Sunday 20 July 2014

tunuri and blue deer

This book is one of the loveliest books I have ever found for children and is  a joy for all ages. It tells a traditional childhood story with a deep message.
"The Journey of Tunuri and the Blue Deer is the story of Tunuri and his journey with Blue Deer. Tunuri, an inquistive and adventurous Huichol youth, is making a trip to the sacred mountain with the families of his village. A beautiful butterfly catches his attention, and he follows it over many hills and through the forest. Tunuri looks around and realizes that he couldn't see or hear anyone. He is lost.
Something catches Tunuri's eye, and he notices a unusual deer walking toward him which seemed to glow from inside. He knew that this deer was no ordinary animal--the coat was a lovely deep blue color! Magical Blue Deer introduces itself, and tells Tunuri that it knows where his family is. He beckons Tunuri to follow, and wherever the deer stepped, colorful flowers began to grow. Blue Deer leads Tunuri on a journey where he meets Father Sun, Brother Wind, Sister Water, Mother Earth, and Grandfather Fire. Grandfather Fire assures Tunuri that he is never truly alone, even if lost, and gives Tunuri a special task: to share all that he had learned that day with everyone he knows and meets.
The Huichol Indians are among the last of the world's indigenous cultures that have been able to maintain their way of life and spiritual traditions into this new millenium. They live in remote regions of the Sierra Madre Mountains of western Mexico, and although some communities can be reached by car, many of them are still isolated by mountainous terrain. The Huichol have a rich, nature-based spiritual tradition, and The Journey of Tunuri and the Blue Deer is a modern adaptation of one of their traditional stories. Two of the most important elements of the Huichol spiritual tradition is the sacred Blue Deer and the sacred cactus, hikuri, and this story reflects the teaching of how a boy or girl finds his or her task in life by connecting with the powers of nature through their help."

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