their work conditions, living
conditions and even some of their cultural traditions.
Music and dance transcends language barrier
Click HERE for an audio slideshow that features traditional music and dance.
San Benito County Free library staff kept their doors open late Feb. 20 for a special reception in honor of photographer David Bacon, whose artwork remains on display through Saturday, March 14.
Bacon’s show, “Living Under the Trees: Indigenous Mexican Farmworkers in California,” features photographs of indigenous farm workers from around California and includes images of their work conditions, living conditions and even some of their cultural traditions.
The evening included a native hoop dance by a group of Triqui women to traditional violin and drum music performed by Benito and Feliciano Lopez Martinez. It also included speeches from many people, including Margie Barrios, District 1 county supervisor.
At the beginning of the event, librarian Nora Conte invited the people present, many of them indigenous, to stop by the library more often.
“If you can read and write and you can spell, doors will open for you,” she said. “But if you can’t, you will have problems. You can get your library card tonight. This is not Nora’s library. This is the community’s library.”
Through a translator, she encouraged them all to apply for library cards that evening. Many of the school-aged children pulled books off the shelves to look at during the longer speeches.
The highlight of the evening was the hoop dance that is performed at Triqui marriage ceremonies, and it is passed down from mothers to their daughters, Bernadina Hernandez said.
“It is something a woman should not forget,” she said.
The women, dressed, in traditional bright red huipils wore somber expressions as they circled around a portion of the library that had been set up with chairs for the visitors.
Triqui women and children watched from one side of the room while the men gathered along another wall.
After the dancing, Hernandez talked a bit about her experience as an immigrant from Oaxaca.
“Thank you,” she said. “It’s exciting to come and see a new face that wants to see something new. If we see a lot of people, we will do it again.”
The San Benito County Library, 470 Fifth St., will continue to display “Living Under the Trees: Indigenous Mexican Farmworkers in California” through March 14 during library hours. The photographs and histories are the work of David Bacon, an award-winning journalist and documentary photographer. The show was produced in partnership with California Rural Legal Assistance and the Binational Front of Indigenous Organizations. For more information, call 636-4107.
