Recreating ancient memories
"Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future."
This thoughts of Ellie Wiesel lead me to another navigation through time. Previously, I mentioned about the moving ecosystem which was the reed boat.
Today, I'd like to dig in new idea. The reed boat is the wisdom we have inherited from our ancestors.
When I think of a reed boat voyage, I envision the period and try to recreate it the modern society to share its value to the world.
You can understand that it is physically impossible to reproduce 100% of a reed boat from thousands of years ago for which there is no documentation.
Using the mural paintings and the knowledge of reed boat building that the indigenous people have passed down to this day, we will try to create as accurate an image as possible of the ancient voyage.
It is not only the shape of the reed boat or the style of our sailing ancestors. We have to recreate the daily life in the ancient vessel as well.
Can we wear clothes like our ancestors did on their voyages while we do ours? How will we prepare our foods that we are going eat? Gas stove or wood?
Can we survive without canned goods or bring bottled water to quench our thirst in the middle of the ocean?
Can we practically survived when there are huge waves without wearing life jacket?
Can we just sleep peacefully on the one side of the boat without a sleeping bag? The unanswered questions that jumps through time become a loop that keeps going in circles without end.
Recreating the voyage from thousands of years ago is far from perfection.
The rest is a matter of aesthetics, measuring how far we want to recreate the reed boat. I repeatedly perform some trial and error activities to come up to a closer ancient wisdom as possible, trying to find a balance between realistic compromises and idealistic fantasies.
And the most important thing we must not forget is how well we, the crew and the reed boat builders, can reproduce the spirituality of our ancestors.
Even today, the indigenous people still perform ceremonies with a sense of respect and awe. Talking to nature from the same perspective as humans, before harvesting the materials for the reed boat, before launching the boat, before the voyage, and after the voyage is over.
In other words, what was the ancient view of religion and life and death? I feel that the essence of the restoration of the reed boat voyage in how we can recreate and trace that feeling in the same way.
Their senses are probably more relaxed and simple than primitive religions such as animism.
They must have had a "sense of oneness with nature" that was closer to non-human creatures and beings than we are.
This "sense" became a navigational method that led them to an invisible island.
Like the coconuts, they would ride the wind and follow the currents without going against nature.
We would like to shift from control to navigating with a sense of being in contact with nature.
I can't help but hope that our reed boat project will share with you the memory of being connected to nature.
