Has a goat (or related caprinae) butted its way unexpectedly into your life? Have you had an encounter, alarming or exhilarating, with a ruminant wild or domesticated? If so, we at the OVM would love to hear your stories and see your pictures. We will feature them here, at Readers’ Goats, intermittently and at whim, for all of us to enjoy. You can share your experiences – and we encourage you to do so – by emailing the Order: just visit the Order’s profile page from the links to the right and hit the email button. We’re eager to hear from you.
Today’s Reader’s Goat is in a category we love: goat-themed objets. How and in what ways are sheep-goats immortalised as material things? Avid reader Ewe spotted these ovi-caprid masks at a roadside flea-market (coincidence?) and sent us her pictures. “These masks,” writes Ewe, “intrigued me strangely. Sure, we all have tons of sheep and goat knick-knacks about the house, but this I could actually wear! I suppose the mask-makers must have been really in touch with their inner ruminant – or maybe just wanted desperately to be one.”
Today’s Reader’s Goat is in a category we love: goat-themed objets. How and in what ways are sheep-goats immortalised as material things? Avid reader Ewe spotted these ovi-caprid masks at a roadside flea-market (coincidence?) and sent us her pictures. “These masks,” writes Ewe, “intrigued me strangely. Sure, we all have tons of sheep and goat knick-knacks about the house, but this I could actually wear! I suppose the mask-makers must have been really in touch with their inner ruminant – or maybe just wanted desperately to be one.”
Two caprinae, side-by-side, in harmony.
Sheep close-up
Thanks, Ewe! Any more ovicaprids trouvée? Send them in!
3 comments:
Hello from Crete again!
Ruminant, I would like to express my gratitude for all the info you are sharing with us about our kind! Thank you! I have already ordered all DVDs where goats are the main feature. Also, Sanada and the kids love your news column: it’s so entertaining and educative to learn about the life-style and accomplishments of our relatives around the world! Of course, I’m going to order the “goats of logic”, which I found fabulous for my kids to learn the logic behind computers. Right now, I’m teaching them how to type with their hooves. Great fun!
We had to interrupt the lessons having to flee for our safety about a month ago. Yes, we escaped all the fires. Everybody is safe thanks to OVM agents, as Ovicapricious was so kind to suggest. One day, some of us having to run for safety to the highest peak around, we realised that we would soon be surrounded by flames, when it occurred to me that we should altogether shout the code word. Two families and many friends started calling loudly: Goat! Goat! And surely enough, not even 20 minutes had past, when a fleet of flying Moufflons appeared! They were all astonished that they heard the code word in use again after so many decades, as they told us. Apparently, the code word used to be used very often by ovicaprids in distress all around the world, but the knowledge was lost in time. So, I think the importance of this blog lies beyond sharing information. It constitutes a major institution where tradition and code is renewed and perpetuated. Values and links between the ovicaprids are re-shaped and strengthened! Well done OVM!
The flying Moufflons took us all to Cyprus, where we enjoyed a short holiday away from our troubles. They were so kind and hosted us for 10 full days. Lovely place, Cyprus! Although these Moufflons were constantly boasting about their wealth, which was so strange to us… but oh, well, anyway, I would not like to say anything more that might be disrespectful to our kind hosts. We had a very good time. Actually, some of us thought of staying permanently. But we realised that for socio-cultural reasons, there would have to be a marriage between the tribes, so that the immigration would be legitimate according to the law and in line with social acceptance. Otherwise, we would always be strangers in a strange land. So, we all came back, having made good friends and being grateful for their hospitality. They were very kind to fly us back and I could not be happier to be back to my gorgeous Samaria gorge, protected, in the green and by the water! What a dry place this Cyprus is! I would never change my Samaria for anything in the world!
Ruminant keep up the good work! Ovicapricious thank you so much for that bit of info that saved our lives! I'll ask Sanada for her anti-frizz secret. Lovely masks Ewe! As for you, dear Mouflon Tony, I’ve got only one thing to tell you, and this is:
BEEEEEEEEEEEh!
Take care, friends!
Kri-Kri
Quite an adventure, Kri-Kri. Glad to hear that you and the kids are well. The OVM is here to serve and protect. We're happy to hear of a more-or-less successful cultural exchange betwen the goat of Crete and the wild sheep of the island-realm of Cyprus, but the tensions you hint at do not surprise us. You are a goat, after all, and the moufflon sheep; differences will remain. Were the moufflon wearing gaudy jewellery? Just curious.
Thank you for your kind comments; I think your remark that: "[the blog] constitutes a major institution where tradition and code is renewed and perpetuated" sums up our aims very well. You are an anthropologically very well educated goat.
Yea! Mainly thick golden chains around there thick, curly-haired necks! I'm impressed at the extent of your knowledge,too, Ruminant! But you see, I think it was deeper than that: In Crete, we are all about ideas. We climb up on the highest peaks, look at the surrounding views and think and think... and think.. Some of us are quite good poets! In Cyprus, I was under the impression that everything was more material-centered.
I was reading in the current issue of "Goat-thropology Today" about how the behaviour of nearby human populations can influence the social identity of wild life in general. The author's research was focusing on the Alpaca and nearby Peruvian human populations, but I believe the example could be applicable in other areas equally successfully.
By the way, Ovicapricious, my Sanada was using "Goaty Gloat" by "Moufflon & Guy", while at the humidity of Cyprus. My Sanada is really shy and does not want to write herself, but she says her hair was as soft as Kashmir's.
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