Publisher's Synopsis
Martin Prechtel was raised on an Indian reservation in New Mexico but lived for many years with the Tzutujil people of Santiago Atitlan in Guatemala. he was apprenticed as a Mayan shaman and eventually rose to become the Najbey Mam. First Chief of the village.;His powerful and moving story captures the magic and mystery of a wise and magnificent people. Their eloquent poetry resonates throughout the book with a rhythm which reinforces the vitality of this vanishing culture. It tells of the importance of initiation in the flowering and maturation of a new generation as they become the "ripe fruit" of the village.;"When we lose a sense of belonging to something greater than the individual", says Prechtel, "people are left with ghosts of hatred that posses generation after successive generation. But, deep in our bones lies a memory of community, of belonging, that needs simply to be sparkled.;This book is both a personal memoir and a portrait of the importance of community identity.
