DITCH BOSS
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[[Credits|Credits]]
"These people have no sense of home like we do. So we will defend our [[acequias->History of Acequias]]-- our home, our family, and our livelihood."
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The cicadas are singing more loudly than usual tonight. It must be a full moon.
While our people sleep soundly, I stay awake worrying for my future as a [[Mayordomo->Mayordomo]].
Today I received a letter.
When I opened the letter, it [[tore->The Letter]] my insides.Our home is at [[risk.-> Heart Goes Steady]] I must fight back to preserve our [[traditions.|Fighting Back]]This is the way mi abuelo taught me. The calm waters flow freely through our acequias like blood flowing in our veins.
My ancestors left this for me. For my family. I will not desert their sweat, tears, and the livelihood they established for this community.
I blow out the [[ candles.-> New Challenges]] Tomorrow we'll gather up the community to fight as a united being. People need homes, but these farmlands... these farmlands are our homes. And we will defend it til we can no longer [[stand->continue]].
They are not interested in taking care of our last acequia. So when the acequias die out, I will go with them.
I'm sorry mi abuelo.It is 6:00 AM. I'm pacing nervously in my kitchen, anxiety coursing through my veins. I want to gather the entire community to hear their thoughts and concerns. No one wanted to leave-- this was the only home they knew. Where else would they go? I felt the same. But now I must consider the plan to save our homes.
What should I do?
Let's talk to some [[farmers->Talk to Farmer]].
Let's hold an [[emergency->Petition]] meeting.It's a good idea to talk to the farmers. They have many crops here that not only help our community, but also to those in need.
Let's talk to:
[[Joseph, the chile farmer. ->Chile]]
As the [[Mayordomo->mayordomo poem]], I have an obligation to be as transparent as I can with my users, given what I know regarding our (if: (history:) contains "mayordomo poem")[[[debacle.|debacle]]](else:)[debacle.]Managed to prevent the land development from taking the land, however, the community members have slowly left and moved out.<audio controls autoplay hidden>
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ACEQUIAS ARE WITH ME
By Julie Huynh
The wind whispers to the trees,
as my body flows through the stream,
With nothing in the way--
No rocks or no dirt,
I gently cleanse the pathway,
And yet,
Mother nature has its way.
The water flows constantly like the blood in my veins,
the sun is bright and early,
the acequia is where I am meant to be,
as mi abuelo stands with me.
We clean it annually with no harm to the rios,
as it feeds our crops and our families,
No acequia can replace you or me,
the drum grows faint,
as the cloud disperses,
and the wind brings rain,
water flows to our grains,
and our blue corn.
And in the end, the acequias are still with me.
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Joseph has been in this community for 22 years now. He should be a good person to talk to.
I knock on his door. Joseph creaks open the door and he happily [[greets->Greeting]] me.
"That afternoon, Santos and I discussed the matter of trying to save our community and acequia. He told me it was best to accept the corporation's proposal. They would give us money in return to start new lives. I wonder what I should do...
Agree with my [[attorney->one ending]]
Tell my attorney I want to stay here as long as I can, and I won't back [[down->not backing down]]
At best this will impact two of the farms in the community, and if the drought continues on, it will hurt all of you. This is one of the harder parts of leadership, but I knew it wouldn't be easy either, all that's left is to [[call a meeting->Loss_Meeting]].Better to bite the bullet and send the water on its way, that may make the news easier to share if there is nothing to hold on to.
The walk along the ditch is always peaceful, even if at times like now it feels far from calming with the farms on either side a bit more dry than you would like...
The gate at the end holds the water back, and the well maintained handle cranks smoothly, the quiet giving way to the burble as the acequia empties.
Having barely latched the gate open a noise on the path indicates a farmer approaching, and though I know they already know it must be official.
[["We're going to have to hold a meeting."->Loss_Meeting]] After I leave Joseph's house, I begin to walk along the acequia for a while.
The water does seems lower than it should be...
[[Hmm->Resignation]]...Accepting the coffee, I follow Joseph into their quaint home to a small wooden table and a homely kitchen. They pour a mug for for of hot pinon coffee. Their family has lived on this land for at least as long as my family. Plenty of laughs and food were spent here I recall.
"I see you've lost some sleep these past few [[days->Water Use II]].""What do you think of this situation Joseph? I received a letter from ...
a [[land development corporation->Corporation route]]...
the [[Texas Commission on Environment Quality->Texas route]]...
