This past Saturday, we had an awesome experience! We had a once in a life time opportunity to see how the Borucans “milk” the Murex snails for their secretions. The secretions produce a beautiful purple dye that the Borucan’s use in their woven crafts.
Eddie and I accompanied our friend Susie and Doña Marina (the matriarch of the Borucan group, Artesanos Naturales) to the treacherous rocks of Costa Ballena. It was a long and hot walk there and back, but definitely worth it! There, we saw Marina and her son collecting the secretions of the snails to dye their yarn. Eddie was right there with them on the rocks taking photographs! The following is a brief description of the history and process:
“The milking of the Murex snail, originating in the 4th century B.C. is a process passed down thru the generations. The Murex snail provides a milky-white secretion that upon the exposure to air and light, changes color, at first yellow, then greenish and finally after a day’s time in the hot sun, a pretty purple called Royal Tyrian purple. The women of the Borucan community use this special purple extract in the dyeing of their cotton yarn which will be used for the weaving of their beautiful products. During the waning moon (menguante), the Borucans visit the rockiest beaches of Costa Ballena in the months of January and February, knowing they will find the Murex snails hiding and mating along the rocks. It is dangerous and treacherous work to find and “milk” the snails. Doña Marina and others pull the snails off of the slippery rocks. Next, they softly blow on them so that the snails release their secretions, which drip onto the yarn that they are holding. The secretions cannot be stored; the yarn has to be dyed right there. The Borucans are one of two indigenous groups left in the world doing this process, but they are the only group keeping the snails alive by returning them back to the rocks.”