As I rode through a remote tribal area of Orissa, India, my guide spotted a group of women sitting in a field. We got out and sauntered over to see what was transpiring and learned that the women were priestesses of the Kondh tribe. They were preparing a curative ceremony for a boy about nine years old from their village. They did not mind our presence and allowed us to stand there and witness the entire process while I photographed each activity they undertook. First, the head priestess partook of some intoxicating liquid and eventually chanted until she was in a partial trance.
As the ceremony progressed, the child emerged from the village accompanied by his mother. Each of them carried a live bird, one a pigeon and the other a chicken. The birds were handed over to the women who fed both of them rice in order for them to be full and satisfied before being sacrificed as part of the ceremony. Some rice was placed on the boy's stomach, hair and lips which the birds gleefully ate. The satiated animals were then relieved of their innards and eventually sacrificed. These guts were then rubbed onto the shoulders and belly of the child. After a period of chanting, water was pored over the boy to cleanse him.
Next a man emerged from the woods whom I assumed was the child's father. He carried a small bow and several arrows and directed the young man to shoot in various directions in order to casting away the evil that caused his illness. The man then withdrew back into the woods. Soon the boy, cleansed and naked, and his mother walked back to the village under the cover of a white sheet I hope he was cured. I was overwhelmed. Another wondrous experience in Third World.
My travel to remote corners of the world provided me important lessons and helped me grow as a person. As a life-long educator, my observations about the value and meaning of such travel has made my lectures thoughtful and informative. My memoir, What's an American Doing Here? begins with childhood thumbing through pictures in an old World Book Encyclopedia to my development as an enthusiastic voyager to some of the least likely destinations imaginable. Imagine being stranded in a flash flood in the mountains of Western China or being robbed by bandits in the Guatemalan jungle. Envision yourself joining a dance at a funeral in West Africa or becoming a guest of honor at a wedding on an island in rural Indonesia. From Voodoo to Candomble, from elephant parades to Silk Road market towns, I have explored places where few American tourists tread. I spent most of my life teaching children, directing schools and writing about my philosophy of education. In my retirement I transformed those skills to become a lecturer, consultant and author. You can access my website at http://www.travellectures.com/index.html
