Asturian-American Migration Forum

Some musicians are so talented all they have to do is step onstage to please the audience. They are the music. I think that's the case of Xosé Antón Ambás, who goes by the name of 'Ambás'. He's from County Grau (Grado), just upriver from our friend Tony Carreño's grandparents' village of La Preda (Pereda) on the river Cubia. For those who like Afuega'l Pitu, Ambas' parents run a farm and produce the white and red (with pimentón) varieties of cheese labeled as 'Ca Sancho'.

Ambás is not only a gifted musician with a picturesque voice. He's also disarmingly funny. He'll sit down on a stool onstage and pick on the other two members of Tuenda (Pepín de Muñalén, on the flute, and Elias Garcia, on the bouzouki). No matter what he says, even if it's just to say how big the county of Cangas del Narcea is ('Qué grande ia Cangas!), people will begin to laugh at his antics. If he were 80 years old, he would be a perfect example of the 'retranca asturiana', the sense of humor that sets Asturians apart. But Ambás is scarcely 30 (although he spends a lot of time with 80-year-olds). He's also known for the quality of his field recordings.

Anyway, if you're lucky enough to be in Asturias this weekend (March 24, 2007), you can see Ambás perform at Tineu's 'Cine Marvi'. There's no central heating in that theater, so grab a few sweaters. Ambás will be singing, together with Diego Pangua (bagpiper) and Dolfu Rodriguez (various string instruments), songs from the western county of Allande. Their CD was recorded with the help of the municipality and is hard to find even in La Puela (Pola de Allande), the county seat. I asked recently and they were out of CDs...

If you're not in Asturias, check out the youtube streams and listen to a few of Tuenda's songs at www.myspace.com/tuenda

Below is an announcement of their concert in Tineu, by Ruben Ardura:

22/03/2007 El Conceyu de Tinéu entama pa esti sábadu un conciertu onde se va presentar el discu "Música Tradicional d'Allande", cd nel que varios músicos folk faen un recorríu pela música tradicional d'esti conceyu del suroccidente asturianu. Nel conciertu van tar los músicos responsables del discu, arriendes de los gallegos Batuka Reventola. El conciertu va celebrase a les 20:00 hores nel Cine Marvi de Tinéu cola entrada llibre. Ellí los músicos Diego Pangua, Dolfu Rodríguez y Xosé Ambás van tocar y falar sobre los sones del discu, editáu pol Conceyu d'Allande y nel que se puede sentir una amuesa de palos bien diferentes, dende les xotes hasta les muñeires o romances. Nel discu pueden sentise unos segundos del informante al que se-y grabó la pieza orixinal, grabaciones frutu del trabayu de campu realizáu por estos músicos, pa darréu sentir una versión d'esi cantar interpretada polos mesmos músicos. Na presentación de Tinéu, la música tradicional d'Allande va contar cola compañía del grupu gallegu "Batukas Reventola", nueve muyeres y una pareya de neños que baillen al son de los ritmos del so país, emplegando instrumentos caseros.

Thanks for the tip, Is. I had never heard of Xose Antón Ambás before, but he does have a very peculiar voice, very similar to Chus Pedro's but not quite. Nice to hear that he has the typically Asturian sense of humour, "retranca", which has always been an important social skill. People with retranca not only dish it out, they can also take it, and that is what is sadly missing from todays Society, everybody is soooo TOUCHY about everything!

The ‘retranca’ is indeed uniquely Asturian, although the Irish sense of humor gets close in its earthiness. As a teenager sitting in the back of the car, my father once identified an old man coming down a road with a ‘boina’. He wore a rascal-like smile on his face, so my father told my mother (she’s the driver) to pull over. My father lowered his window and the old man peered into the car, smiling a rather toothless smile. ‘Coño, muita xente hai eiqui metío,’ he said setting his hands on the car and taking a look at the dashboard. Then he chatted with my father for a while, who he did not know, as if their friendship went way back. I think the ‘retranca’ is a way to level things out and to put social inhibitions aside. I find it’s mostly older men who practice the sport, with women keeping more to themselves.

Anyway, Ambás is also ‘socarrón’, but I have no idea how to translate that into English. I think he should have his own stand-up comedy where he talks about anecdotes in Asturian villages. On a recent trip on an ALSA bus from La Puela (Allande) to Tineu, the old men in the front of the bus were constantly going at each other about their prostates, their inlaws, the driver’s driving and a guy’s missing leg, all the while delivering reams of swear words. By the way, Art was interested in learning the variations on ‘Me cago’n…’ I can still volunteer a few for the furthering of science.

