Legacy of Tawasha
Re: Legacy of Tawasha
Takala - of the Desert People
It was still dark but it was already starting to get hot. Once the sun came up, it would soon be too hot to do heavy work which helped overcome that early hour sluggishness. Things needed to be done and delay would only make it more difficult. As a young woman, rising early was done in obedience. Now, as an old woman, it was ingrained in her, carved deep like the lines on her face.
There was a rhythm to the work that she found comforting. Shuffling through the neat rows of plants - checking the leaves, the stems, the moisture in the dirt - instilled a calmness only achieved with full surrender to the task at hand. These few plants clinging to life in the arid conditions meant the children would eat and so would their mothers. The early morning heat lent an urgency to the work because it meant the growing season was almost over and the time to follow the migration of the animals in search of water was about to begin. “I must get Tadi to mend the handles on the large pot,” she thought to herself as the sun began to rise and the heat intensified. “Otherwise it will be difficult to use during the wandering.”
She moved to the next row. Only two more and she would be finished but she could already hear Atepa preparing first meal. The sounds of cooking elicited a grumble deep in her belly that made her rush through the last few plants and she made a mental note to start in this spot on her nighttime check.
Clapping the dirt from her hands, she returned from the field to help prepare the food. “Good morning Tota,” the younger woman said with a warm smile. “Will the crops be ready in time, Grandmother?”
The daily ritual was comforting. The balance between planting and harvesting, wandering and settling, gave structure to the months and days. To someone outside the tribe, the lifestyle might seem austere, almost impoverished. To the old woman and the rest of the clan, their material things needed to be functional, sturdy and portable. Every item had to earn its place by serving the people.
The people were everything.
It was still dark but it was already starting to get hot. Once the sun came up, it would soon be too hot to do heavy work which helped overcome that early hour sluggishness. Things needed to be done and delay would only make it more difficult. As a young woman, rising early was done in obedience. Now, as an old woman, it was ingrained in her, carved deep like the lines on her face.
There was a rhythm to the work that she found comforting. Shuffling through the neat rows of plants - checking the leaves, the stems, the moisture in the dirt - instilled a calmness only achieved with full surrender to the task at hand. These few plants clinging to life in the arid conditions meant the children would eat and so would their mothers. The early morning heat lent an urgency to the work because it meant the growing season was almost over and the time to follow the migration of the animals in search of water was about to begin. “I must get Tadi to mend the handles on the large pot,” she thought to herself as the sun began to rise and the heat intensified. “Otherwise it will be difficult to use during the wandering.”
She moved to the next row. Only two more and she would be finished but she could already hear Atepa preparing first meal. The sounds of cooking elicited a grumble deep in her belly that made her rush through the last few plants and she made a mental note to start in this spot on her nighttime check.
Clapping the dirt from her hands, she returned from the field to help prepare the food. “Good morning Tota,” the younger woman said with a warm smile. “Will the crops be ready in time, Grandmother?”
The daily ritual was comforting. The balance between planting and harvesting, wandering and settling, gave structure to the months and days. To someone outside the tribe, the lifestyle might seem austere, almost impoverished. To the old woman and the rest of the clan, their material things needed to be functional, sturdy and portable. Every item had to earn its place by serving the people.
The people were everything.