Wednesday, July 30, 2008

After the sandstorm and subsequent cloudburst Stephanie and I headed to the Cyber Café. It was nice to get messages from home and send news of my adventures in the pays de Dogon. Upon our return to the hotel the leatherworker was waiting outside with my special order. I paid the remainder of the cost and was thrilled to have a beautiful piece of craftsmanship expressly specialized at my request.

I ordered pasta for dinner and after eating the entire plateful I went up to my room exhausted and ready for sleep. Tomorrow morning we visit another weaver. The remainder of the afternoon is at our leisure and I will doubtless spend some of that time situating my luggage. I wish I knew if I should pack the Kanaga mask in the bottom now or hand carry until Bamako when I do my final packing of the luggage.

Thursday, July 31, 2008

It was satisfying to have those same familiar baguettes and mango preserves for breakfast after being in Dogon country. I finally wore my safari shirt dress and it was nice to have something still unworn at this point in the trip. Everyone has told me I look so beautiful and I feel like duchess of the Dogon with quite the sun-kissed glow. At nine thirty we departed for the weavers, walking quite a distance in the blaze of the sun.

The weavers come from north of Timbuktu and are a sub-group of the Fulani. It is a busy time of year for them as they receive many orders for traditional wedding gifts. Thus, they had a small selection of work to sell, only one blanket which I wasn’t quick enough to nab myself. I bought four thick strips with floating weft designs, two Bamana inspired and one Fulani. They will make nice table runners or wall hangings and come from what is reputed to be the best weavers of the Fulani group, minus those of Guimbe.

Stephanie and I walked to the gas station nearby because we had heard they had large cans of Pringles. We were successful in our purchase and even bought a package of hazelnut cream wafers for something sweet. The rest of the day is pretty much at out leisure although there is an option to go back into Mopti I doubt I will venture back into the city at this point. I have to do some major reorganization of my luggage so I will take my time with that task.

I gave the hotel three skirts to wash this morning and press. I haven’t washed these three myself because I knew they would take longer to dry and because they would turn out extremely wrinkly. The hotel will press them and I will have just enough outfits to finish off my trip without doing anymore laundry.

Our final papers are due September 5th and I am thankful for a decent timeframe in which to accomplish them. It will most likely take some time to get these classes transferred as graduate credit. I know I will have to get the papers finished relatively quickly with my work schedule and the comps in the first week of the semester. I don’t want to be finishing papers while taking the exams at the same time.

The afternoon, like so many things during my trip, was completely different than I originally planned. I finished my genius packing scheme for the Kanaga mask, utilizing the remainder of my bubble wrap around the corners and joints and dirty clothes folded in strips and wrapped around the frame. Skirts I am no longer going to wear were layered underneath and around the mask to create a barrier. I will feel a little more comfortable with a few pieces of bogolan textiles layered in as well, but I think it will be relatively safe.

Stephanie decided to return to Aly Cisse’s to gather more information for her final paper and so I decided to join her because I find both Aly and the beads absolutely incredible. Kevin, a PhD student, and Tessa, a student and friend of Jerry’s, also went along for the adventure. Jerry accompanied us to Cisse’s residence and once again I was back in the small room with the array of multicolored strands of beadwork. His place was one of the places I truly enjoyed, thus it wasn’t hard to find a few more must-haves in my once in a lifetime experience. I added a bronze Senufo strand and two Fulani wedding necklaces to my already previously purchased merchandise. Aly went into great detail about many of the beads, even archaeologically recovered beads and beadwork no longer found anywhere else. It was truly a moment I will never forget.

After leaving Aly Cisse’s we went to a friend of Jerry’s, Abdoulaye, who collects real African art that has actually been utilized. There were two small chi wara masks, cap and all, with an incredible patina. However, I knew I could never afford either so I just relished in the moment of being able to touch and admire their exquisite features.

We returned to the Byblos where the family had invited us to dinner, which means a free meal. My purchases from earlier have depleted my wallet more than I expected. I only have about eighty five dollars for food and bogolan during the rest of the trip. Jerry said we will have an opportunity to change money over in Segou so I will change a little more money so I feel like I have enough for the remainder. I am still coming home with way more money than I imagined so I don’t mind changing additional into Malian francs.

Dinner was fabulous, cucumber salad and onion pizza as appetizers, bizarre I know, with a Lebanese meal to follow. The lamb, potatoes, tomatoes, and rice were delicious and the crepes to afterwards absolutely incredible with an orange filling and lots of sugar.

Tomorrow I return to the Hotel Independence and I am assuming we will stop at San to see the bogolan dyers. I cannot wait to watch the process and purchase some of these beautiful textiles. I am also looking forward to relaxing for a little while by their pool.