Yeah, we should start a new thread about all the variations on "Me cago." The variety is amazing.

One dictionary wrote:"socarrón, socarrona:
adjetivo (sarcástico) sarcastic, snide;
(taimado) sly, crafty

Claro, debemos empezar un hilo nuevo sobre todas las variaciones de "me cago". La variedad es increíble.

'Sarcastic' does not convey the humor embedded in 'socarron'. 'Sly' gets a bit closer, but not 100%. 'Snide' is probably the closest, but misses the lightness of 'socarron'.

Anyway, Art, tell me what thread is best for a scientific breakdown of the 'Me cago...' repertory.

Here is one Tony Carreño might want to examine: 'Me cagüen las pitas de Grau'.

Hmm. I suppose it depends on the emphasis. It could go in one of the language areas (either "Asturian & Bable" or "Castilian Spanish") or in the humor area. But if it's really graphic, maybe it should go in "Political Discussion" so that no one is offended. It's your call, Paul.

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Umm. Supongo que depende del énfásis. Puede ser parte de una del la zonas de lenguaje (o "Asturianu y bables" o "Castellano"), o en la sección de humor, pero si es muy gráfico, quizá debe ser en la sección de Discusión Política" para que no molestaría a nadie. Es tu decisión, Paul.

Xose Ambas, the lead singer of folk music group 'Tuenda' and a talented field ethnographer, has a new show on Asturian public television channel (TPA) called 'Camin de Cantares' (Songroads, loosely translated). The show is shot by Ramon Lluis Bande, a noted filmmaker and writer. With his typical wry Asturian humor, Ambas takes us for visits to the countryside to meet some of the people (mostly women in their 80s and 90s) who have provided him with traditional tunes for his oral archives. The show will serve as a documentation of Asturian culture from west to east.

On the day his show aired, 'Camin de Cantares' had a viewer share of 10.2%, which was the highest that day for any program on the TPA, a channel that is financed with taxpayer money, but regularly shuns Asturian culture as 'backward' and 'uneducated'. The content editor, Juan Jose Guerenabarrena Hormaechea, is a political appointee of the Areces-led government (PSOE/FSA) who has worked mostly in Madrid. He is known by some of the staff at the TPA and by journalists covering the media, to have made disparaging remarks about life in the Asturian countryside, apparently complaining about 'cow dung'. So the fact that Ambas' show has reached the highest viewer share on the day it aired should serve as a slap in the face for Guerenabarrena and other TPA content editors.

The following interview with Xose Anton Ambas appears in the April 6, 2007, edition of Les Noticies, the Asturian-language weekly published in Uvieu.

Xosé Ambás ta acabante debutar nel mediu televisivu con «Camín de Cantares» (TPA), una serie dirixida por Ramón Lluis Bande na que'l músicu y investigador visita a los informantes del so Archivu de la Tradición Oral pa documentar asina tanto la riqueza d'una llingua, l'asturianu, como'l testimoniu d'una dómina al puntu de desapaecer pa siempre. El programa supón, tanto pal so director como pal so protagonista, la confirmación d'una vieya idea: la de que la tradición ye un bon puntu dende'l que mirar al futuru. -El pasáu sábadu debutó na televisión con «Camín de Cantares».

¿Cómo definiría la filosofía del programa?

-Ye un programa que naz depués d'una propuesta de Ramón Lluís Bande. Cuando echó a andar la TPA, que tien una filosofía que nun comparto, parecíame perimportante que tuviere presencia nella la identidá asturiana. Cuando vi que les coses nun yeren mui esperanzadores, pensé qu'había que dir ganando tarrén, furando y faciendo país pa camudar la filosofía d'una tele qu'agora mesmo nun reflexa nin la voluntá nin la realidá identitaria del pueblu asturianu. Yo yá pensaba cuando arrancó l'Ente de la necesidá d'un programa que reflexara la cultura tradicional, la tradición oral, pa que'l pueblu asturianu la conociera. Nun se trata más que de sacar la realidá cultural d'esti país, desgraciadamente en desaniciu, na televisión de toos. Hubo más xente que faló conmigo pa lleva-yos propuestes a la TPA, pero naide me planteaba un formatu seriu. Yo llegué a tener una reunión individual cola TPA pa fala-yos del mio archivu y ofrece-yos la posiblidá de cede-yoslu cola idea de crear un fondu documental importante con conteníos musicales, llingüísticos y culturales. La única persona que me fixo una propuesta seria foi Bande, que me faló d'un programa dividíu en tres partes: una primera consistente nun paséu col protagonista de cada capítulu mientes falamos de la vida; una segunda consistente nuna entrevista na so casa sobre la so tradición oral y una tercera na que'l mio grupu, Tuenda, fai una reellaboración d'una de les canciones tresmitíes pol informante. Con esi proyectu sí quixi comprometeme.

