More Landscapes

Landscapes

Not sure where these images fit in to this project but I really enjoy them.

A Plentiful Catch 2

A Plentiful Catch

The seventh annual Bequia Fisherman's Day seemed to be, well, a little fishy. Starting at around eleven in the morning and continuing till seven in the evening the day was full of strange smells, sites, and scales. Three stations were set up along the beach front. These stations were simple tables, one built from ply wood and another formed by a stack of palettes. Knives, mallets, sharpeners, buckets, and de-scaling devices, were carefully organized and sat idle at each station.

Each station had 4-5 men working at it, dividing up the fish between them as it came in. Boats slid across the water and halfway onto the beach. Before the smell of fish arrived in your nostrils crowds were gathered around each boat, poking, grabbing, shouting, and hoping to be the first to get fish. After the fish had been weighed and divided among the mob they were brought to each station. Here the tools, which had been waiting their turn, were being put to good use. The fish were carefully, scaled, gutted, flayed, and chopped/cut/diced into smaller pieces.

It did not seem to matter what kind of fish anyone received, just as long as they got a piece. There was dolphin, barracuda, snapper, red hein, trigger fish, skate, eel, and shark being brought from the sea. Fisherman walked off boats holding mesh sacks weighing 110 lbs filled with fish. The smell was intoxicating, scales seemed to attract themselves to any one with in 5 feet of a cleaning station. And the water had turned a thick pink color. Seagulls flocked fighting each other for the remnants of liver, or kidney, gills.

I went home that night distraught by the fact that i thought there may be no fish left in the sea the next day.

Bequia Landscapes

Diptych

No comment I just love these images together.

The Last Prophet

Ras Ela Jah will introduce himself as the Last Prophet. He believes he is the keeper of the Caribbean bible, which he has taken upon himself to write. While in jail he spent months writing, filling up marble notebooks with his religious beliefs. A firm believer that Moses was the saviour, and that everyone must be circumcised (male and female) in order to be saved. He lives a simple life in a clapboard house. He has planted a garden in front where he grows corn, peas, and beans which he believes are his sacrifices to Jehovah Haile Selassie along with herb (pot). He can be difficult to understand since he speaks with a deep voice and often times in fragmented thoughts and sentences.

His home is surrounded by a gate made from found materials, a piece of wood, tin sheeting, barb wire, and other pieces of construction. The fence seems to match his home, which is also a collection of found boards, or metal. He has written many commandments on his house or on clothe which he has then fastened to the exterior walls. One of the writings or prophecies reads, "The lord Jehovah said to Moses and Aaron if any one notices a swelling in his skin or a scab or boil or pimple with transparent skin Leprosy is to be suspected and so effective he must be brought to The Bequia Priest Ras Eli Jah." Ras sits outside his home during the day smoking a/many large joints and exchanging ideas and thoughts about religion with his friends and any one who might want to join in.

Pageant Farm (South side)

On any given day you are bound to find some excitement in Pageant Farm. Pageant Farm is located on the southern portion of the island of Bequia. It's easily accessible by taking a dollar van, with names like: Sio, Pebbles, and Guidance, from Port Elizabeth (the main harbor). The vans are usually packed to the brim, they hold around 15 people, and most have upholstered cushioned benches for seats. They are a cross between a mini van and a bus. Painted all different colors with vinyl letters that scream there names, these vans drive excessively fast and can be heard around corners because of the Calypso music blasting from their speakers. There are no set stops, rather you shout when you need a ride or you want out. People young and old pile in with no regard for the nearest seat. They run routes along one road from Pageant Farm to Port Elizabeth.

Pageant Farm is hidden from most tourists who come to Bequia, it has a unique culture very different then the other side of the island. Fishing boats line the coast and most young men seem to the pass the time by drinking strong rum and calling each other fowl names. It's a beautiful place. Little homes with tin roofs dot the hills, peering out over the sea, each balcony has a picture perfect view. The air smells salty and the wind whips off the ocean. The land is unprotected from the Atlantic ocean, making the landscape much more rocky then the other side of Bequia.

The fisherman have a section where they store their boats. The boats come in all different colors, blue, green, red, and gold, with names like: "Aries", "Who Jah Bless No Man Touch", and "Lonely" They seem like torpedos when they take off from the ramp, seeming as though they are to back heavy to move. The men leave at 4 in the morning, returning later in the day with their bounty. Shark, Jack Fish, Barracuda, Snapper, Angle Fish, Lobster, and Eel's no sea creature is safe. Four men to a boat, some dive with spear guns and others use hand line. The methods are equally beneficially. The sea is rich.