Hola y Buenos dias!
In July 2016 I'll be walking Camino Primitivo, "The Original Way," one route in the vast network of medieval pilgrimage paths that lead to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain. The Primitivo route is shown in red on the map above. This journey will be my fourth trek on Camino de Santiago, or "The Way of St. James," and my first as a solo walker. The first three walks were with my dad, Albert, who first joined me in 2011 to walk Camino Frances in memory of my mom, Lillian, and her two sisters, Arlene and Ginny. In 2013 we went back to Spain to walk segments of Via Podiensis, Camino Frances, and the route from Santiago to the coast. Last year we explored Camino Aragones that starts on the French border and also walked parts of the Frances again.
It will be a different kind of journey walking without Dad, who will be visiting family and attending basketball related events in Michigan during July. Although I'll miss sharing the experience with him, I'm looking forward to exploring Asturias and revisiting Galicia, the two regions that encompass the Primitivo. I plan to create a blog after the journey rather than during the walk & without access to Dad's mini-iPad for blogging.
The Primitivo begins in the city of Oviedo in Asturias & ends in Santiago in Galicia. Each region has its own cultural flavor & history -- Asturias is where the Kingdom of Asturias ruled northern Spain until the 10th c. while Galicia holds deep Celtic roots that predate the Camino. The Camino's origin in both regions extends back to the 9th century when, as legend says, the bones of the Apostle St. James were discovered near what would become the city of Santiago de Compostela. According to the story, the Apostle St. James had evangelized in northwestern Spain around 40 C.E. and then returned to Jerusalem where he was beheaded in 44 C.E. His bones were then transported to Spain by boat and and buried near the coast. They lay there for centuries until 813 when a hermit named Pelayo saw stars falling or flashing above a field near the burial site. He took it as a divine sign and told the local bishop who had the site excavated; the bones were unearthed & attributed to St. James. Subsequently, a church & the city of Santiago became established near this spot. Over time, supposed miracles associated with the saint's relics attracted pilgrims from France & elsewhere in Europe.
Camino Primitivo is known as The Original Way because it was the first established route to Santiago in the 9th c. During this period, pilgrims could travel easier along the Primitivo's northern pathway that was far from areas of conflict happening to the south in Spain. The first recorded pilgrimage was by King Alfonso II of Asturias who made the trek from Oviedo to see the Apostle's tomb after it had been discovered. He helped establish the first basilica, which in later centuries would be reconstructed into the present Santiago cathedral.
My interest in the Camino began many years ago after Mom gave me a CD titled Santiago by the Celtic band The Chieftains. The CD followed the musical path of northern Spain, combining the region's Celtic roots with its Spanish traditions. Neither Mom nor I had heard of the Camino, but I was entranced by the music and liner photos. A few years later I attended a lecture by author Elyn Aviva, who had researched the Camino for Ph.D. work in cultural anthropology and walked the Frances route in 1982. After hearing Elyn speak and reading her book of the experience, Following the Milky Way, I dreamed of walking the route. I then researched the Camino in my M.F.A. and graduate studies about pilgrimage and beeswax ex-votos, objects that medieval pilgrims brought to shrines in hopes of physical healing or in gratitude.
As in previous Caminos, I'll bring ex-votos I've cast for family & friends with physical challenges and leave these objects behind at different sites. Included in the ex-votos are a brain cell, pancreas, torso, breast, and 2 'memory shells' made in remembrance of people who have passed.
During the Middle Ages, ex-votos (Latin for "from a vow") were part of the pilgrimage tradition; pilgrims offered beeswax anatomical objects at saints' shrines asking for miracles through the saints' intercession. Ex-votos were thought to be thaumaturgical, or miraculous, and replicated body parts that needed mending. Small, medium, and even life-size forms were produced, and pilgrims most likely purchased them at sacred sites from nearby merchants, apothecaries, or church shops. Medieval church accounts testify to the presence of ex-voto oblation, or the act of making an offering -- some votive rosters recorded thousands of these objects given. Imagine visiting a shrine then & seeing hundreds of arms, legs, & hearts made of beeswax!
It's a long process to make ex-votos and makes me appreciate the practice of medieval artisans, called "wax chandlers" in England, who crafted them from beeswax. Beeswax was introduced for votive production in Europe during the 11th c. and was the perfect substance because of its "mystic significance" held by the ancients. They thought honey came from heaven, and bees were sacred animals.
My ex-votos are first sculpted out of plastiline clay & then cast with beeswax using a 2-part mould. The photo above shows the second half of the mould ready to be poured onto the first half. There's prep work to do first: make key holes (a nickel works well); brush mould surface with Murphy's Soap & water mixture (to prevent the two halves from sticking together); add clay pour spout; lastly, create foil 'separators,' which indicate where to chisel apart the mould halves. In addition, a foam core box is placed around the mould half to contain the wet plaster during the second pour. Clay strips placed around the bottom of the box keep wet plaster from seeping out.
After the moulds dry, the two halves are ready to be released and the clay forms taken out. Next comes pouring melted beeswax into the moulds to create the finished ex-votos.
Casting was done at artist Johanna Hansen's studio. Thank you Johanna! Scruffy the studio cat took a nap in a hat box after helping with the moulds.
The finished ex-votos -- breast, torso, brain cell, pancreas, & memory shells
Similar to previous Caminos, the 'preparation journey' for the Primitivo has involved putting together gear and also getting ready physically. I've been walking daily about an hour in the morning and another hour in early evening. This walking schedule works well and is manageable. Regarding gear, my pack will weigh around 13 pounds, including the pack itself. I'm going to use an EcoGear 40 L made with eco-friendly fabrics -- a perfect companion to the eco-friendly, lightweight Pilgrim Pouch, which will carry my camera, cell phone, and other essentials. Instead of the usual sleeping bag, I've decided to bring only a silk liner plus down throw. A Thermalite pad, one of my 'luxury items,' will add some cushion. All my gear is listed here.
Thank you to family and friends for your support with preparing for the journey! And special gratitude to Dad whose encouragement & energy will inspire me on the trail.
** Check out the Pilgrim Pouch's Primitivo adventure
