[ ]I bought some Cowrie shells on eBay recently to finish up a Beaver Stick I started probably twenty years ago. I'd decorated half of it and technically it could be called finished, and I've used it on several recordings and live a few times, but I wanted to finish it off with several more rows of Cowrie shells. They're beautiful shells and even better they're hollow and have a great percussive sound. In times like these people are giving away stuff like that, and I used the trick I mentioned where you put something in your cart but don't buy it, and the seller will see your interest and usually offer you a discount. One of the people who sold me the shells absolutely made my day, twice over.
[ ]When the package from her arrived I was almost shocked. She'd made a handmade box, folded, painted and tied off with a ribbon. There was a small envelope and inside of that was a folded card like a greeting card. On the front she'd made an underwater scene out of shells and it was amazing. Some of that stuff is still cool but a bit cheesy but this was really well-done. She'd even made a jellyfish out of a shell, with tiny, thin pieces for the tentacles. It must have taken her at least an hour or so to make it. The star of the show was a Sea Turtle. I was blown away, and all for an $11 order, shipped.
[ ]I'm a turtle guy from way back. I was immediately reminded of all the turtle incidents in my life. Some years back I rescued a Box turtle after a bad storm. He was disoriented because the landscape was torn up, and he kept heading full tilt for an interchange where two interstates meet. I kept turning him around toward the woods but he'd immediately turn back and take off straight for the highway, so I finally brought him home and let him go in the backyard, where there was a creek that led into the Little Cahaba River, where he'd be fine. About three months later I saw him on the front porch and he looked hungry. I recognized him by the distinct sunburst pattern on his shell. I was eating a banana and I broke off a piece and held it down to him and he immediately started eating. He really was hungry because he didn't flinch when I approached him. He set up shop under the front porch for about two years. I fed him every day and even gave him a water bowl, as recommended by the experts. He was a lot of fun. His name was Charles T. Box.
[ ] Then there's the time I first met my friend Bruce. He's a fellow drummer and we'd played in a couple of the same bands here in town. We hit it off immediately. He's a character. He'd just had hernia surgery, and when I found out that he had to leave his drums at a club because he was in too much pain, I offered to go pack them up and bring them to his crib. I woke up early that morning and went back to sleep. I had a vivid dream about having some land and several turtle ponds. I'd go out to feed them and they'd all swim over and gather 'round to eat. There were freshwater turtles of every description. It was an awesome dream, and it'd be real life if I had my druthers.
[ ]I snagged the drums and went to his place. I'd never been there before. On the way over I was still thinking about that dream. When I pulled into Bruce's driveway my jaw dropped and I basically froze in place, looking around. All over the yard there were baby pools full of all kinds of turtles. It had barely been an hour since I had a dream about turtles. Bruce asked me what was wrong because I'm sure I looked like a fool just standing there. I told him about the dream. "You're a Shaman" he said. I'll never forget that day. We hardly knew each other but we bonded over drums and turtles. As a bonus I quickly realized that I'd recently dated his sister a few times (boy, howdy she was fun) but I didn't tell him that. She did though and that always gave him something to rag me about.
[ ]Way back around '93 or '94 I was at the Cahaba River one day. I looked down and noticed what looked like two thin circles drawn on the sand in pencil, and it turned out to be two tiny hatchling Musk turtles, about as big as a nickel, if that big. I can't believe I even noticed but maybe my brain is wired to recognize the turtle shape. I found them at the end of a tiny stream that ran into the river. The mother had laid the eggs a few feet up the stream, knowing that the babies would wash down into the river. I didn't know it at the time but it's illegal to keep Musk turtles, although I doubt you'd do any jail time for having a couple in an aquarium, and the Statute of Limitations has long run out. I put them into an aquarium that already had another river-dweller- a crawdad. There was a layer of sand, and I made a bank so they could get out of the water, so they felt right at home. I kept them maybe two years and they were really fun to watch. They ate everything from veggies to frozen Silverside minnows, and they'd eat out of my hand. When I'd turn on the light in the morning they'd excitedly swim up to the glass and paddle around like a couple of dogs, waiting to be fed. It was awesome. Most likely had I not brought them home they'd have ended up in the belly of a fish or a bird. They were tiny and their shells were soft. Just like the mother knows where to lay eggs, other creatures know too.
[ ]I wrote to the woman to tell her how much I appreciated everything and how much I loved turtles. She told me that she gets most of her shells from Native tribes in Mexico, which is interesting in itself, but then she told me that they use Cowrie shells to make rattles, which is exactly what I'm doing. Small world. Then she told me about the turtle ceremony. It took me a minute to grasp the idea of Native people living by the sea, due to our westernized view of Natives, but man...talk about an interesting beach party...
[ ]She said that every time they find a Leatherback turtle on land, they have a brief but huge celebration. Unlike our dumb asses these people understand the importance of any creature, and the idea that if one species is endangered we all are, and they especially revere the turtle. They hold to the Creation theory that says basically that the world was carried on the back of a turtle. As rare as the Leatherback is now (and will probably be finished off by all the fucking masks ending uo in the ocean) it's cause for celebration. I'd really love to know more about it and maybe she'll tell me more, but what she said was that they quickly paint it with temporary natural dyes and then they release it back into the ocean. She said the turtles don't seem to mind. It's showing reverence and respect and sort of a prayer for the continuing of the species. That's pretty cool.
[ ]When you're a turtle person it's great to hear a turtle story. It's also great to hear that there are still people who give a damn about things like Sea Turtles. Plus we make rattles with Cowrie shells. I'm honored. It's nice to meet someone who's basically on my same wavelength. My love of turtles was no doubt enhanced when I read "Yertle the Turtle" by Dr. Seuss, but I'd be a turtle guy with or without that wonderful book. It's cool to know that I have something in common with that tribe- I love all creatures but I have a special place for turtles. If I had a "spirit animal" it'd totally be the turtle. Slow and steady wins the race. I'm not ashamed to say I pray for the Sea Turtles. They're going to need it.
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