March 16, 2017
This morning we went back to the Red Willow farm for the morning and some of the afternoon. We worked on composting, digging up weeds, washing vegetables, and preparing for the farmers’ market tomorrow hosted at their farm. We learned that Daniel, the manager of the RWF, started a landscaping business with his brother-in-law immediately after graduating from high school. Unfortunately, his brother-in-law passed away, so after 7 years of running the company, Daniel moved on and started working at the Red Willow farm as a helping hand. He was so knowledgeable about soil and planting that we assumed he had a college degree, but we were surprised to learn that he actually gained his knowledge solely through his experiences.
After working on the farm, we went to Michael Dukepoo and Cassandra Gomez’s house to learn about their profession as jewelry makers. He showed us the very dangerous and time-consuming process of making a rectangular pendant for a necklace. He also taught us how to determine the difference between jewelry made by the Native Americans and jewelry that is made in factories (fake/plastic jewelry). This taught us that making jewelry isn’t very easy and that this is a craft passed through generations here in Taos.
Lastly, we picked up the “best enchiladas in town” and brought them to Grammy-award winner Robert Mirabal’s house. He taught us a secret of the Native Americans (corn) and showed us instruments he had made while performing a private concert for us. He also introduced us to his daughter Maza Rain, a fifth grader at the day school where we had volunteered, and sang a couple of songs with her. She told us at the end to take this experience as a blessing and make the most of everything. It was amazing to hear a little 10 year old say this to us. Overall, this day was very inspirational in terms of music and art.
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