Shamans Perform for Christ School
Colombian father and son offer up ceremonial prayer, traditional songs
Asheville is booming in popularity, which means lots of interesting people pass through the city on a day-to-day basis.
But a couple Shamans?
Allowing students to witness rituals and tradition that most only read about in textbooks is an opportunity that the Christ School World Languages Department could not pass up.
The Colombian father-son duo of Taitas Javier and Edwin Dorado performed for about an hour Thursday night in front of Stolz Hall. As is customary, the Shamans offered up their ceremonial prayer and traditional songs in front of a fire. The flames were contained in the Dining Hall's firepit.
"You could travel the world and never encounter anything like this," Spanish instructor Les Thornbury said. "It's really a rare opportunity for our school."
Javier and Dorado have been in the area as guests of UNC Asheville. The songs and words they spoke Thursday are Yanakuna, which originated from a servant class in the Inca Empire.
Thursday's performance was part of a festive evening. Students and faculty decorated St. Joseph's Chapel for Christmas, and Cuningham House was declared the winner of a contest for the best-decorated dorm. This is the last full week of regular classes at Christ School before first-semeter exams.
