Nfinda Kalunga/ Sacred Burial Grounds

Urban Paleros are accustomed to large city cemeteries, where bodies line up in rows, double or triple deep.  These cemeteries have strict hours and access.  What is more common out here are many small rural graveyards, sometimes attached to a church, sometimes belonging to an old home or farm, some have as few as a half dozen graves, some have more like a hundred.  Many are overgrown with weeds and even become absorbed into the forest.  Others are mown by someone once in a while but many are neglected.  

We are fortunate that adjacent to our land there is a graveyard (shown in the first 4 photos), where many of the people who tended this whole area now rest.  This graveyard was connected to the local "Black Church" which later moved down the road a couple miles.  Once in a while we see a car full of people looking for it, but most of the time it is quiet.  Most of the bodies in the graveyard are a hundred plus years old.  The graveyard is surrounded by forest on 2 sides and unless you venture into the forest you would not realize the number of graves that are right inside the forest at this point and are totally overlooked by whoever is tending the graveyard.

During our visits to the graveyard we noticed the various plants growing and noticed that they had obviously been consciously planted and placed, specifically the YUCCA plant.  The YUCCA plant is a native plant, it has spiky evergreen leaves and sends up a tall flowering stalk in the summer which flowers white edible flowers.  The leaves can be used to make twine and baskets and more.  In some places the gravestone had become swallowed up by the Yucca plants.  There are also a number of evergreen trees, especially cedar and native pine, which we know symbolize immortality or everlasting life!

Yucca was used much more in the past in this region by those of African descent and tradition to give protection and grounding to the Spirit of the person in the grave.  You see Yucca often planted by specific graves and often at the entrance of the graveyard.  You do not see the Yucca typically on graves of those of western religious traditions.  

These photos show other graveyards in the area that we have visited which also have patches of Yucca surrounding certain graves.  The graveyard adjacent to us has far more Yucca because of course it is connected to the "Black Church".  If you drive down the back rural roads and look carefully for old graveyards, there is a strong possibility that you will see graves with Yucca.  

For Paleros and those who practice other traditions of African roots, the Yucca tells a story about the tenacity of African Traditions in this country.  

As Paleros who have worked with Yucca, we know how it expands greatly from its original planting and forms a large mound that grows larger and larger.  It is difficult to remove once it is rooted, especially because its leaves are spiky and not easily grasped.

Yucca is not the edible tuber (Casava or Yuca), apparently it received its name because of confusion of the Spanish (who were confused about basically everything pertaining to Indigenous culture).  

We have seen Yucca in literally 50 graveyards within an hours drive of our home.  Once you start to look for it, you will see it everywhere.  We bring forth this brief post in order to educate those who may be seeing this, and perhaps not know of its significance.  For us it is a powerful statement of the resilience and adaptability of our traditions and holds within it many lessons that we can benefit from.  By its very presence it is a voice that arises from the graves speaking to those who have the ears to listen!

It is a reality, not a fantasy!

Spirituality reaches into all aspects of life.  We often hear Paleros and Tainos say "it is not a religion, it is a way of life".  This statement is given much lip service, but what does it really mean and how can we see that manifest within our "everyday experience"?  As one who is rooted in African and Taino spiritual traditions, it is not a question of should we be involved in self-sustainability, gardening and providing for a diversity of animals (domestic and wild), it is only a question of how far our capacity to extend ourselves in these ways can take us together with the blessings of the Mysteries that allow life to continue to thrive within this experience.  

Upon our Land we do not separate our spiritual practices from the gardening practices and caretaking practices that allow the gardens and animals you see below in the photos to thrive.  Year to year we continue to expand our capacity and wisdom in relating to and thriving together with the Mysteries and Spirits of the Plants, Stones, Animals, and the multiple dimensions of Ancestors who are  all around us.  

Honey Bees on Sunflower.  Honey bees pollenate many of our food crops, produce honey, produce bees wax, and stimulate our immune systems if we get stung by them.  Sunflowers give us beauty, sunflower seeds and provide important food for many wild birds who love them.

