GOSHEN

In March 2013, we began production of our documentary film GOSHEN. The primary filming location was in the remote region of the Copper Canyons and Sierra Madre mountains in Chihuahua, Mexico. Due to the connection with a local medical pilot, we were able to access a Tarahumara community that had never been filmed before or seen a video camera for that matter. The first location we were flown to in the Copper Canyons was a small Tarahumara community called Rawarachi. The rugged mountain geography has kept them hidden and isolated from the outside world for many generations. The Tarahumara men and women were very photogenic, with dark sun bathed skin and shinny black hair that stood out vibrantly against their colorful clothing. Men and women of all ages curiously greeted us with a gentle touch of their fingers to the palms of our hands, accompanied by the softly spoken word “cuira” (pronounced kwee-da) meaning "hello" in Raramuri (their native language).

The first thing that broke the silent stares from the Tarahumara people was the laughter and intrigue evoked from the Vibram-five finger shoes on our feet! Some exclaimed that they thought our feet were painted, or that we looked like we were wearing gloves on our feet, or that we looked like monkeys! We always responded with equal interest in their huaraches (sandals) that all of the Tarahumara wore. They explained that their huaraches were made from rubber scraps they salvaged from automobile tires, which were held on with thick leather straps that wrapped up their ankles. The men, women, and children were able to walk and run extremely long distances in these minimal shoes or barefoot on the most treacherous terrain.

For the next few weeks we lived among this Tarahumara community in an adobe hut that the tribe had built. The lifestyle of this community is beyond rustic. There is no electricity, no toilets, no running water--their drinking water is found from small natural springs providing just enough water to survive--and they cooked all of their meals over fires and slept in adobe huts. Although this seemed despairing, these living conditions are the only way of life the people of Rawarachi have ever known... therefore they lived with a refreshing satisfaction of life.

When visiting their homes they always generously offered meals to us as their guests. Even though they often had very little food compared to what we are used to in our culture, they always shared it as though they had an abundance. We humbly accepted anything they offered from mouth watering corn tortillas, pinole, stews incorporating many variations of corn and beans, and of course the unforgettable ground nopales.

Not only did the community offer eating meals communally, but their agricultural system was also rather communal. The farmers explained their difficulty growing in certain fields over the last few years due to the devastation of drought and plagues of insects. They elaborated that because of the widespread, diverse, geography of their community certain fields were unaffected by these issues, while others were wiped out completely. Their ethical solution to a problem like this is for the farmers whose crops were successful to share their harvest and seed with those who did not have any harvest. This is a cultural practice of the Tarahumara known as "korima" which consists of sharing what you have with others--another beautiful example of how this community has self-sufficiently survived under such harsh growing and living conditions.

It took an amazing amount of self control not to immediately pull out the cameras and begin filming everything that we were witnessing after anticipating documenting the Tarahumara people's lives and community for over a year. The entire community discussed how they would equally be involved, making sure not to exclude any family member of the community. We were amazed at their sense of unity and honor for one others equality of opportunity and decision making. Everyone in the community seemed to be full of life and excitement to be part of this endeavor and to display the traditions and skills that they were most uniquely talented in. The remainder of our stay we would film from sun up to sun down. We witnessed aspects of their lives we never could have imagined having the opportunity to see.

Stylistically, we chose to accompany the raw footage of the Tarahumara with interviews of individuals whose lives were directly impacted by the Tarahumara. Visiting authors, farmers, nutritionist, doctors, and ultra-runners from across the United States, we were amazed at the authentic passion these individuals shared about their unique experience in Mexico's Copper Canyons.

Our original music score features songs inspired by the Tarahumara’s natural environment and culture, performed by Romayne Wheeler, the internationally renowned Copper Canyon pianist. GOSHEN film’s soundtrack also features instrumental songs by Icelandic band amiina that evoke the childlike, carefree spirit of the Tarahumara. The film’s music score also features traditional Tarahumara songs performed by a Tarahumara violinist and drummer. Our soundtrack is synchronized to coincide with the moving images, further influencing an emotional response from the viewer.