Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Art from kurgans in Khazakhstan: Ana's Earthly Ancestors?

Feline head


Readers of Ana's stories know that Ana is descended from humans who, some thousands of years ago, were transplanted to the planet Thomo, 25 light years away. The first to find her way back, she has been eager to pursue what few clues there are as to just where on Earth her people originated.

An argali (mountain sheep)


For the most part those clues are linguistic: her language, Luvit, has been shown (in Distant Cousin) to be an early spinoff of the large Proto-Indo-European language family, originally spoken by the peoples living north of the Black Sea and Caspian Sea. They were nomadic and preliterate and thought to have left few durable items that might have survived to interest modern archaeologists--no cities, bridges, aquaducts, statues, or the like.

A raptor head

But that notion may be mistaken. There is now an exhibit in New York City of works of art discovered in kurgans (burial mounds) in Khazakhstan, the ninth largest country in the world, north of the Caspian Sea. These works were created from the ninth to the first centuries B.C. (slightly after Ana's people are thought to have been removed). 

A feline attacking a horned animal

As you can see, they are are remarkable, and reveal a love of the natural world and a wonderfully creative artistic instinct. If you care to note some of the art that Ana has loved elsewhere in this blog  you can see how she might like these ancient treasures as well. And not only that--you might also come to understand why she loves cats! 

Two deer heads


See more of Ana's taste in art in the right column under the picture of the blue-eyed kitty, and under the photo of the LOVE sculpture, including:






Friday, April 13, 2012

This and that: a wearable arpillera, serval kitties, and a venue in DC: Reincarnation


Today we are going to take care of some leftovers from previous posts. Above, for example, is one more arpillera, the lovely, original textile sculptures from South America. (See more arpilleras below.) You would think they are delicate creations, not suitable for clothing. This is true in some cases, but not in all. The t-shirt above (click to enlarge) has just been washed, as it has been many times previously. This would shorten the life of the thing, one supposes, but, being portable, the pleasure it gives the wearer and the observers during its lifetime surely makes that worthwhile.

Below is a photo of the neighborhood (but not the exact house) in Queens, New York City, where Ana Darcy Méndez had her memorable encounter with the Russian Mafia in Distant Cousin: Reincarnation. Those who have read the book will certainly remember that scene!


Below are some new photos of serval kitties from Julie's Jungle. The Méndez family has a caracal, but would dearly love one of these beautiful, active cats as well. The first photo is of an expectant mother. The others are baby kitties of various ages. Thanks, Julie!





More arpilleras: Part 1  Part 2  Part 3


MANY serval photos and photos of caracals and other cats in the column on the right, under the picture of the blue-eyed kitty, including:


Caracals: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Wearable art from Ecuador, Guatemala, and Mexico!


We have mentioned elsewhere that the people on Ana Darcy Méndez's home planet, Thomo, are fond of decoration and the arts. In a forthcoming post we will show some samples of ancient art originating from the historical area on Earth her people are believed to have come from. 

We have also mentioned that Ana has been taken by the arts on Earth, and particularly by textile art. (See below for examples of arpilleras (textile sculptures) and molas (amazing fabric creations from the Kuna people of Panama). 

Now we have some examples of wearable art from Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador. We could not ask Ana to send photographs of her own clothing, but friends of hers have very kindly allowed us to present some examples of theirs, with our very grateful thanks. 

It's easy to see why Ana would love these creations. They are colorful, immensely creative, beautifully human, lively, unique, and not least important, comfortable to wear! 

Note: these photos are generously sized. Click any to enlarge!

Above, a huípil from Guatemala. Below, nine items from Mexico.




A jacket from Mexico (one of Ana's very favorites):



Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico (left to right):



Guatemala, Mexico, Guatemala (each photo):




Molas, from Panama: part 1, part 2

Arpilleras from Ecuador & Peru, part 1, part 2, part 3



Investigate Ana's innovative recipes and favorite poems, too, in the column on the right, and also her ideas on education, aliens on Earth (ahem), her favorite shoes, photographs from sites of her adventures, and much more!