Ke huakaʻi nei ma kahi o Nayarit riviera, ua paipai nā kamaʻāina iā mākou e kipa aku i ka lua wai ʻo Boca de Camichín, ma ke kaona o Santiago Ixcuintla, ma laila mākou e komo ai i kahi hana kūikawā: ka mahi ʻana i nā ʻōpala.
I ko mākou hele ʻana ma waena o Santiago Ixcuintla ua loaʻa iā mākou ka manawa kūpono e mahalo ai i ka mural Our Roots, aia ma nā paia o ka uapo nui a ʻo ka mea kākau ʻo ia ka haku ʻo José Luis Soto nāna, ma waena o 1990 a 1992, i hana i kēia hana nani. Hana ʻia ka mural me nā mea pālolo ʻoihana, i ka hui pū me nā mea maʻamau o ka ʻāina kai: nā pūpū, ke one, obsidian, pōhaku hae, aniani, mosaic, talavera a me ke kinikini.
Ma hope o kā mākou kipa hoʻi mākou i ke ala i Boca de Camichín. ʻO ka hapalua ka waha o ka Rio Grande de Santiago e hoʻomomona ana i ke awāwa o Santiago Ixcuintla, e waiho ana i kahi ʻāhinahina mānoanoa i kēlā me kēia avenues. Nui nā lagoons o kēia wahi, pili kekahi i nā kahawai kūlohelohe me ka lua wai ʻo Camichín. ʻO kēia pūnaewele o nā kahawai, nā lagoon a me nā estuaries ka waiwai o nā lawaiʻa ʻoiai he paradaiso ia o nā ʻano wai he nui, ʻo ia hoʻi ka ʻōpae a me nā ʻōpelu.
I ko mākou komo ʻana i ke kaiāulu lawaiʻa liʻiliʻi o Boca de Camichín pihoihoi mākou i ka ʻike maoli ʻia o kēlā me kēia kaona e lulu ʻia i loko o nā miliona o nā pūpū, ʻo ia hoʻi nā ʻōpelu. Pololei kēlā, haʻi ka poʻe kamaʻāina iā mākou, ma aneʻi mākou e hoʻolaʻa ai iā mākou iho i ka mahi ʻōlio. Kāhea lākou iā mākou e aʻo e pili ana i ke kaʻina hana o kēia hana e kākoʻo ai i ke kaona holoʻokoʻa. ʻO ka nui o nā pūpū, haʻi lākou iā mākou, lawe ʻia mai i nā kalaka mai nā wahi ʻē aʻe, keu hoʻi mai ke kahakai ʻo Sinaloan kahi e nui ai nā pūpū; ke ola nei kekahi o lākou mai ka wā ma mua o ka Hispanic, ʻo ia hoʻi, ʻo kahi ʻōlio e ʻono mākou ma hope, aia i loko o kahi pūpū i hoʻohana ʻia no ka hana like ma mua o hoʻokahi tausani makahiki i hala.
Ma hope o ka hōʻiliʻili lawa ʻana i nā pūpū, he aha ka mea e loaʻa ai ke kūkulu ʻana i ka ʻau a i ʻole ka paila me nā lana lana fiberglass, kahi e hoʻopaʻa ai kekahi mau papa kahi e paʻa ai nā "aho" e paʻa ana i ka wai i loko o ka lua wai. I mea e hana ai i nā "string", me ka hoʻohui i nā pūpū, pono ka pae polyethylene a me ka Tube PVC. Hoʻomoʻa ʻia nā pūpū a kau pākahi ʻia i kahi pae, ma waena o kēlā me kēia ʻāpana o kahi paipu ma kahi o 10 knm e hoʻokau ʻia ai nā pūpū i hoʻokaʻawale ʻia.
I ke kau ua, i Iune-Iulai, ʻōlelo ka poʻe kamaʻāina ua kū nā ʻōtio, ʻo ia hoʻi ka hui mua ʻana o nā pūpū, me ka ʻole o ka paipu hoʻokaʻawale, no laila pili nā larvae i ke kahakai o ka muʻu a ʻoi aku ka maikaʻi o ka wā "kokoleka" ka wai; ʻeono paha lā o kēia hana. I ka manawa e loaʻa ai ka iwi i ka iwi i loko o ka pūpū, hoʻokomo ʻia i loko o ka "string" a laila e hoʻokomo ʻia i nā kaupaku, kahi e noho ai no ʻehiku mau mahina.
