"Babies" is a documentary that chronicles the first year in the life of four new infants from different countries around the world: Mongolia, Japan, San Francisco, and Namibia. It's available instantly on Netflix, and I'm sure you can watch it in parts on YouTube.
Through watching this beautifully shot film, I learned that in Mongolia, it's perfectly acceptable to set your newborn on the doorstep each morning (wearing shoes, but no pants) and let him roam with the goats and...roosters? There is so much smiling caused from this movie. The soundtrack is great, too.
(Baby Mari is my favorite. Or maybe Bayar. Oh, choosing is futile.) I hope it brings you joy!
Dawwwwww.....
Next,
Does everyone remember this song/video from class today? Played on the thumb piano we all enjoyed so much? Well, it's called "Nhemamusasa," which translates to "cutting branches for shelter." (You don't need to watch all 7+ minutes...I'm just providing a refresher.)
(This part requires a little 'splainin.) Upon hearing this piece of music today, I had that weird physical, spiritual, mind-boggling, gut-wrenching, eye-twitching experience that one usually gets when faced with the Déjà vu of hearing a familiar song and not quite knowing where it came from. I knew this was associated with my mother, but how? All the artists started flooding through my stream of consciousness and half way through the piece, it hit me!
THE PENGUIN CAFÉ ORCHESTRA!!
Now, I'm sure many of you haven't heard of PCO, other than the meetings that are held on campus every so often, but they have been a serious part of my life for some time. (I encourage you to check them out. Although they aren't for the closed minded. Even if you do live in a musical box, here's some Horizon Expansion from the slightly obscure.) Anyway, PCO was a chamber group active in composing, arranging and recording from 1972-1997 and, for those of you who like "genre bubbles," they are sort of jazz folk gone slightly off-skew. (My dad can't stand it.)
Anyway- I present to you the highlight of my class time today, "Cutting Branches for a Temporary Shelter" by the Penguin Café Orchestra.
Notice the title similarities!? I did, too. :)
(I'll leave the topic of PCO with another suggestion: if you enjoyed "Cutting Branches" and you are a lover of the slightly obscure, like myself, check out "The Ecstasy of Dancing Fleas" or "Pythagora's Trousers." And here's the link to their site if you'd like to...I dunno...purchase a T-shirt, or something.
-----> Penguin Café P.S. It scrolls to the right.)
And finally,
We learned that Griots kept track of the songs and stories of the tribes, so I decided to see if I could hunt down any of these stories. I discovered that spiders are very important to African children and because of that, this story was born:
Why Anansi Has Eight Legs
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a spider named Anansi. Anansi's wife was a very good cook. But always, Anansi loved to taste the food that others in the village made for themselves and for their families.
One day, he stopped by Rabbit's house. Rabbit was his good friend.
"There are greens in your pot," cried Anansi excitedly. Anansi loved greens.
"They are not quite done," said Rabbit. "But they will be soon. Stay and eat with me."
"I would love to, Rabbit, but I have some things to do," Anansi said hurriedly. If he waited at Rabbit's house, Rabbit would certainly give him jobs to do. "I know," said Anansi. "I'll spin a web. I'll tie one end around my leg and one end to your pot. When the greens are done, tug on the web, and I'll come running!"
Rabbit thought that was a great idea. And so it was done.
"I smell beans," Anansi sniffed excitedly as he ambled along. "Delicious beans, cooking in a pot."
"Come eat our beans with us," cried the monkeys. "They are almost done."
"I would love to Father Monkey," said Anansi. And again, Anansi suggested he spin a web, with one end tied around his leg, and one end tied to the big bean pot.
Father Monkey thought that was a great idea. All his children thought so, too. And so it was done.
"I smell sweet potatoes," Anansi sniffed happily as he ambled along. "Sweet potatoes and honey, I do believe!"
"Anansi," called his friend Hog. "My pot is full of sweet potatoes and honey! Come share my food with me."
"I would love to," said Anansi. And again, Anansi suggested he spin a web, with one end tied around his leg, and one end tied to the sweet potato pot.
His friend Hog thought that was a great idea. And so it was done.
By the time Anansi arrived at the river, he had one web tied to each of his eight legs.
"This was a wonderful idea," Anansi told himself proudly. "I wonder whose pot will be ready first?"
Just then, Anansi felt a tug at his leg. "Ah," said Anansi. "That is the web string tied to Rabbit's greens." He felt another. And another. Anansi was pulled three ways at once.
"Oh dear," said Anansi as he felt the fourth web string pull.
Just then, he felt the fifth web string tug. And the sixth. And the seventh. And the eighth. Anansi was pulled this way and that way, as everyone pulled on the web strings at once. His legs were pulled thinner and thinner. Anansi rolled quickly into the river. When all the webs had washed away, Anansi pulled himself painfully up on shore.
"Oh my, oh my," sighed Anansi. "Perhaps that was not such a good idea after all."
To this day, Anansi the Spider has eight very thin legs. And he never got any food that day at all.
Moral: Don't be greedy. Be patient.
Here's the link for some reading and discussion questions and other Anansi tales.
Happy Friday, everyone.
Great fun, Erica. I've been wanting to see "Babies" since it came out, and you may have just inspired me to Netflix it during our snow hiatus. The Penguin Cafe Orchestra sounds fun, and Chris tells me that he's fairly certain that several members of the group are now writing music for NickJr's "The Backyardigans," which we find ourselves watching incessantly around here. AND we got to see a few puppet shows with Anansi the Spider at the public library last spring. Good times all around!
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