Tarahumara Christians find
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by Larry Jerden, UBS Photojournalist
CHIHUAHUA, Mexico
— The Tarahumara people live in the rugged country around the gigantic
Copper Canyon in Mexico’s Sierra Madre. The last census indicated
about 190,000 families, each numbering between five and 12 members, variously
speaking at least seven dialects of the Rarámuri language.
These remote people, many of whom live in caves in valleys and on
the sides of steep cliffs, have been exposed to Christianity on and
off for 400 years – but not always in the happiest of circumstances.
The Gospel was first brought to them in 1607 by Spanish Jesuits. As
one reference book puts it, conversions were “numerous, though
not always entirely voluntary.”
In the latter half of the 18th century and for most of the 19th –
until the arrival of Baptist missionaries – they were left alone
to re-interpret Christianity in the light of their own ancient traditions.
Overall, the Tarahumaras’ historical experience of white men
has given them an impression of people who steal their land, are dishonest
in their dealings and mistreat the natural environment. The invaders’
greed and unwillingness to share makes white ‘Christians’,
in particular, seem like hypocrites of the worst kind. In the context
of this reputation, today’s bearers of the Good News, not surprisingly,
have a difficult time, and manifestations of faith among the Tarahumara
remain a mixture of Christian beliefs expressed in apparently traditional
pagan ceremonies.
They celebrate the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe, for example,
by dancing, feasting, and drinking plenty of tesquino corn beer –
though whether many of them actually know anything about the Virgin
Mary is doubtful. As part of the Easter celebrations a man clears evil
spirits from the ‘Way of the Cross’ with a rattle. Then teams
of ‘Pharisees’ and ‘Soldiers’ have wrestling matches
in a symbolic portrayal of the ancient battle between good and evil.
At other times the Tarahumara make offerings of food to their dead to
‘help them on their way’ and perform rituals to ‘strengthen’
God in his fight against evil. Invaders
Corn beer
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| n Young Tarahumara vendors who help their mother to sell her handwoven baskets |
But if the Christian rituals they practise demonstrate a somewhat hazy understanding of the faith, their way of life is in many respects commendable: they are skilled artisans, producing utensils such as pots, baskets, beautiful blankets and belts, and wooden carvings. They are also considered to be the world’s greatest long-distance runners.
It is hard to imagine prohibitions against these expressions of indigenous culture on biblical grounds.
Moreover the Tarahumara emphasis on kórima – sharing – as a way of life, would seem to exemplify a basic tenet of the teaching of Jesus.
Problems
But the Tarahumara who have become Christians do find problems with the way the traditional lifestyle is actually lived.
One of the aspects of ‘sharing’, notes Chihuahua-born missionary David Borja, is that the Tarahumara can change marriage partners very readily. And while the tourist guides paint a beautiful picture of traditional ceremonies, those who have come out of the Tarahumara culture see them differently.
Excessive drinking
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The Tarahumara emphasis on kórima – sharing – as a way of life, would seem to exemplify a basic tenet of the teaching of Jesus. |
Mr Borja says that Tarahumara believers forego taking part in the traditional sports because of the activities that tend to go with them: the foot racing is accompanied by betting and fighting, while the traditional religious ceremonies are often followed by excessive drinking, and some tribes include the use of the hallucinogenic plant peyote.
“But we don’t criticise those who take part,” he says. “We just don’t take part ourselves.
“Those who start learning about God leave those traditions,” the pastor adds. “Instead, the men stop getting drunk and start working the fields and providing for their families. Instead of taking part in the traditional ceremonies, they go to all-night prayer meetings. They want to live a better life.