For those of you who are unable to get away for the last days of summer—and even for those of you who already have—I would like to take you on a trip to Coyllurqui (pronounced coy-YOUR-key), Peru. Coyllurqui sits high upon the Andes mountains at an elevation of 10,300 feet, east of Brazil and north of Chile.
The annual Andean festival that occurs there concludes with the high point of the festival, which is the Yawar Fiesta. The fiesta is more than good food and good music; it is a uniquely fought bullfight between bull and matador, conducted with a ceremonious ritual that begins and ends with a showing that is more than just a fight between man and beast.
The symbolic prelude to the event begins with the capture of the Peruvian condor. The condor has a reputation of being one of the world’s largest birds, with an unbelievably large wingspan. Two condors are captured by local townsmen (who use a dead horse as bait for the birds) a few days prior to the festival. Before the event, they are paraded through the streets on their way to the arena. Winding through the streets, pass the adobe homes and rustic brick churches, the gaily dressed townspeople follow, stepping along to the rhythm of the song the band alongside them is playing. Following close behind on horseback is the town’s mayor, wearing a cowboy hat topped with a condor feather and a Peruvian flag. Upon their arrival at the arena, the spectators take their seats, perched in the mountainside, because the show is now ready to begin.
The bird handlers adroitly tape the condor’s feet to the back of a bull. The condor and the bull are said to represent the duality between the celestial and earthly worlds. The condor is known to the people as the “Apu,” a word meaning “God” in Quechua, the language indigenous to the region. Therefore, it holds a divine status. The bull is the earthly creature. Once the condor is taped onto the bull’s back, the two tussle vigorously. However, once the matador appears in the ring, the two become one against the enemy.
While the bulls are not killed during this event, as is the case in traditional bullfights, only the most skillful matadors can manage to prevail in the two-against-one contest. For that reason, the mayor hires professional bullfighters. If the birds are injured or killed, it foretells of a bad year to come. This year, bird, bull and matador were uninjured, and if there was any blood, it must not have been seen by those in the stands, because in the end, everyone was giddy with joy.
The end of the festival, in contrast to the beginning, is more solemn because it is the time when the birds are set free. Followed by hundreds of townspeople, the parade marches to the top of the mountain. There, after prayers are said and everyone makes a wish, the ropes around the bird’s legs are untied while the people chant, “Let them go! Let them go!” At first, the condors stumble as though inebriated, but they eventually spread their massive wings and fly off, taking with them the wishes of the people. It’s going to be a very good year.
A little closer to home, it’s been a very good year on Martha’s Vineyard. Kicking off the mid-season were the annual Oaks Bluffs fireworks. Seen from the porch of the Nelson family with Dr. Stanley, 97; his brother Dr. Howard, 90; documentary filmmaker extraordinaire Stanley [ED NOTE: So there are two Stanleys in the family? What relation is this one to the other? Son? Then is Ralphy the brother of 97-yr-old Stanley or the other one?] with wife Marsha and twins Kia and Nola, age 15 (I’m not giving Marsha’s and Stanley’s ages); and younger brother Ralphy, a professor at Berkley University, the fireworks were spectacular. Sister Jill Nelson was not on the island at the time, but her good friend Lynn Wareham Howell was there with her son. I have plenty to tell you about him at another time, as he is quite an industrious young man.
Also on the island were attendees at the Williams College Networks Milestone Celebration. The planning committee—consisting of Danielle Callaway (’08), Funmi Olsounde (’06) and Asha T. Rhodes-Meade (’05)—did a magnificent job of making it a fun time for all of the alumni.
Beginning with a light hors d’oeuvres welcome reception, the celebration featured tours of the island, the Harlem Fine Arts show, walking tours and a beach blowout at the Inkwell. Such a good time was had by all.
The weekend culminated with a “Road Scholar Summer Classroom: Showcase of Williams Faculty of Color.” [ED NOTE: Should that be “Rhodes Scholar”?] The showcase, which was presented by Vice President of College Relations John Malcolm (’86), featured presentations such as “Maritime Mysteries People of Color and the Sea” by Gretchen Long, associate professor of history and chair of the Africana studies program; “The 1903 Raid on Boston Chinatown: Issues of Race and Class” by Scott Wong, James Phinney Baxter III professor of history and public affairs; “Nobody Dies on the Eve of Their Last Day: Stories of Community Life in a Puerto Rican Funeral Home” by Merida Rua, associate professor of Latina/o studies and American studies; and “Trayvon Martin, Guns and Racial Violence” by Neil Roberts, assistant professor of Africana studies and faculty affiliate in political science.
After the panel discussion, “Teaching and Learning an Overview of the Williams Classroom Today,” moderated by Zach Evans (’12), the attendees were treated first to a reception with a wine bar and hors d’oeuvres, including a delicious ricotta cheese on toast, followed by the clambake buffet, complete with warm towels to wipe your hands after you dissected the tastiest lobsters, corn on the cob, fried chicken and cole slaw. I only wish I had another slice of the homemade pound cake that was served for dessert—yummy. After dinner, entertainment was provided by Abby Dobson (’92), whose melodic voice was all that was needed to cap off a beautiful day. This event was hosted at the home of Elrick Williams (’69), a Harlem boy who let nothing deter him from making it to the top. Thank you for the inspiration.
Also serving up lobsters and clams were music producer Kevin Liles and his wife, Erica, who hosted a clambake of their own at their warm and cozy chateau on the vineyard.
Television network BET didn’t fail to disappoint at their annual throw-down with performances by Salt-N-Pepa and Doug E. Fresh. I tell you, there is nothing like sweating and rocking to the beat on the vineyard with your homies.
Surrounded by his homies—over 200 of them—were former New York Mayor David Dinkins and Joyce Dinkins, who celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary with a shindig at Gracie Mansion. Served was grilled chicken—prepared on the spot—baked beans, old-fashioned corn bread, cole slaw and cookies. Among the well-wishers were Harriet DeLaney; former Deputy Commissioner of Community Affairs and former Mid-Manhattan Branch NAACP President Wilhelmina Holliday-Hayes; Dr. Marcella Maxwell; Democratic mayoral candidate Bill DeBlasio and family; former Rep. Andy Young and former Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles Robert Shaw. Shaw, you may recall, is the younger brother of the late Arthur Shaw, who defined the meaning of magnanimous.
One time, after a tennis match with fellow club members, Ted [ED NOTE: Who is Ted? Wasn’t the writer just talking about Arthur Shaw?] took all of the fellas straight from the locker room to the airport, where they boarded a plan and flew off to Puerto Rico for four days and three nights. He wouldn’t even let them go home to get their toothbrushes. They had to call home to say, “Honey, I’ll see you in a few days,” and that was it; off they went. Oh, for the good old days!
Until next week … kisses