Casa de Prieto (2010)
Sumi Ink, metal leaf, and watercolor on paper, 17" X 22"
Prieto Angarica with Hilda Zulueta and Melba N煤帽ez Isalbe, January 2006, Perico, Cuba.
Prieto: Mi mam谩 no ten铆a que ver mucho con el tambor, ella iba y le daba Oy谩. Pero mi abuela si, mi abuela la cri贸 la due帽a de esto aqu铆. Nosotros los Angarica, esto es de los Zulueta no de los Angarica, lo que pasa es que mi abuelo macho se qued贸 al frente del tambor, es el que lo cuidaba, lo preparaba. Aqu铆 han venido carpinteros del folkl贸rico nacional y no han podido determinar de qu茅 madera est谩 hecho el tambor. Ese tambor no se hizo aqu铆 en Cuba, 茅l est谩 deteriorado porque son muchos los a帽os y hay que cambiar el cuero de las maderas se va deteriorando, pero tiene el mismo sonido. Eso tiene un misterio, vamos a tocar una fiesta de un santo, una actividad que una persona cumpli贸 a帽os de santo y esa persona quiere tocarle al santo. Nosotros tocamos aqu铆 y en el central Espa帽a se oye clarito por la noche, sin embargo usted va a tocar para un muerto y el tambor no se oye y tocamos igual, el tambor se queda sordo porque es para el eggun. Es el mismo toque, pero el tambor no se siente igual. Ese d铆a lleva su ceremonia parecida a la que se va a tocar normalmente para un cumplimiento de santo鈥�
Melba: parece que esta Sociedad est谩 determinada a mantener la tradici贸n del Arar谩 aqu铆 en Perico, 驴por qu茅? 驴Por qu茅 ustedes tienen eso como objetivo?, 驴por qu茅 se le han planteado?, 驴por qu茅 no se ha ca铆do?
Prieto: mira mija, cuando yo nac铆, yo nac铆 aqu铆 y esto era de madera y estaba un papel grand铆simo que dec铆a Sociedad Africana y aqu铆 yo me cri茅. Yo tengo que seguir con esto, fue lo que yo vi, mis mayores鈥�
Lazarita: es parte de la vida de nosotros, la vida de nosotros depende de esto, el desarrollo de la vida de nosotros depende de esto mismo. Sin esto yo creo que nosotros no鈥�
Hilda: seremos nada
Prieto: en Jovellanos, en Agramonte hay otro, pero no es parecido a este
Hilda: los cantos son distintos, el toque es distinto
Prieto: pero bueno mi pap谩 me cont贸 porque el de Agramonte lo bautiz贸 茅l. En Pinar del R铆o hay uno que lo bautiz贸 茅l. El de los Bar贸 de Jovellanos lo bautiz贸 茅l
Hilda: seg煤n cuando los africanos trajeron el tambor Arar谩 este el due帽o que viv铆a aqu铆, yo me acuerdo y era Cabo cruz, que ten铆a Mal茅
Prieto: era el que hac铆a todos los trabajos del tambor, montarlos, hacer las ceremonias, darle comida.
Prieto: My mother was not that involved with ceremonies. She used to go, and Oy谩 possessed her. But my grandmother, yes. My grandmother was brought up by the person in charge of all this. We, the Angarica, because this belongs to the Zulueta not to the Angarica, my grandfather, Macho was responsible for the drums, he used to take care of them, prepare them. We have had carpenters come here from Conjunto Folkl贸rico and they couldn't determine the wood those drums were made of. They were not made here in Cuba. They are damaged because they are old, and we have to change the skin, and wood decays, but they have the same sound. They also have a mystery. If we play for a deity, a celebration, we play here in Perico, and you hear them in Espa帽a (the refinery) quite clearly at night. However if we play for an 'eggun' (dead ancestor) you don't hear them, although we play the same way. They remain silent because we are playing for 'egguns' (the dead). It's the same beat, but you don't feel it the same way. On that day the ceremony is pretty close to the way we play for a birthday celebration鈥�
Melba: It seems that this Society is determined to maintain Arar谩 traditions here in Perico. Why? Why is this an objective? Why do you want to keep your traditions?
Prieto: Look, when I was born, and I was born here, this house was made out of wood, and I saw a huge sign that read African Society. I was brought up here. I have to keep on with this, this is what I've always seen, my elders鈥�
Lazarita: It is part of our lives, our lives depend on this, and the contiunation of our lives depends on this. Without it I don't think we鈥�
Hilda: would be worth anything.
Prieto: In Jovellanos and Agramante they also have Arar谩, but it's not like this.
Hilda: The chants are different, the rhythm is different.
Prieto: But, well, my father told me he baptized in Agramonte. In Pinar del Rio he babtized. Also, the Baro's in Jovellanos, he baptized there.
Hilda: According to Africans, when these drums came here, the owner used to live here, his name was Cabo Cruz, and he was consecrated with Mal茅.
Prieto: He did everything for those drums, set them up, did the ceremonies, and fed them.