Taking the Zwarte out of Zwarte Piet

It's that time of year again!

Time to start the Zwarte Piet controversy anew!

It seems that you either love it or hate it.  I'm talking about the yearly arrival of Sinterklaas.  But it's not Sinterklaas that has everyone talking.  It's his friends/helpers/slaves - the hoards of Zwarte Piets.

Zwarte Piet - Friend or slave?

If you haven't met Zwarte Piet (Black Peter), you can check out my much less controversial post from last year.  Instead of elves, the Dutch Sinterklaas is accompanied by hundreds of "helpers" that paint their faces black, wear colorful clothes, and act goofy as they pass out candy and presents to the kids.  Some of those who grew up with him love him.  Others, especially those who aren't Dutch, are shocked by such a racist caricature.  This year, the controversy has reached new heights.  For me, it started when a co-worker brought Zwarte Piet chocolates to share at lunch... with resulted in a heated argument that lasted no less than 45 minutes.

Sinterklaas and his Racist Candy?

Those who love Zwarte Piet insist he is a well loved children's tradition.  Some say he's not black because of his skin, but because he zips up and down chimneys while delivering presents, and slowly accumulates soot.  Others say that the historical Saint Nicholas was accompanied by a Moor - hence the black skin.  In either case, Piet is a helper of Sinterklaas.  And the kids love him.  

Zwarte Piets perform for the crowds.

Others who hate Zwarte Piet see him as a racist stereotype, something that goes far beyond just his black skin to his large red lips, his frizzy black hair, and his similarity to the politically-incorrect gollywog dolls, now taboo.  His clumsy, bumbling nature doesn't help either.  They claim that Piet is a slave, an especially serious claim, since the historical Saint Nicholas helped to free slaves.  Some even claim it stems from an underlying fear of immigrants.

Goofy antics.

It seems that this year, the controversy reached new heights.  A protester, wearing a shirt with the words "Zwarte Piet is racism" to the annual arrival of Sinterklaas, was arrested by police.  Even a UN task force is investigating Zwarte Piet.  Meanwhile, those who want to keep Zwarte Piet are participating in the pro-Piet petition facebook page, which received over 2 million likes (which, considering the Netherlands has only 17 million people, is especially impressive).

A few years ago, Piet received a makeover, and instead of just Zwarte, Piets showed up in a rainbow of colors.  Outrage resulted.  This year, there was a smaller change of removing Piet's golden earrings, with some Piets wearing different color wigs as well.

Whatever your viewpoint, perhaps the controversy surrounding Zwarte Piet indicates that what one sees as a lovable character others see as an insult - and perhaps we don't understand each other as much as we think we do.    

The Stuff Pancakes are Made Of

New York state has a lot of water.  Growing up in the desert, this still fascinates me.  I would call any trickle of water down a rock face a waterfall.  New York state has a good share of "real" waterfalls.  Bram and I went to Buttermilk falls, a network of several falls down a beautiful stream*.

Walking up the waterfalls, many people take a break to walk in the pond at the base of the waterfall.

My husband frolics at the base of the waterfall.

Getting closer...

Then he decides he wants to try to climb it.

After his wife earns a few more gray hairs, he makes it to the top.

We decide to do a good portion of our hike through the stream itself.  Here I am at the top of my own scaled waterfall.

Some college students had too much time on their hands.

Fording the river.

The mini waterfalls, cutting away the soft rock.

Ever the great outdoors-man.

At this section of the river, the fast moving stream made a particularly deep hole in the soft rock.

These piles of rock are typically used by hikers in modern days to find their ways while hiking.  They have been found all over the world and some date back thousands of years.  These date back to last Friday night, when drunk college students made several of them.  A point if you know the name of these odd rock piles (no google).

* What we desert folk call a rushing river.

I See Shoes!

If you want to make a fashion statement, how about some wooden shoes?  While not worn as much in today's society, I have still seen young people on the streets, still sporting a pair of klumpa.  To celebrate all things related to wooden shoes, I now take you on a tour of the klumpa museum...

Wooden shoes for everyone!

They even have wooden shoes for giants!

You may think - why wear a wooden shoe?  Is it, well, practical?  I'm glad you asked.  Wooden klumpa have many purposes.  For example, you can outfit your shoe with spikes, making it easy to walk on the ice and snow during those cold Dutch winters.

Or these can whisk you away on the frozen canals!

But perhaps practicality is not your thing.  You're more into fashion.  Well, having a wooden shoe gives you a wonderful opportunity to paint all sorts of nice designs to compliment your wardrobe.

Or snazz it up with these wooden shoes, which look a lot like their leather counterparts!

And, if you really want something outlandish, you can... well... I'll just let the picture do the talking.

Or how about this...?

When your klumpa is old, don't throw it away!  You can reuse it for all sorts of purposes!

These beautiful klumpa are for weddings - intricately carved and beautiful, they rank as the most expensive of the klumpa.

Of course, you may need something for the two-week long Dutch summer.

Or shoes that serve as transportation.

Here's another example of an artfully recycled shoe.

Today, klumpa are made on mechanized machines, which rotate to carve just the right shape.

The machine in action.

Afterwards, we visit the store.  I've never seen so many shoes, wooden or otherwise!

Even as the lighting fixtures!