Sacred Water Walk 2015
Jeff Pearcy and Meredith Watts documented the final two days of the Sacred Water Walk 2015. We caught up with the walkers outside of Port Wing, Wisconsin and over the next two days documented the walk to the Red Cliff Reservation outside of Bayfield, WI
The color photography is by Meredith Watts and the black and white photos are by Jeff Pearcy.
We are indebted to the walkers who gave us permission to photograph them on their sacred journey. They were patient in their teaching of us and generous in sharing. We are especially grateful to Nokomis Josephine Mandamin for allowing us to document the walkers.
"maawmoweh nibi bimosaywin onji"
"Water Walkers United” in Ojibwemowin according to Nokomis Josephine Mandamin
Meredith W Watts of For Good Photography and Simone Ferro, Professor Emerita of Dance at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are conducting a long-term project of quilombos (often called “maroon” communities in other languages) in the Northeast Brazilian state of Maranhão. Quilombos were once understood to be communities founded by refugee slaves and supporters who were often indigenous people. In recent years they have been more broadly conceived as communities of black peasants. Most quilombos are in rural areas but at least one (Liberdade, in São Luís) is in the capital city.
These images are from three separate quilombos, though not precisely in order: Sao Cristovao near Viana, Cacoal (also near Viana), and Santa Rosa dos Pretos (just south of Sao Luis.
In Sao Cristovao we see a celebration of the Pentacost period, with members of the community going by boat to an island that is part of the community.
In Santa Rosa dos Pretos the community is celebrating Festa do Divino (Pentacost) with traditional caixeiras (women drummers), a procession, and a community meal.
In Cacoal members of the community create costumes and other fabrics for the Bumba-meu-boi celebration about to begin.