-Los protagonistes de los que fala son los informantes del so Archivu de la Tradición Oral, qu'abarca tol territoriu d'Asturies...

-Decidimos facer una primera temporada faciendo un recorríu representativu de tola xeografía asturiana, igual que fiximos col discu de Tuenda, representando la zona occidental, la centro-occidental, la central y la oriental. Fain falta munchos más capítulos. Lo ideal diba ser facer dos temporaes más pa que quede un fondu documental más potente. De momentu, eso sí, tenemos trece capítulos sobre cultura tradicional y identidá llingüística y musical, y yá ye más de lo qu'había hasta agora.

-Amás de ser un reflexu d'un mou de vida, el programa dexa tamién constancia de lo que ye'l so propiu trabayu d'investigación.

-Ta basáu neso, en dir a ver a los mios informantes, a la xente que m'aprendió lo que sé, anque dalgunos yá nun tán y a otros ye urxente grabalos porque van dexar de tar pronto. El trabayu foi mui fácil porque nun fixi más que dir a les cases nes que tengo les puertes abiertes, a la mio familia. El camín yá taba andáu depués d'un trabayu de quince años, y entendilu como una manera de paga-y a toa esa xente faciendo que queden reflexaos na televisión. A ellos va presta-yos, y pa mi ye la meyor manera d'amosar esos materiales al pueblu asturianu, que ye lo que yo quiero. Una paisana que canta un romance del sieglu xii tien que ser conocida polos asturianos. Otra cosa son los temes reellaboraos, que sí lleven más trabayu, pero tamién ye dalgo perimportante porque al final del programa va haber trece temes tradicionales reellaboraos y grabaos.

-¿Tamos escaeciendo demasiao los oríxenes?

-La realidá que ta ehí fuera ye desconocida pa una gran parte del pueblu asturianu. Cuando yo voi dar una charla y pongo fotos o grabaciones d'estétiques que la xente considera extinguíes nun pongo dalgo que goce de vitalidá, sinón los últimos coletazos de la cultura tradicional en desaniciu, pero qu'inda ta ehí porque Asturies ye un país con una ruralidá caltenida importante, cosa que n'otros países yá nun hai. Nel noroeste de la península, pol nuestru arcaísmu, la tradición inda llega hasta güei. Nun reinventamos un res nin tamos resucitando muertos, sinón garrando realidades vives pa qu'esti programa valga de conexón colo que vien detrás. Espero qu'al conocese tol material haiga más interés nel caltenimientu de la cultura tradicional. El trabayu de «Camín de cantares» va tener valor a llargu plazu. Dientro venti años, cuando yá nun queden materiales, esti trabayu va ser importante.

-Ye dicir: nun lo ve como dalgo namás televisivo, sinón con un significáu munchu más profundu.

-La tele ye la canal, el mediu, pero'l conteníu... La xente va ver los programes y va flipar col conteníu en tolos niveles. Va vese un conteníu estéticu (hai que pensar que yá se tán perdiendo les estétiques tradicionales), y el sentir falar a los últimos falantes d'asturianu patrimonial de verdá nun ye menos interesante. Yá se fixo col Atlas Sonoru de la Llingua Asturiana, pero esto va más allá porque tien imaxe, ves les cares, los xestos. Y llueu ta'l conteníu a otros niveles: les histories, les canciones... Ye un programa completu.

-¿Cómo foi la vuelta a los informantes col equipu de televisión? Nun tuvo que ser fácil que persones yá octoxenaries na mayoría de los casos y ensin ningún vínculu col mundu urbanu falaran con naturalidá énte les cámares de televisión...