Hiki i kahi peʻa i ka makahiki maikaʻi ke hana i ʻeono mau tona o ka ʻōlena. Aia kekahi o nā lālā kōkua i ʻoi aku ma mua o ʻumikūmālima mau ʻōpelu ʻōiwi i makemake nui ʻia e kēlā me kēia lawaiʻa. ʻO nā hana āpau ma Boca de Camichín e puni ana i ka ʻōpena, pili pū kekahi ia i nā kalaka e lawe i nā pūpū a me nā pahu a i ʻole nā lana e hana ʻia ai nā ʻōpala, ka poʻe i hoʻolaʻa ʻia e hou i nā pū, e wili iā lākou me ka pae a ʻo ka paipu, nā mea e ʻokiʻoki i nā papa e kūkulu i nā kaupaku, i ka pōkole, ʻo nā keiki hoʻi no kekahi mau moni e wehe i ka ʻōpelu.
I nā waʻa a i nā waʻa paha hiki iā ʻoe ke hōʻea i loko o ka puʻu wai kahi e loaʻa ai ka hapa nui o nā kaupoku, ʻoi aku ka haʻahaʻa o ia mau mea, ʻo ia hoʻi, me ka ʻole o nā tambo, i hoʻokau kokoke ʻia i kahakai e pale aku i ke kai mai ka lawe ʻana iā lākou. I kēia mau hihia ʻaʻole ulu nui ka ʻōpelu, eia naʻe ka hapa nui he ʻeono a ʻewalu mau loko i waenakonu o ka lua wai.
No ka hemo ʻana i nā "kaula" mai nā mea i hoʻokomo ʻia, koi ʻia kahi kūlana maikaʻi, ʻoiai ma nā hanana he nui e pono ai e lūlū a puka me kahi "penca" kaumaha kahi i hoʻohui ʻia me nā ʻōpelu a me nā ʻio i hoʻopaʻa ʻia. He mea hoihoi nō hoʻi ia e ʻike pehea i kahi hale lole o kekahi o nā rafts kahi e noho ai ka mea mālama i kekahi manawa e mālama i nā mea aloha mai ka malihini. Kūʻai ʻia aku nā ʻaihue e nā wahine e mālama ana i nā canopies ma kahakai.
ʻO ke kaona i loko o kēia wai wai nani i noho ma kahi o 50 mau makahiki. Ma kāna mau alaloa ma waena o nā hana nui i hana ʻia ma ka mahina ʻo Iune a ʻAukake, kahi e kanu nei i ka manawa, hiki iā ʻoe ke ʻike i ke kula mua, ke kula kiʻekiʻe ʻelua, nā kīʻaha ukali, ka hui lawaiʻa i ʻoi aku ma mua o 150 mau lālā Loaʻa iā lākou ka pōmaikaʻi mai ka lawelawe ʻana iā ia mai nā lawelawe like ʻole e like me: nā van e hoʻoneʻe i ka huahana, nā kanu ʻana, ka hoʻoponopono alanui a me nā pono ʻē aʻe. I nā hale pale ma ke kahakai hiki iā ʻoe ke ʻono i nā iʻa ʻē aʻe i lawaiʻa ʻia i ka muāpau ma kahi o nā ʻōtio: snook, curvina, shark, shrimp a me nā mea ʻē aʻe. Ma Boca de Camichín hiki iā ʻoe ke hoʻomaʻamaʻa i ka lawaiʻa haʻuki.
I ko mākou haʻalele ʻana i ke kūlanakauhale e hoʻi i Santiago, ua kū mākou i ʻelima mau kilomita ke kahakai ma ke kahakai ʻo Los Corchos, nona ke one gula o ke ʻano maikaʻi, kahi pali mālie a me kahi nalu maʻamau, akā ʻo ka mea nui he wahi maʻemaʻe ia kahi he hapalua kakini nā hale bowerhouse kahi Hiki iā ʻoe ke ʻono i ka iʻa iʻa me ka pia anuanu hau. He mea kupaianaha ka napoʻo ʻana o ka lā ma Los Corchos, nā waikahe gula e hoʻopiha ai i nā hale malumalu, ʻoiai e hoʻomākaukau ana nā kamaʻāina e pani a hoʻi i ka home ma Boca de Camichín; ke nalowale ka lā ua neoneo kahi me ka ʻeʻale o ka nalu wale nō.
