Bii Dauu

Our group spent the week in Teotitlan del Valle working with Bii Dauu, a collective of Zapotec weavers. The group cultivates many of their own plants to create natural dyes. Using these dyes, they color the yarn for their traditional tapetas (rugs), bufandas (scarves), and bolsas(purses), among other things. We spent the week working on the huerto (the field) and watching various demonstrations about the dying and weaving processes.


Relaxing in the Huerto on the last day. From left:
Andres(the land donor), Renna, Carey, Juan Carlos (Bii Dauu member),
Maggie, Javier (Bii Dauu Member), Erin, Molly, Meg (click on any picture to enlarge)

Over the course of five days, we learned a great deal about not only agriculture and art, but community and friendship as well.

Bii Dauu was created in 2004, and has continued to evolve ever since. Their main goals are to use all natural dyes in their products to protect both the environment and the health of the people in the community. While they do grow many of the plants used in their dyes, they hope to continue to expand the range of what they are cultivating. Currently, they grow the nopal cactus, on which the cochinilla insects live. These insects are used to make red dyes. Bii Dauu also grows pericon, which is used to make yellow, and pomegranates, which are used to make yellow, green, or black dye. All of these plants are grown in the huerto, a small plot of land that was donated by a family member of a group associate. We spent the week learning about and helping to tend to these plants.

Our days began early with a light breakfast at 6:15, after which we headed out to the huerto to begin learning and working with Juan Carlos, one of our main guides, Mariano, the president of Bii Dauu, and many others. We spent several mornings making compost, watering plants, and

preparing the biofertilizer--a mix of garlic, alfalfa, chiles, and aloe that helps repel insects and keep the vegetation healthy. At 10:30, we would go back to our houses for our first lunch--usually a large, delicious, traditional Oaxacan meal. We would rest or spend time with our homestay families until 1:00, when we would meet at the Bii Dauu headquarters to have two hours of demonstrations. At 3:00, it was time to go back to our houses for our second lunch of the day--another delicious meal during which we spoke with our families and learned about their culture. After another short rest, we would return to the huerto to finish up the day´s work. One afternoon, we used this time to visit the town´s new recycling center and help them sort their plastic and glass. At 7:00, we finished off the day with dinner at home, after which we went to bed tired, happy, and incredibly full.

Although the work itself was enjoyable, it wouldn´t have been nearly the same without the incredible personalities of the Bii Dauu members. Our group of seven quickly bonded with them, leading to a week of laughter and sharing. Many of them were eager to learn English, giving us the opportunity to teach them many words, both serious and funny. A day of work in the huerto would not have been complete without our sing-a-longs, sometimes accompanied by the guitar sounds of Juan Carlos. One of the group members, Gervasio, told us that the best part about working with a group is that you get to laugh all of the time. After this week, we certainly agree. These people showed us that work doesn´t always have to be a painful thing or an obstacle to accomplish before you get to have a good time. It doesn´t have to be all about efficiency or flawlessness. With the right attitude, work can be a fun way to connect with your group and strengthen your community. We all built friendships with the members of Bii Dauu that we hope will last throughout our stay in Oaxaca and thereafter.

The lesson we learned about laughter led us to consider the fundamental element of a group such as Bii Dauu--community. We talked about this concept frequently in our Anthropology class, so our questions and ideas about it were still fresh in our minds as we headed into the week. What we found in Teotitlan was a community fortilized by people with a common goal: the health of the people and land as well as the preservation of their culture. For most of the Bii Dauu members, Spanish was their second language. They primarily spoke Zapoteca, their ancestral tongue which is no longer taught in schools. For them, it is very important to preserve this language, as it holds so much of their culture. They teach it to their children, hoping that it will be carried on. This is just one example of the many ways in which they work to strengthen their community.

On the last day, the members threw us a grand fiesta, complete with singing, gifts, and more food than we´d ever seen in our lives. All of the traditional staples were there--tamales(made with a chicken that Liz helped to prepare!), tortillas, atole(corn milk), pozole soup, salsa, and more. After enjoying the delicious comida, we gave them a small presentation, for which we had all prepared speeches in Spanish. For us, our families had prepared various gifts to commemorate our time in Teotitlan. We sat around for several hours afterward, singing American and Mexican songs and joking about the week that had passed. We left feeling both sad and satisfied, knowing we had learned alot but not being quite ready to go.

Fortunately, the members of Bii Dauu missed us as much as we missed them. This Monday, back in the city, we were scheduled to give a presentation to the rest of our group about our week in Teotitlan. As we were preparing to start, Mariano and Juan Carlos walked in with Margarita and Procoro, two other group members. They had come all the way from their pueblo to see our presentation. It meant a lot to us that they took the time to come, and we hope to return to visit them in the near future.

Making funny faces(well, some of us) in the Bii Dauu headquarters. From left, top: Javier, Renna, Molly, Mariano(the president, whose head is poking out in the back), Meg, Carey, Erin, Liz, Maggie, Rafaela; Bottom: Fausto, Procoro, Gervasio, Chucho