"Sunchokes" provide beauty, seeds for the birds, and edible roots.

A pathway from the animal shelters to the ceremonial grounds.

The llama and alpaca, sacred to our Southern Ancestors, provide much enjoyment and entertainment, as well as soft fiber.

Corner of a batey, the red flower in the center of the photo is amaranth utilized for food, seeds for the birds, greens for salads, flowers for the "Day of the Dead" offering to the Ancestors.  

Batey showing the lightning petroglyph with amaranth again in the background.  Yellow flower in the front is dahlia which had edible roots.  

Entrance to Taino Bohio, purple flowered bush on left is "butterfly bush" loved by butterflies and bees.

Barely visible in front is the Taino petroglyph of the Heart, in the back is potato garden, we are still (February 2010) still eating papas from this garden.

On the left raspberry rows which also contain grapes with strawberries underneath them, as well as blackberries.  Potatoes can be seen on the left side of the photo.  Right photo:  Unusual tree shape in the camping area.

Anani's (4 yrs old) garden, she planted most of the plants now in the garden, mostly perennial medicinals and herbs.  She is a future herbalist learning directly from the Earth.  The children are able to grasp the properties of the plants much faster than the adults are able to, and they are never too young to start learning.

Left photo:  Wild rabbits thrive here, one sits by the elderberry bush (medicinal "sambuccas").  Right photo:  Hawthorn tree, medicinal, and (northern type) espanta muerto.

Left Photo:  Bird house gourd for spiritual use or to make bird house for the wild birds, very prolific.  Right Photo:  Calendula and Borage (both medicinal, both edible) flowers, we add to salads for color and taste.  They are also good companion plants for the vegetable and attract the bees.

Bowl gourd to be used ceremonially.

Fawn in hay field, we had several families of does and fawns on the land, twins and triplets who would come into the bateys to eat.  We also see wild turkey who are making a comeback in our area.

Sunset

Malanga plants used for spiritual purposes.

Honey bees on the frames, they are the best friend to a prolific garden and orchard!  We are able to make candles from the wax, and raw honey (medicinal).

Beets, Carrots and flowers in our circular garden.

Winter squash harvest.  Most of these are heirloom squash, most are indigenous varieties whose taste far surpasses the usual types found in the market.  Our favorite are the hidatsa (pale peach color) which are great in soups.  We ate our last winter squash a few weeks ago.

Salad greens with nasturtiums (flowers) which add a peppery spice taste to the salad a beautiful color.  Very healthy salad.

Gathering peppers before the frost.  

Anani loves sweet peppers.

Left Photo:  Bolivian rainbow peppers destined for "chamba".  The peppers were not only for us to eat but also for spiritual purposes.  Right Photo:  Potatoes harvested roots intact.  These are purple potatoes with excellent flavor.

Left Photo:  Central pole in one of the gardens with mexican tarragon in front (medicinal).  Right Photo: As winter approached we constructed cold frames which has allowed us to eat fresh salad greens including spinach, beet greens, asian greens cilantro, radishes, parsley throughout the winter months.  The cold frame temperature has barely gone below freezing the whole winter allowing all the greens to survive the normally freezing winter climate and especially cold winter we have had this year.

Harvesting from the cold frame.

Some salad green from the cold frame.

Snow falling, the green of the cold frame looks especially lush against the frigid background.  These greens love cold temperatures and generally get planted early spring or late fall as they cannot handle the hot temperatures of the summer.  Planting them in the cold frames seems to bring out their flavors even more and the freshness of their taste brights and spices up the winter meals.  

A large snowstorm and still the greens are going strong and we continue to eat fresh salads.  

For us it is not a fantasy but a reality because the Spirit of the Ancestors remains close to our Heart, our Mind, and our Essence as we ground ourselves to continue our elevation with them and the environment that we are care-taking.