When we arrived in Estes Park, we hit a tremendous amount of traffic.
This is not so unusual for Estes because it is a major tourist town. This location marks the entrance into the Rocky Mountain National Forest. It was a little crazier than usual, though....it turns out we had arrived during their annual Elk Fest.
The really nice surprise for us was stumbling upon the start of a Native American storytelling and music performance....
I got a little bit emotional watching them.
These displays of music, dance and art are so incredibly important to the preservation of a culture. It's an identity....and for many people that identity is slowly becoming lost. So for me, it is an honor to be able to experience this beauty. I find the conscious determination of these people to preserve their identity so beautiful on top of the already enthralling performance.
I feel this way whenever I get to experience a culture outside of my own. Add food and architecture to the arts and you have a very powerful personal experience and one of the reasons that traveling is so appealing and important to me.
And new generations are living and breathing their tradition...
Believe me, it was a meaningful day, and one that I was thrilled to share with my boys.
4 comments:
What a great experience. They all look so beautiful! Seeing the little ones exposed to this really makes me happy. It's good to see old traditions passed down. Things like this is what makes the world beautiful. It's important not to forget and it's also important to share that culture with others :]
Absolutely...it is incredibly important and vital to the preservation of a culture.
How boring the world would be without all of this beauty!
Thank you so much for your comment.
:)
Thanks so much for sharing these wonderful photos. I also admire the determination of the people to keep the ways alive. This heritage is a great influence on my own work.
You have a lovely blog!
Andewyn - I apologize for taking so long to respond!
And I agree on the influence...growing up in New Mexico I was surrounded by all of the great silver work of Native American artists. Lots of large, bold turquoise pieces. I love it and it definitely continues to inspire me.
Thank you for taking the time to leave me a comment!
- Alysia :)
Post a Comment