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I've gathered the community for an [[emergency->emergency]] meeting in the town hall.Tensions are high, and confusion runs rampant.
Nobody is particularly thrilled to be here, and I'm getting dirty looks as if this is all [[my fault.->my fault]]<audio controls autoplay hidden>
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As the clock strikes 8:00, I step up to the podium, notes in hand, and with a [[hesitant->hesitant]] tap on the microphone.<audio controls autoplay hidden>
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The crowd silences. The scribe in the back of the room glances at me, nodding "ready," pen in hand.
I clear my throat, sigh, and [[break->break]] the news."I know it's early, and I know you all are just as frustrated as I am with the situation. I'm not going to waste your time, as time is of the [[essence.->essence]]“Winter Poems Along the Rio Grande”: Jimmy Santiago Baca
“Sometimes I stand on the river bank
and feel the water take my pain,
allow my nostalgic brooding
a reprieve.
The water flows south,
constantly redrafting its story
which is my story,
rising and lowering with glimmering meanings—
here nations drown their stupid babbling,
bragging senators are mere geese droppings in the mud,
radicals and conservatives are stands of island grass,
and the water flows on,
cleansing, baptizing Muslims, Jews and Christians alike.
I yearn to move past these days of hate and racism.
That is why this Rio Grande,
these trees and sage bushes
the geese, horses, dogs and river stones
are so important to me—
with them
I go on altering my reptilian self,
reaching higher notes of being
on my trombone heart,
pulsing out into the universe, my music
according to the leaf’s music sheet,
working, with a vague indulgence toward a song
called
we the people.”
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You could hear a pin drop, as the community waits in [[anticipation.->anticipation]]<audio controls autoplay hidden>
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"I received a letter this morning. Our [[repartimiento|definition for repartimiento]] is threatened."
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The drone starts again and grows in intensity as everyone starts asking questions and as [[uncertainty|uncertainty]] for the future is a potential reaity.]<audio controls autoplay hidden>
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The crowd is panicking. The chaos intensifies. Three questions stood out to me beyond the others.
Why didn't you do anything to stop this from even [[happening?->happening]]
Why didn't you tell us [[earlier?->earlier]]
What is your [[plan?->plan]]
(if: (history:) contains all of (a:"happening","earlier","plan"))[I have [[answered->lifeblood]] everyone's concerns.]"Alas, there is nothing I could have done to even predict this. I am just as in the (set: $previous to (history:)'s last)[[dark|$previous]] as you all are.""I would rather take time in gathering all the facts in absolute completeness before running amok and possibly making an (set: $previous to (history:)'s last)[[irrational|$previous]] decision.""I have brought you all here, in the interest of transparency and community involvement, to discuss our steps going forward to ensure maximum crop yields and irrigation in spite of our imminent (set: $previous to (history:)'s last)[[roadblock."|$previous]]“The [[acequia->More acequia history]] is the life blood of our community, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that we overcome this.”
"[[Listen...->letter context]]""The letter I received is about..."
Early frost warning potentially affecting our chile combined with a [[drought.->crop virusdrought]]
Land deveopment [[threatening->Corporation route]] to take the acequia and buy out residents.
An acequia is considered the oldest form of government, before government actually existed like we know it today. The word "acequia" is Arabic in origin, but in Spanish, refers to an irrigation canal.
These manmade ditches direct water using gravity to parcels of land belonging to parciantes, who are community members. Water comes from the acequia madre, which is the main "artery" of the system which supplies the branching canals.
Today, acequias are typically only seen in rural New Mexico and southern Colorado. With the advent of modern irrigation technology and innovations, the acequia system is no longer as widespread as they were many centuries ago.
(set: $previous to (history:)'s last)[[Back."|$previous]]<audio controls autoplay hidden>
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"Drought is an apparent issue, synonymous with what we might consider 'the usual' here in New Mexico."
"I encourage you all to priortize your crops in a manner which will provide adequate sustenance for youself and your family. Then, as a secondary priority, you should opt to save crops that will provide the most income."
"We should consider [[water banking]] as well, before the climate becomes drier and colder. Precipitation is uncertain as we progress through the end of summer and start of autumn."A repartimiento generally describes the water-sharing customs of the acequia tradition, ensuring fair distribution of water for all parciantes, during times of plenty or scarcity.
