A walk through the Conucos: Evolving Ancestral Manifestation

The "Conuco" was sacred to our Taino Ancestors.  It was the source of abundance, and home of the sacred Yuca plant, as well as the sacred Tobacco and many other plants.  Our Ancestors cared for their Conucos very carefully, bringing in nutrients and organic mater in the form of Bat Guano and other sources of fertility.  They understood that the World of the Dead feeds the World of the Living and we today see the truth to that principle multiply profoundly in the here and now.  They understood that healthy plants start with healthy soil, soil that is vibrating with the life that is inside it.  

As time passed, the word "Conuco" came to be used all over the Caribbean and South America to mean small, diversified, family farm or garden.  Conucos were a means of survival and thriving, and the spaces wherein the Ancient food crops could be protected and passed on generation to generation.  The bloodsuckers of our lands brought in their monocultures, designed to maximize profit at the expense of Mother Earth and our Ancestors, as well as at the expense of our Ancestral ecosystems and the multitude of animals and plants.  These monocultures continue today to accelerate the Earth Changes (Climate Change) that we are experiencing in devastating ways today.  These monocultures are threatening the plants, the animals, birds, insects and precious soil micro-organisms and fungi.  Without this healthy web of life, the human thread in it cannot survive, not spiritually, mentally or physically.  

We shared videos a year ago, showing our Conucos.  Here we follow up a year later, showing the progression of those same Conucos.  In healthy gardens, there is always shift and transformation.  Year to year they shape shift.  For us it is always amazing and constantly a source of wisdom to watch the gardens in their ever changing dance.  



The first part begins looking out from one of the Munansos.  We look at the various plants in the Munanso gardens and speak about the trees surrounding and in the Munansos.  



Part 2 continues as we walk out and look at the long, snakelike raised bed Conucos that also function as swales, catching and absorbing water.  These Conucos grow fruit, flowers, tomatoes, potatoes, strawberries, blueberries, elderberries, medicinal herbs, garlic, grain, corn, melons, tobacco, sage, sweet potato, peppers, artichoke, cotton, and hundreds of tree and shrub saplings.   

Part 3 moves into the forest, where we discuss the care taking of forest.  We then move into the north facing field which will be undergoing a process of transformation as we plant trees and shrubs  to create forest pasture for our sheep and goats, allowing us to raise them in healthy, harmonious ways.  Here we see our milking goat "Venus" who has allowed us to stop buying milk!

In part 4 we move into our son's "magical forest and magical garden", which is a food forest, as well as an extensive garden designed to be a place of appreciation and exploration for the children (and adults), with lots of berries (raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, currants, strawberries, elderberries), hardy kiwi, paw paw, hop vine, native flowers, roses, grasses, lilies, and many medicinal plants such as lemon balm, echinacea, skull cap, feverfew, lavender, osha, rue, and yarrow as well as self seeding parsnips, cilantro, mint, fennel, hibiscus, catmint.  We look at our quail who are taking care of the guinea chicks.  Finally we look at the Rain Garden, which has really expressed itself this year with its abundance of plants and some of the plants surrounding the house.  

The diversity of the Conucos continues to increase as we continue to meet new plants and develop relationships with them.  They become great friends and helpers in our lives, spiritually, physically.  The children can explore and play, eat berries, taste herbs, and nourish their innate love for Mother Earth.  We have a excellent source  for the many plants we use spiritually, and we continue to be immersed in the greatest University of all time- Mother Earth herself! 

Conuco Progression Over A Year's Cycle and a 7 Year Evolution

Conucos are Living Entities!  

What to some may look like a pile of "dirt" is actually an intricate web of the living and "the dead".  Living components are of course the plant life, the fungi, microbes, worms, centipedes, slugs, snails, and many more, including the ground hog!  Other components of the Conuco's life are the Deer, Sheep, Goats, and multiple other mammals and birds who eat off the Conuco and contribute their manure to the Conuco.  The "dead" components are bone, blood, shell, stone, sand, gravel, silt, clay and any other non breathing or non photosynthesizing element.  Some we have consciously added, others were added as part of the soil and trees that we contributed to the Concuco.  

Here we look at a Conuco's progression over the time frame of a year.  

The above photo shows the freshly formed conuco last Fall (2014).  Top soil from below has been placed on top of branches and logs.  We consciously created a relatively flat area because we knew that there would be a Batey formed here.  Below is a photo from this past Fall (2015).  It shows the upper conuco with the soil settled and the lower conuco with the settled soil and a  border of stones (which will be discussed later in this article).  The form of the Batey can be seen taking shape, and this was the space we used for the Day of the Dead 2015.  The Batey has an elaborate bilongo in it, and the conucos have their bilongos as well.  

