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The
Traditional Art of Bee-Keeping — an Alentejo Elder teaches a modern peasant the Way . . . Part I Part II Part II - Uma copo de vinho faz favor? |
Learning Life
Skills |
|
The
Traditional Art of Bee-Keeping — an Alentejo Elder teaches a modern peasant the Way . . . Part I Part II Part II - Uma copo de vinho faz favor? |
Learning Life
Skills |
 Bee suits
Cortisa hive Busy Bees Tradtional Press Quinta Vistosa |
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s the sun is setting, I can hardly believe it; there's a cork hive full of bees on my lap and I'm in the back of the van - this time Antonio is driving! Just four weeks ago it was the other way around, Antonio in the back with bees, and I'm thinking "Is this for real, some new experience?" | ||
We have collected a Queen Bee and her family from across the fields to take to our friends who lost their Queen when we harvested honey. Working with cork hives is a tricky business, difficult to avoid hurting the bees. We make them homeless then we give them new houses. It is a fine line between exploitation and cooperative living; industrial bee keeping turns bees into robots for our supermarkets. With Antonio and his kind, we humans are their social workers, their well-being comes before our own sweet tastes. Arriving at our friend's house, Quinta Vistosa, we are
greeted by Wilfried and Martina who are "Amigos
dos Burros" - a social outreach centre in Portas Transval. Wilfried and Martina have lived over 18 years here in Alentejo, but sharing equal time in Germany where Wilfired works with homeless people. They have seen all the changes since the revolution and Salazar's days. Then, a few families owned most of the land and the people were their workers, watched over, and paid almost nothing. Life was as hard as nails but Alentejo fed the people and the way to live with nature and without money, by exchanging and sharing, was part of their culture. Which is why they have so much to give to those like us, our generation, who need to learn how to live with the earth again and with each other more cooperatively. At Quinta Vistosa, neighbours and friends often get together, like working with the Bees, in a social and cooperative way. Martina is very happy. She brings me a jar of their first honey. Wilfried's grandad kept bees and this completes a circle for him. After we have put the Queen Bee to her new home, we share some rich Alentejo wine. Antonio's life has been a hard one. For 30 years he lived and worked outside his native Portugal, mostly in France, but also in Belgium, Italy and Turkey. After loosing his first job when a factory closed down he took up wood cutting. In Turkey one day he found himself between two men who were facing each other down with chainsaws. He had the presence of mind to take away their machines and de-escalate a deadly situation. It is no wonder he is rock steady in working with swarms of Bees. Anotnio's way is a simple and powerful one:
He understands the Bee is a free being - living in a cooperative way, an example for us humans. In Alentejo, like the world everywhere, humans have been loosing their freedom, giving it away. Where we once saw beautiful open land between old and some new houses, we are seeing more and more "Lots for sale", speculative development. Instead of natural spring and well water, people are given company water. Instead of free-roaming and shared land for people and animals, we see private land fenced all around. Instead of small-holdings and "quintas" or small family farms and "taipa" earth houses, we see commercial land projects, new housing estates for people who have no roots anymore. Pressing the new honey is an alchemical experience!! The tough wooden press is full of wax combs from the cork hive. Winding down the handle juicy fresh honey spills out like a waterfall. Jose is with is, another younger bee keeper. In the day he drives for Sagres, the beer company, but his dad kept bees for a living and though his dad has passed on, Jose keeps bees for his enjoyment and the extra income from his neighbours. The new moon is clear and bright in the star filled sky. There is a good feeling between us. As Antonio is about to leave, I say to him,
The Bees have worked their magic. The people have made
a good cooperation together. |
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