-Yo tenía mieu a eso, pero a la vez tenía confianza. El mio trabayu ye más sentimental qu'otra cosa. Hai estudiosos que namás van al datu. El mio trabayu ye mui diferente, tien un posu más humanu. Yo pertenezo a esi mundu, criéme nesi mundu, conózolu y relaciónome como ún más d'esi mundu. Cuando voi a Cangas igual grabo un romance que voi ver el ganáu cola paisana. Eso ábrete más les puertes. Igual escucho un romance que canto un romance. Ye un intercambiu: yo saco y doi. Canto con ellos, bailo con ellos, vuelvo munches veces namás pa tomar un café, felicito les fiestes... La xente nun s'espantó de les cámares porque les cámares veníen con Ambás, y Ambás ye ún más de la familia. Avisábalos de que díbemos a grabar, y un día enantes diba yo solu a velos pa tranquilizalos, pa explica-yos cómo diba ser la grabación y quita-yos un poquiñín los nervios. Tol equipu ta sorprendíu de lo bien que respondió la xente, porque falamos de dos cámares y un micrófonu grande, y de lo que ye tol montaxe... Tengo un llabor importante, que ye'l de facela desentendese de la cámara, pero'l equipu failo mui bien porque naide fala nada, too ye mui aséptico. D'esi mou, nun tenemos contaminación llingüística y los informantes escaécense más fácilmente de tol entramáu técnicu.

Is wrote:

Here is one Tony Carreño might want to examine: 'Me cagüen las pitas de Grau'.

Those poor hens in Grau. We should make an effort to spare them from this fate, although I don't see anything wrong with discussing the topic in the regular areas of the forum. In any event, chickens move much too fast and irregularly for me to accomplish that particular deed.

As some of you know, I devote a day in one of my classes to language taboos, and how and why they are different in different languages. I've never had a single student who was offended (although I do invite them to stay away that day if they are easily offended), and the language (en inglés) that I talk about is far stronger that cagar is (en castellano or n'asturianu).

Bob wrote:Is wrote:

Here is one Tony Carreño might want to examine: 'Me cagüen las pitas de Grau'.

Those poor hens in Grau. We should make an effort to spare them from this fate, although I don't see anything wrong with discussing the topic in the regular areas of the forum.

Yeah, probes pitas, they're not to blame. As a 7-year-old, I got in deep trouble for letting a dog loose in the 'piteiru' (chicken coop). It was supposed to be a 'science experiment', out of an interest in animal behavior. The dog, a feisty little German shepherd, killed two of the hens. Although people were gracious to little rascals in the countryside, I'll never forget the dog's eyes looking at me with a dead chicken hanging from its jawbone: 'Hey, this was your idea, buddy. Don't blame me now.'

By the way, to call the pitas in western Asturias you say 'Xo, xo, xo!' (pronounced SHO-SHO-SHO). In central Asturias you say 'Pita, pita, pita!' (pronounced PEE-TA).

Back to the 'cagamentos' string, maybe the Humor section is best, Bob. I'll need everyone's own contributions, though...

Well, just count me as one of those who thinks that an adult discussion of potentially or even overtly offensive language is never inappropriate (except perhaps in a website composed primarily of people uhder the age of 10), but that using offensive language as weapon against others is always to be despised, except in cases in which, as described by a good friend of mine, it reponds to provocation in a manner that could be described as "a small but satisfying fit of pique."

Yo ya tengo una cita pal branu, colo pal país n'Agostu y el 16 toca Tuenda, que acaba de sacar discu nuevu en Carabanzo un pueblín de Lena. También tarán Skanda y los míticos Dixebra

Amás faen una "performance" representando la llucha ente astures y romanos que ye percuriosa. Si tais per ellí nun vos lo perdáis

Equí podéis ver el programa

http://www.carabanzoyenacion.es/programacion.html

Nun vos perdais el nome de la web que tien muncho xeitu (al estilu Los Berrones): Carabanzo ye nación

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I already have an appointment for the summer, I will travel to Asturies in August and saturday 16 Tuenda with his lead singer Ambás plays, they have a new album in Carabanzo, a little village of Lena. Skanda and Dixebra will be there, too.


Besides making a "performance" represents the fight among Astures and Romans that is very entertaining. If you will be in Asturies in August do not lose it.

Here you can see the program

http://www.carabanzoyenacion.es/programacion.html

The name of the site has no wastage (Los Berrones' style):
Carabanzo ye nación


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