Reviewing once again the process of building the Conuco, we start with whatever dying, rotting trees we have.  Below is the pile of logs that will form the lower Conuco.  These logs are perfect due to the state of decay and their abundant fungi.  (Without fungi wood would never decay to soil and we would be perched on top of a huge pile of sticks rather than fertile soil).  Old cotton clothes are included as they will also decay to soil.  

The next step is to cover the logs with soil.  We use the topsoil from below this Conuco to cover it.  Clumps of grass and other plants are in it which decay and further enrich the soil.  This particular soil was very good because of the horse manure, as it had previously been a horse field.  

We had planted corn, sunflowers and peanuts on it last year, which were eaten by the deer, which assisted  in stabilizing and nourishing the soil. 

Last November we planted our garlic for our 2016 harvest and rye grain.  The purpose of the rye grain is to stabilize and nourish the lower half of the Conuco, preventing erosion, decreasing evaporation and feeding the microbes.  The purpose of the garlic is to eat.  The garlic is not a plant that the deer like, although we do expect the deer to mow the rye at some point.  Our garlic has been one of our most successful crops and has enable us to not buy any garlic for 7 years.  We are selecting a hard neck, soft neck and elephant garlic over the years that will be perfectly suited to our ecology here.

The blue stones are not just the edge of the Batey.  They are local stones that we acquired from a local construction project at least 8 years ago.  We placed them on the edge of the Conuco for a number of reasons.  They define the edge of the Conuco and Batey.  They reduce erosion of the Conuco.  They provide a seat when someone needs to sit down.  They also are facing east where they absorb the early morning sun, warming up the soil more quickly than it would otherwise warm.  This is especially good for winter and early spring crops that can benefit from that extra warmth.  Each stone is a Spirit that also brings an important presence to the Batey and Conuco.  

Above, by mid winter the garlic are pushing their green shoots through the straw mulch.  They obviously love their Conuco home and have an almost 100% success rate.  We also included some shallots and perennial onions.  

Other Conucos were utilized to grow hundreds of bare root native shrubs and trees.  We have 25-50 of each: Winterberry Ilex verticillata, Sweetbay Magnolia Magnolia virginiana, Virginia Sweetshrub Calycanthus floridus, White Pine Pinus strobus, Witchhazel Hammamelis virginiana, Southern Arrowwood Viburnum dendatum, Canadian Serviceberry Amelanchier canadensis, Black chokeberry Photinia melancarpa, Red Osier Dogwood Cornus sericea, Common Ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius, Red Bud Cercis canadensis, Siberian Crabapple Malus baccata (Not native to our area but has naturalized), Common Persimmon Diospyros virginiana.  

The Conucos have worked well for the bareroot plants not only because the fertile loose soil (above) allows easy root growth but also because it is easy to remove the bare roots and transplant them.    Each variety has a very different growth rate. The most vigorous are the Redbud trees (below) which must be transplanted after the first season.  They are very beautiful trees with bright pink-lavender blooms later in spring and heart shaped leaves.  They also "fix nitrogen," take nitrogen gas from the air and ground it in the soil thereby increasing soil fertility.

We are using some of these many trees and shrubs to create a new hedgerow which will extend along a fence that separates our fenced in Conucos (deer proof Conucos!) from the driveway.  The hedgerow will feed multiple birds, as well as the ducks, guinea hens and chickens who will eventually be allowed to clean up any fallen fruit or stray bugs below it.  It will provide bee food, increasing the pollination rate of our Conuco crops.  It will separate the vehicle exhaust from our growing area.  It will be a windbreak to protect the Conucos.  It will also provide beauty, increase biodiversity and provide wildlife habitat.  The Sweetbay Magnolia is evergreen and has beautiful, fragrant white summer flowers.  These trees and shrubs will also provide spiritual baths!

While the hedgerow looks insignificant now, within a year or two it will become apparent and in about 5 years it will be unrecognizable!  Based on our experience, it is amazing how quickly bareroot trees grow.  

Looking back to the original Conucos that we formed here, we can see the evolution that has taken place.  This evolution has been a direct effect of the multiple Ceremonies and the multiple offerings to Mother Earth. Vital inside of this evolution has been our willingness to take Action and listen carefully to the Spirit.  It has been through the sacrifice of sweat and effort and many, many hours of labor and observation.  We have learned equally from those things that grew wonderfully, exceeding our expectations, and those things that shattered our expectations!  Weeds turned into allies, and the plants themselves spoke to us about the importance of selection and choice.  

