Diá Quatro: Santo Domingo Pueblo – Meeting the Lovato Family learning about their work & culture.

SUN has risen in the daylight of Santa Fe Morning, we went off to Santo Domingo Pueblo and it was a HOT day. The blazing sun has been on my skin but there were no sunburn just a light tan and vitamin D. I need vitamin D – the sun here is more strong than in Connecticut, maybe there’s not much vitamin D there. I’m not lacking any vitamin D from the sun here!

We got there and we took a look around the village of Santo Domingo Pueblo. The village looks so vast, the pueblo people were wandering around town. There was a very white pueblo-style Catholic church. I’m thinking at the same as I noticing it that is a perfect color because it very conspicuous and that’s a good thing for the olden times and you want to know where you are. It really reflects the ethnicity of my family in Saó Nicõlas, Cape Verde Island because their Catholic church is very white.

The groups of us pull up to a spot near the church. Out of dark greenish truck came a Native American Pueblo man; he was stocky, long hair, and his skin had a ruddy complexion. He told us his name is Anthony, Hmmm… I made think of my great grandfather’s name, Antonio.   

He got in the van with us and we drove on a tour of Anthony’s village, seeing the ranches and farming fields and the corral of the horses.

Anthony told Barbra French to make a stop at his mom’s house His mom’s name is Mary.
She was like a beautiful flower that has bloomed for the first time in spring. She is in the golden years of her life and was hale and hearty.  Mary seems to my viewpoint is that she stand by enthusiastic and has both feet on the ground. She’s something significant and I appreciate her.

Mary has really compassion of her heritage and wants her progeny to pass along their jewelry making to the next generation. I am really fond of that compassion that Mary has.

I met the children; they were relatives of Anthony and he introduced us to them. I forgot their names. The girl’s name was Jeraline, she was Anthony’s niece. She was age about 14-15 years old. She is a very sweet girl.

Anthony showed us his workshop that he works in the all day of making jewelry. It takes more like 2 days to complete a piece of jewelry. Anthony explained how to make jewelry and what kind of tools he uses for the jewelry. There were different kinds of jewelry. We saw the rectangular mold carved with curve inside of horse, church, and Anthony’s signature. Other jewelry was bracelet different of color, small rock and steel with glue, but long time ago they used bone, rock and sap from tree. It took a long time to complete it. He explained how to make jewelry and his 2 sons made it too. The process uses the stone mold, melt the sliver, pour the sliver into the stone mold, tie the stones together, wait till it cools down and open it. They made corn bracelet with turquoise precious stone and it was the symbol of his family. The big shell curved with stone inside was their tradition method and connected with silver necklace. This necklace almost made me cry because it was a beautiful way of bonding as a family.

Other bracelets curved with corn, black stone and small blue stone. The black stone was a symbol of dark and small blue stone symbol of moons. I want to buy it for my mother but it was too expensive and I do like the expensive things, believe it or not! I can’t stand fake jewelry because it bothers my skin and cannot breathe when it just sits there on my neck. Anthony travels to different states to show his jewelry and he won 1st place with blue ribbon. He sells them to earn money.

We went to Anthony’s family’s house and we met his whole family. Anthony told us that there was feast in the dining room and they was plenty of foods.  The food was like a list and I really like to come to  eat their foods and I’m so blessed by The great Spirit and this family of Anthony Lovato for giving the time, hospitality and love as gathering together as one.Then the “little chief” of Santo Domingo Salut came to talk about his experience about Vietnam War and World War II.

The festival event was Saint Peter’s Feast Day and they were about to begin the festival and so we left to go see the horses run to grab the chicken tied up by the feet…

There was one thing that disturbed me that made me scared for life to not eat chicken again! Poor chicken.. I’m not going to any go further with the details of what happen to the chicken because I don’t to take the thing too seriously and freak out just because of what happened.

I’ll never eat a chicken for that chicken’s sake!

The chicken was tied up on a line of two stick poles and any person who is named is Peter has to give a chicken for the festival. The goal is for the rider to bring a lot of chicken home to his family. Poor chicken..

It doesn’t deserve to be taken apart like that! They should revere the chicken and cow and what ever animal. I would even sacred it to God before even eating it.

Then it was the kids turn to start a race by foot and they have to run across a dusty field to get prizes when they are close to one they can choose what they want. It was so cute to see the little kids get a prize and show them to their mother and father and even siblings.

Cesar and Jacob ran with the older kids and it was fun to watch them both race.
But it was funny to see Jacob in last because he should have known better to bring his inhaler because of his asthma and he didn’t have on sneakers but boots that weren’t tied…

All I can say is OOH OH well but at least Cesar and Jacob won a prize. Not Bad, eh?

They both got a towel and a black shirt.

Then after all of the racing with the horses and the chicken and the kids racing on foot, we had to say goodbye to Anthony and his mother, Mary. So we got back in the van and drove to Anthony’s mother’s house. She was sitting on the porch with the aunt and the little baby boy who was 2 years old I guess..

All of us gave Mary Anthony’s mother a hug goodbye but I experience a hug from the little baby boy sitting by Mary. He gave me a hug from the legs and I bent down to give him a warm goodbye hug… that hug he gave me I’ll never forget and I have the sentimental feeling like Jesus has love for children. He says, “LET the children come to me.”

I feel the spirit of love and bonding from that little boy when he hugged me goodbye and from what I have heard the little boy never hugs his uncles or strangers and so he has a spirit of connection. I felt like crying all over again because that sweet good bye hug from that little boy. We said our Goodbye once again.

Then we went back to the dorm to finish up typing and dinner was served and we relaxed with laughter and joy and went to bed. I pray for a beautiful day and God blesses me with something new of the next day.