…When everything started
the Sun was so close to Earth drying it all
the first People
children of the Sun and the Moon
danced the Rutuguri
by dancing
they made the Sun regress
and since then
the stars reflect on the fields
and we must follow their light
to read the dance’s design
The ceremony’s site is a sacred place
an important place
this field is the World
here we sacrifice animals
so all gods, men and the dead
participate
this is the place of the dance
we must dance to make the world go round
to not interrupt its harmony
We dance because we have done something good for Papa God
He gave us life to dance
He will give us life for another year
We do not dance for pleasure
it’s a sacred work…”
text extracted from Nicolás Echevarría’s documentary “Teshuinada, Semana Santa Tarahumara” 1979.
Contributed by
Juan Pablo Macías