The original Concuos.

There is a Bantu proverb as brought forth by the late great Dr. Fu-Kiau Bunseki:

"Wampana nsengo, kunkambi kwe ngatu bwe isadila yo ko"

He translates this to mean: "If you give me a hoe don't tell me where or how I should use it.  Don't stifle my field of activities and my normal development by pretended assistance."

(Fu-Kiau, K. K. Bunseki. African Cosmology of the Bantu-Kongo:  Principles of Life & Living, New York, Athelia Henrietta Press, 2001. p. 103.)

We began forming smaller rounded Conucos, and utilizing Mexican river stones to energize them, giving them offerings and so on.  As time passed, following the voice of the Misterios, these Conucos evolved to long, snake like Conucos which we placed "on contour" to harvest rainwater, to increase our water table, and stabilize our water spring further down the hill.  Within our Ceremonies, we continually invoked to the Spirits that we needed solutions for Earth Changes, that we wanted to enrich and vitalize our relationship with Mother Earth.  We invoked that our roles of care taking this land here would be enhanced, strengthened and vitalized.  We consciously connected our Ceremonies with the global crisis of Earth Changes in particular, and the multiple historical crises of our people, as well as the global crisis of injustice.  The essence of Ceremony is progression.  Progression must be palpable- something that manifests in a physical way, that reflects evolution of the Community- both Human and our wider Life Community! 

There is so much taboo and also fantasy present in too many of today's so called ceremonies.  On the one hand a rigidity towards, and hoarding and manipulation of, traditional wisdom.  On the other hand, there is fantastical inventos created for emotional stimulation rather than spiritual progression.  The quote above is a beautiful teaching that allows the Ancestral creation of a "Hoe" to dance with an individual. The "Hoe" is a magical Ancestral tool that revolutionized the lives of entire peoples and birthed cereal agricultural.  It is a quote that acknowledges the sacred relationship of a person to their Spirit and to their Spiritual inheritance.  We need to remember that "hoes" were placed in the graves with Bantu people because of their importance!  Here we consecrate our hoes because of their Ancestral importance specifically in the Kongo Traditions!  We had a hoe present at our "Day of the Dead" because of its importance.  

A ceremonially consecrated Hoe with a ceremonially empowered Conuco and a Tata or Yayi Nkisi are the ingredients that will surely lead to spiritual progression!

Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy is a very important plant to us here as it surrounds our Munanso.  It is a hairy vine containing irritating substances in every part of it- root, vine, leaf, berry, which cause in many people a very itchy rash.  It is not a plant to underestimate!  We are fortunate to have lots of poison ivy as we consider it a blessing rather than a nuisance or something to be removed.   As can be seen below, in the fall it turns extraordinary colors and is dangerously beautiful!  Some people have extreme allergic reactions to poison ivy, others really are not affected by it.  We find it a useful plant within our Munanso.  Enjoy the photos below.

Day Of The DEAD!

DIA DE LOS MUERTOS

Signs and symbols of decay and death are all around us at this pivotal time of the year, here in the temperate regions.  Trees drop their leaves, plants die back to their roots, seeds are scattering and plants are drying up, either shifting into their dormancy phase or completely dying, only to return through one of their seeds sprouting next spring.  The intense shades of green are slowly shifting through a rainbow of colors to the various shades of brown that surround us in the depth of winter.  

It is a natural time of year to honor the Ancestors.  Not only do the natural signs remind us of the reality of cyclical death, but also the harvest culminates at this time in the form of those plants that will store through the winter and provide for us during the cold and apparently barren months.  As the life force of the plants around us recede to their roots, the internal life force of the living is more easily perceived, and the Ancestors step closer to be honored and for profound communication.

Every year our Ancestral Honoring ceremony, which occurs variously any time between the very end of October and beginning of November, is very different.  Sometimes it is inside one of our Munansos or Bohios, sometimes it is outside.  Sometimes it is under a tree, sometimes it is in a wide open Batey.  Here we share images from our Day of the Dead / Ancestral Honoring Ceremony this year (2015).

