Women........
Growing up in a household that had five women, I've always felt right at home among ladies, even when they're from a completely different world. One of my favorite parts of this trip to the Xavante tribe was being able to spend hours talking with, learning from, and sharing with the women.
Although I had a lot in common with these women, life is also VERY different for them. In the Xavante tribe, women marry at a much younger age. The young woman next to me is 16 years old, she married when she was 12 years old and already has 3 children. It's hard to imagine so much responsibility on such young shoulders.
In general the women were very reserved, but like in any culture, they loved talking among themselves. There is never an end to the things we have to say to a friend or sister, is there? It's the same here :)
The women were also VERY hard working. While we were visiting, a large truck arrived with heavy bags and boxes. We heard some of the men instruct the women to go and get the stuff...quite different from the way we're used to things! The women also cook, clean, etc, except there isn't even any water in their homes. They carried baskets of dishes and clothes to a water pump/river a good distance away to wash everything by hand. They also got water from the river and brought it back for the families, like this girl above.
These handy baskets are very important for the women. We also saw a young girl (no older than 10) carrying water home from the river in bottles inside her basket. She had 4 (2 Liter) bottles in her basket, being carried by her head, and one in each arm. By the way, it's and uphill walk from the water!
However, the main purpose for these baskets is not carrying water. Do you know what it might be?
Any guesses?
Carrying babies, of course :)
The women had a good time letting some of us try it out...with a baby inside by the way! I was SO nervous that I would drop it, can you imagine? It was really pretty heavy and not as easy as it looks. Oh, and if you notice, many of the women have short hair. That's because when someone dies they cut their hair short out of mourning. Interesting and very symbolic.
Men....
Providers, protectors, teachers of the sons....in some ways life is pretty similar for men here as anywhere, but like the women it is also quite different.
After spending only a short time in the Xavante tribe, we're not experts on the culture, but here's what we observed. Since the women are responsible for most of the household tasks, the men spend a lot of time talking together, it's a big part of the culture.
Here's a large group of them spending time with a visiting Xavante village as well.
This was really neat because it meant that Jeyson was able to spend hours (HOURS) just talking with the men. Many did not speak Portuguese, but some did and Jeyson learned so much from them and was able to share some about our relationship with God.
They spoke S-L-O-W-L-Y and thoughfully, after all what's the hurry? No long to-do list to worry about. This man is twisting up some husk into a rope. This is then tied around their arms in a special way.
This is one man Jeyson spent an especially long time with. He says he wants to come visit Anapolis and see where we live. We would love to host him and we hope he comes!
The men play soccer and volleyball together in the sand in the middle of the village circle.
Almost all of the men have piercings through their ears and larger sticks are gradually put through. Different kinds of wood through the ears have different meanings.
Although the roles of the men was a different than what we're used to, the love for their family and children was obvious. 
1 comment:
I would be SO scared to carry a baby around in that basket!!!!
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