Chosen Patterns/

Padrões preferidos:

The importance of knots and the correct way to fold a hammock:

A importância de nós e o jeito certo de dobrar uma rêde

Paulo Velho, rapaz da Paraíba, não só nos ensinou como dobrar uma rêde, mas nos ensinou como tirar nó delas. Essa rêde da foto tinha dois nós muito antigos, daqueles desbotados que já parecia que faziam parte dela. O Paulo Velho soprou três vezes, e isso é importante. Depois, em menos de cinco minutos e com a ajuda de um prego grande, desatou os dois nós e tirou todos aqueles enrôlos e amarrados que tôdas as rêdes tem. Conta que foi com a Mãe dêle que aprendou, lá na Paraiba. Essencial, dizia ela, notar que uma rêde sem nós tem dono sem nó na vida, e vice versa.

O dobrar segue o exemplo dos velejadores – dobre como se fôsse uma vela.

The author and the sailor.

The importance of knots and the right way to fold a hammock

Paulo Velho (The Old One), a young man from the state of Paraíba, taught us not only how to properly fold a hammock, but also how to remove its knots. The hammock in the photo had two ancient knots, so discolored and tight, they seemed to be part of it. He blew three times on each knot, and that is important. Then, in less than five minutes and with the help of a long nail, he untied the knots and untangled the strings. He tells us his Mother taught him this, back north, in Paraíba. Essential to know, she used to say, that a hammock without knots has an owner who has no knots in his life, and vice-versa.

The folding pattern is the same sailors follow, on a sailing boat, when folding a sail for storage.

Reprinted from Prosa semilinear, April 2010

And some more emerging hammock conversations:

Hammock talk/ Conversa na rede

A series created by Ciclo Selvagem, with Ailton Krenak, indigenous leader and activist from Brasil, and Liz Hosken, one of the leaders from the Gaia Foundation. Delightfully slow, filled with pauses, and quite a beautiful talk!! If for nothing else, go to time mark 40:00 for some of Ailton’s remarks about the devouring capitalistic monster who insists on eating inside shopping malls! And how we¹may tend to place the burden of spiritual salvation on the shoulders of the remaining indigenous, many times isolated, frozen cultures, anchored in our imagined natural, past gaia paradises… He does not say this, I do.

He does talk about a mysticism that may not be sustainable… anchored on the predatory shock of real commodities, like cars, travel, airplanes, single family houses, rare metal, gold mining. And more.

Worth every slow second of attention.

English subtitles in Settings for his talk, hers is in English.

1. We - the most important under-defined pronoun of our cultures…