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The Baja California peninsula’s deserts, mountains, seas and arroyos
possess a natural mystique unlike any other place on Earth. Time spent on
this vast, rugged stretch of land, which cuts through the Sea of Cortez
and the Pacific Ocean, often produces experiences described as spiritual,
or even life changing. In early February, a few of us were lucky enough
to share a cultural experience with a small group of Seri Indians that
blended sea turtle conservation and the preservation of rites sacred to
this tribe.
We had just left the 7th Annual Grupo Tortuguero meeting
in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico, the region’s premiere grassroots
conservation meeting. Over 300 individuals representing 30 Mexican
communities, plus academic institutions, agencies and nonprofit
organizations in Mexico and the U.S., came together to discuss work
focused on fulfilling three objectives toward sea turtle conservation:
network building, expanding knowledge and communicating their messages.
At the Grupo Tortuguero meeting, the Seri Indians received
an award for their work conserving sea turtle populations. Five of the
world’s seven species of sea turtle inhabit the waters surrounding the
Baja California peninsula. Of these, four are considered ecologically
extinct, suffering the affects of longlines, nets and illegal poaching.
Put plainly, unless we make far-reaching moves towards conservation, these
species will not endure.
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ith Loreto hours behind, we rushed down a dirt road somewhere north of
Todos Santos hoping to keep the Seri tradition alive. During the sea
turtle conservation conference in Loreto, biologists from ASUPMATOMA had
informed us that a leatherback nest at their incubator station would soon
be hatching, roughly two months after is was deposited on a nearby beach –
here was our chance! We pulled in to Agua Blanca late at night, just as
the first leatherback hatchling broke the sand’s surface. Cleotilde, a
Seri elder traveling with us, opened the ceremony with a song and began to
cry.
The ceremony was performed with a few modifications.
Precautions were taken to safeguard the fragile hatchlings used instead of
an adult leatherback, including keeping them in an incubator rather than a
house built by the Seri. In their land, the ritual was always a community
event in which the |
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 The
Seri survive as one of the few indigenous populations in Mexico never
fully conquered. They live on native lands in northwestern Sonora, and
retain their Comcáac language and much of their traditional culture. The
Seri regard the leatherback turtle as a sacred embodiment of their
ancestors, to be revered and protected.
Years ago, on the rare occasion a leatherback was
captured, the Seri would hold a four-day ceremony to provide protection
for the turtle before it was released, unharmed. As part of the ceremony,
the Seri constructed a special shelter to shade the turtle, blanketed it
with elephant tree branches and painted powerful motifs on the turtle’s
carapace and flippers. The community sang sacred leatherback songs, and
everyone participated in games and dancing. The Seri maintain strong
emotional, spiritual and cultural ties to the leatherback, believe they
communicate with the turtles through their songs.
Unfortunately, it has been over 20 years since the Seri
have performed these ceremonies, as no leatherbacks have been encountered
in the northern tip of the Sea of Cortez. Only 2,300 adult female Pacific
leatherbacks are thought to remain, making it the world’s most endangered
marine turtle. Still, Seri elders envision once again singing to the
leatherback and praying for its well-being. They fear that, without a
concerted effort, the leatherback and ceremonial traditions could be
lost.
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entire village took part. With only five Seri members present, members of
Pro Peninsula, Grupo Tortuguero, ASUPMATOMA and others became the
community.
When it came time to release the hatchlings,
Cleotilde and some Seri youth led a procession down to the beach, the
vibrant colors of their dresses complimenting the beauty of the setting
sun, as birds flocked overhead and gray whales breached just yards past
the breaking waves. As Cleotilde sang, the turtles struggled to make
their way out to sea. The significance of the event sunk in, and we
watched as this tradition was passed down to the younger Seri generation.
This event brought us together from worlds apart in the hope to both
protect sea turtles throughout the region and renew the spiritual and
cultural practices of the Seri Indians.
Authors Kama Dean and Chris Pesenti are Co-Founders of Pro
Peninsula. For more information about Pro Peninsula, ASUPMATOMA, and the
Grupo Tortuguero, and to see photos from this event, visit
www.propeninsula.org.
www.grupotortuguero.org
kama@propeninsula.org
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