Preparations for the Day of the Dead begin weeks in advance, as the space is cleared.  The very process of cleaning and preparing the space is a vital part of the Ceremony, and brings blessings and teachings.  We begin here with a Batey that is between two of our Conucos.  The conucos are both covered with various weeds, including magical plants such as Datura, Poke weed, Amaranth and grasses.  Cleaning the Conuco allows us to look at what the plants are telling us about the condition and fertility level of the soil of the Conuco, guiding us to important decisions about how to care for the Conuco over the winter, and what to plant in them next spring.   We pull up deep tap roots from the Poke Weed and the extensive gripping root system of the Datura.  The upper Conuco also hides potatoes within it and further along, many perennial flowers.  Before any action is taken in the clearing process, various herbs and resins are burnt, pulling the Ancestral spirits and Natural spirits closer, alerting them that we are preparing space for ceremony.  A staff is placed in the Earth, along with medicine, machete and hoes are also placed centrally, as the cleaning of the space is ritual and not mundane in nature. 

With the machete all the large plants are cut to the root, and then using the hoes the roots are removed from the Conucos, symbolically removing debris, clearing away the old, recycling the dying, drying plants.  It is a large Batey and this process takes days.    The burning of resins and herbs continues.  The plants that are cut down represent the sacrifice that removes obstacles, that clears pathways, that opens roads.  Our sweat is also the sacrifice as it falls to the Earth, it is the testament of the Actions that lead to progression and positive growth.  It is uplifting to see the space cleared and feel the spiritual energy building.  

As the space is cleared, the Ancestral focal points is cleared and built.  This year it is in front of an Elderberry shrub, a very important plant for us here.  Where the Ancestral offerings will be placed is a Cemis under the Earth, or in other words a Bilongo under the Earth.  The details are not shared here.  It is a space that has been spiritually worked already.  As we clear it, the energy quickly builds, becoming palpable.  

The hoes and other tools that we use to clear the Conucos have been spiritually consecrated, since these are tools that we use for our Sacred Conucos.  Our Taino Ancestors used the Koa (Digging Stick).  Although we have a digging stick present (it can be seen with a gourd on it, we are very grateful to also have metal hoes,  machetes, files to sharpen them, as the work involved in clearing the space is intense.

Slowly various Ancestral Staffs, and Nkisi and Cemi are brought to the Ancestral Focal Point and placed firmly in the Earth. The burning of resins and herbs continues, especially tobacco and sage that we have grown.

The preparation of the space continues over weeks, and all the staffs, Nkisi, Cemis are given fresh adornment using not only cottons and raffia but also decorations from the many plants growing all around.

In front of Guatauba Maquetaurie (Lord of the Dead), the many food offerings are placed.  These include many things grown here, such as the corn, gourds, grapes, peppers, as well as apples, various drinks, and more.  

There is a total of nine staffs representing the many Ancestors, known and unknown.  We always acknowledge all those Ancestors who lived on this land before us, including Indigenous, African and European.  We acknowledge those Ancestors in the Cemetery right on our driveway. We remember our neighbor who passed a couple years ago.  The Ancestral Honoring Ceremony is about ALL the Ancestors, not just direct biological ancestors.  

Among the offerings is Elderberry wine that we made from last years harvest of Elderberries.  We are very grateful to be able to give the Ancestors wine that we made from the land here.  Also present is rum which has been soaking with the jalapeño peppers that we have grown.  Of course coffee, cigars, candles and water is also offered.  The corn from the Conuco is a rainbow that we are also so happy to be able to offer the Ancestors.  We include a bouquet of flowers picked from the gardens, including horsetail, rattlesnake master, aconite, agastache and lavender and of course echinacea.

This year our daughter baked a chocolate cake to be presented.  It was spiced with cayenne pepper and cinnamon and adorned with cayenne peppers that we grew this year and dried.  She was delighted to be given this important responsibility.

Central to our yearly Ancestral offering is the traditional roasted pig head presented with various root vegetables (yucca, jautia, batata, name) and green bananas topped with bacalao and red onion and saturated with olive oil.  Many cigars are placed all over the food for the many Ancestors who are attracted to our offering.  All the cigars have been brought by those whom the Munanso has helped.

Honey is also an important element of attraction that we include in this offering.  Two cigars from the jungle, brought by a Yayi of the Munanso in gratitude, are placed with honey for communication.  The aromas of the hot food, tobacco and sage and sweet grass (all grown here) and the many resins, fill the air as we each make invocations to the Ancestors.  

The various images of the Ancestral Staffs, Cemis and Nkisi evoke the many and various expressions of the Ancestors.  Every year it is different, yet every year we are blessed with the abundance.