The people of the Sierra Nevada carried weight with me by allowing me to live with them for 2 months, create field recordings of their land and lives, and interact musically, socially, practically, and spiritually. In return, I carried enough weight with them that they officially adopted me into their tribe.
I climbed the mountain without ever knowing that I would never come back. The Ikū tribe carried my weight up to the mountain, allowing me to embrace their white grandmother. I borrowed from her the amazing sounds of her children and brought those sounds to the city, creating an homage to my beautiful family, because now I carry the weight of the Ikū tribe.
Here is one rendition of this interaction:
The Heartbeats of the Sierra Nevada
Movement I: Juasale-Toucan of the Mountains
The Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta occupies 1.48% of the country's surface and 0.011% of the emerging surface of the planet. 35.45% of Colombia's bird species have been recorded there, which is close to 7% of the birds of the world.
Movement II: Gumake-Savannah Snake
The history of the Tayrona people began around 2,000 years ago, in the northeast corner of Colombia. An important part of their territory is known as the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Today the descendants of the Tayrona inhabit the mountains as 4 independent but sister tribes. They are known as Wiwas, Arhuacos, Kankuamos and Kogis.
Movement III: Aukua-Heart of the World
The Sierra Nevada is the only coastal mountain system in the world with snow-capped peaks. For the tribes that inhabit it, the heart of the world is located there.
