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Unused image taken as part of the marketing campaign for the Harbour City Bears Bear Essentials 16 festival which runs during the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras, February 2012
© Paul D Wade Photography - images may not be copied, reproduced, printed, modified, published, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way without explicit written permission.
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Vietata la Riproduzione senza Consenso dell'Autore
Model: Giovanna D.
This carved chest contains one of the most sacred objects in Guatemala.
It’s suspended from the ceiling of a small room in a non-descript home – the Confraternity house of San Juan -- off a steep narrow alley in the town of Santiago Atitlan in Guatemala.
The box was carved by the artist Diego Chavéz, who also carved the altarpiece of Santiago Atitlan with his brother Nicholas. The other side of the box – the side I couldn’t see from where I was shyly standing and trying to take pictures without firing my flash -- contains an image of a woman giving birth. Inside is the sacred bundle of Yaxper: “patroness of the moon, weaving, childbirth and midwives, who participated in the creation of the world”.[1]
The Mayans have a long tradition of revering bundles – they appear in hieroglyphic inscriptions going back thousands of years. I don’t entirely understand what it is thought that they contain, but I know that this one matters more than most.
I’ll let Allen Christenson tell the story, because he understands what I saw in that room, under the sweet attentions that the confradia paid to Yaxper, better than I did:
The Yaxper bundle is called ruk’u’x alaniem (“heart of the placenta”) and consists of a small woven cloth with pendant ribbons and tassels which the head of the confraternity said represent umbilical cords and tendrils of plants.
The cloth itself symbolizes the inside of a woman, including the placenta. Three small angel faces are sewn onto the cloth which represent the “corn girls”. The cloth is used by midwives and shamans to aid in childbirth as well as in healing ceremonies for sick infants.
Following delivery, midwives often bring the placenta to the confraternity to be blessed. It is then wrapped in a cloth and buried, either at the edge of the mother’s hearth, or sent to be thrown into the lake.
Under the ribbons at the base of the cloth are two small, round, very hard cloth bags, which I was told contain dried lumps of maize dough. These are called the yuxa (“divine twins”), which [are associated] with the original placentas, or “seeds” of the human race; all things that have an umbilicus are linked to this womb-root.
The association of the placentas with the sacred bundle of the grandmotherly midwife deity Yaxper, which contains the original “seeds” of the human race, likely ties the Confraternity of San Juan with the house of Xmucane, grandmother of the Hero Twins in their aspect as maize deities.[2]
The ceiling of the room is decorated with the curling tendrils of plants – also thought to represent umbilical cords. As are the cords that the carved chest is suspended from.
All things that have an umbilicus are linked to this womb-root – the seeds of the human race.
Belly buttons, baby: they’re what bring us all together. A constant reminder of our common humanity.
I love that.
[1] Weaving the Fabric of the Cosmos by Allen J. Christenson
[2] Art and Society in a Highland Maya Community by Allen J. Christenson
25faves abigfave alluredesire americanapparel animals angelic apple art artisticnude babe BABY back bath bathing bathinginmilk beautiful beauty bed bedroom belly bellybutton birds blackwhite blindfold blond blue body bodylanguage Boston bottom boy bright bum butt bw chair child children clavicle cleavage cleopatra closeup clothing colonial theatre collarbone cooking couch couple crab cute dark darkness design dimples diptych dress elegant expression eyes face fall fashion feet female feminine floor flower flowers foot furniture girl glamour gloves gorilla grabbing green hadassah hair hands happiness happy harbor hat he headshot kid kissing kitchen lc1 lecorbusier legs light lightshadow lions lips love male man me milestone milk mirror model modelbehav mouth movement muse nature neck nekkid oskar people pink plants platinum portrait pregnancy pregnant pretty profile red scarf selfportrait she shoulder silver skin smile smiling summer son spine stockings sweet theonewhostolemysolitude toes touching tulip venus we white winter woman
25faves abigfave alluredesire americanapparel animals angelic apple art artisticnude babe BABY back bath bathing bathinginmilk beautiful beauty bed bedroom belly bellybutton birds blackwhite blindfold blond blue body bodylanguage Boston bottom boy bright bum butt bw chair child children clavicle cleavage cleopatra closeup clothing colonial theatre collarbone cooking couch couple crab cute dark darkness design dimples diptych dress elegant expression eyes face fall fashion feet female feminine floor flower flowers foot furniture girl glamour gloves gorilla grabbing green hadassah hair hands happiness happy harbor hat he headshot kid kissing kitchen lc1 lecorbusier legs light lightshadow lions lips love male man me milestone milk mirror model modelbehav mouth movement muse nature neck nekkid oskar people pink plants platinum portrait pregnancy pregnant pretty profile red scarf selfportrait she shoulder silver skin smile smiling summer son spine stockings sweet theonewhostolemysolitude toes touching tulip venus we white winter woman
Blogged @ slavegardens.com/Garden/bellybutton-oh-my-bellybutton/
~Soedara~ Belly dancer Tariqa shirt
~Soedara~ Belly dancer Tariqa Lace legging
~Soedara~ Belly dancer Tariqa Lace gloves
+:+WTG+:+ concealer (new)
[Arachne] Bare Feet Alpha Layer
Evian Lauren Makeups - Elegance 04
.:EMO-tions:. HAIRBASE 10 - straight black
kez
.:EMO-tions:. HAIRBASE 10 - straight flames
+:+WTG+:+ **Envy-G** nail(L10)
+:+WTG+:+ **Envy-G** nail(R10)
+:+WTG+:+ nail reset HUD
.:EMO-tions:. * SUNBURST*/flames
EyeLashes! Swept Away EyeLashes un-boxed SM By AT
Xcite! ToKon Turian Collar
[Arachne] Bare Feet (L) - Coin Bangles
[Arachne] Bare Feet (R) - Coin Bangles
~Soedara~ Belly dancer Tariqa Bindi
~Soedara~ Belly dancer Tariqa Bracelet-L
~Soedara~ Belly dancer Tariqa Bracelet-R
~Soedara~ Belly dancer Tariqa Cleavage Jewel
~Soedara~ Belly dancer Tariqa MidBracelet-R
~Soedara~ Belly dancer Tariqa Skirt
~Soedara~ Belly dancer Tariqa UpperBracelet-L
~Soedara~ Belly dancer Tariqa UpperBracelet-R
Dream's Model Shape Base - Egoism (new)
-Glam Affair- Layla Dark - D Clean
-Glam Affair - Linn Eyebrows shape C
Evian - Eyes Green Dreams
our connection has healed. you now have a belly button ( isnt that a cute word) our new connection. i will hold your hand always. happy birthday. you are 3 weeks old (already)
Priceless Little Parts
These little hands will grow to be,
big and strong and helpful, you see.
These teeny-tiny little toes,
will carry this body that grows and grows.
This precious, sweet and radiant smile,
will help me go the extra mile.
.....And seep inside, a soul and heart,
Destined to be special from the start.
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