THE TREE OF LIFE
Under the shadow of a tree, rest my family
remains
in the village where they once lived,
where my mother, my aunt and
grandparents grew up,
surrounded by the countryside and the
animals.
Between the trees, the abandoned village
disappears,
just the ruins of the old count’s castle and
the church stay,
The wilderness invades what once used to
be a small village located in the Navarra
region, in Spain,
here woods and fields abound,
and then, there is just one tree, different
from the rest,
the only thing that remains from the family
home.
Under the shadow of that tree, we buried
the ashes of those who are not here
anymore.
The path from the village leading to the tree
of life,
this is how I call it,
represents a ritual for me and my sister.
The trail is marked by the Camino de
Santiago route, in Navarra,
there is a small path that goes up,
the tree branches do not allow easy access.
The ancient cemetery, where is still possible
seeing some graves,
is completely inaccessible.
The nature invaded and casted the village of
my family into oblivion.
This work is based on my final photography
project,
In which I talk about death, fear of death
On how, in some ways, I have a special bond
with that tree, where we scattered the ashes
of our departed ancestors
and the bond I have with the path I always
take to reach it.
A picture of landscapes and portraits,
that creates a new fusion between the
nature and I.
………
The worship of trees has always been very
common in European wooded areas, in
particular in the Basque Country – Navarra
(North of Spain), where cult and rituals
related to the forest are still present.
From there comes the idea of a sacred tree -
also known as “saint” or “monumental” – as
a religious and political symbol.
Thanks to the abundance of woods on the
Northern side of Spain, those sacred trees
are very important for the local economy
and own a mystical value and high cultural
status.