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[[Return|$previous]]"It's great to see you here. Would you like some pinon coffee?
" [[Yes->Intro Water Use]], thank you Joseph."The children have already left our homes. They rarely come visit because they're busy at [[work.->Children]] Maybe it's best to let old traditions die out and let new ones form. Mi abuelos always say, "Nothing lasts forever[[...->Working Children]] [[I begin to wonder if I should resign as Mayordomo-> One of the Endings Dyingg Traditions]]It seems that the neighbors in charge of this area. There is dirt and damage to this "On a similar note, I received an email from the [[pueblos->Pow-wow]] or The Office of theJoseph sighs.
"I am worried about our future. Lately, the rain has not come and the water levels seem low. And now we have someone from Texas trying to steal our water [[rights->texas water rights]]!"They want to buy our lands. They want to take the only place we know as home. I'm not going to let this happen no matter what."
"Maybe you should talk to Santos, our [[lawyer->Event option]]."
"A farmer in Texas obtained a water right from the Texas Commission on Envrionmental Quality for agricultural uses. He wants to buy our land, [[Joseph->Joseph's Response]]!""We are the ones that are going to govern our destiny... We will fight for our children and community. What we want to leave behind is a home our children can return to every night filled with comfort [[and love..."->Waking Up]]Julie Huynh ............. Co-writer of Ditch Boss
Justin Sison ............ Co-writer of Ditch Boss
Kage Weiss .............. Content programmer, Effects, and Styles
Reuben Fresquez ......... Co-writer of Ditch Boss<audio controls autoplay hidden>
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"There are projections of early frost coupled with a worsening drought, on top of New Mexico's already dry condition. There are measures we must take, otherwise our yields will [[dwindle->precautions]] to nothing.""What are we to do, Boss? I know we've dealt with both an early frost and drought separately...but together?! I am especially concerned with the junior farmers," says an [[apprehensive->precautions2]] Joseph.I raise my hand to silence the background discussion, and [[address->precautions3]] the crowd directly."Joseph brings up an important fact: we are wet behind the ears when it comes to the combined duo of our two enemies — drought and early frost.
I propose two measures that may [[alleviate->precautions4]] our dilemma."What should I talk about first?
[[Drought->drought]]
or
[[Early Frost->early frost]]
[[Continue.->continue2]]Early frost is problematic since it increases the propensity of black mold, especially on our sacred green chile.
With that said, we need to keep the [[following->early frost 2]] in mind...Months pass, and the dry cold has caught up with us.
The worries I've carried with myself since the emergency meeting have manifested, to my dismay.
I should have made a greater effort to push my people beyond their doubts when I proposed solutions that might have at least helped our cause.
I've grown hungry as I've given my wife and children the bulk of our food.
Today we pack our bags and truck in hopes of finding a better life. Maybe it's time to close the door on this tradition and move to the city, adapting to new ways.Although we are expecting a drought, we should not over water, as excessive moisture will increase chances of black [[mold.]] "Should we fertilize more to make up for less water?" asks a [[troubled]] junior user."Try to not fertilize in excess either since that also facilitates the problem. Additionally, we need to have dedicated dry storages for any crops you harvest."
You offer to go to town with interested parties
We cannot afford to [[lose]] everything this season. The ambivalence of the community at today's meeting makes me wonder for the future and success of the people. Could it be the newer generation of farmers, not as involved as their parents and grandparents? They don't know struggle like I do, and at this rate, we could lose the acequia.
[[Return->precautions4]] "The New Mexico Acequia Association allows users to save and bank their own water, without fear of losing water rights for non-use, and without prior authorization."
"If anyone would like to take part in this, we can go to the town later this evening to buy barrels or supplies to make some [[ourselves."->water banking2]]After awkward eye contact with the crowd hoping for a response, nobody acknowledges the idea...
[[Continue.->precautionsnext]]Well, what's next?
[[Early Frost->early frost]]
or
[[Drought->drought]] After much hesitation, I let Santos draft up a letter to accept the proposal of selling the lands. I would exclusively give up only my portion of the land so the other farmers can stay, but who knows how long until they become hungry for more [[land->End I]].
Unfortunately, Santos tells me that the corporation has ties with the government, and that it would be difficult to save these lands. Why is Santos not giving me a better option?I think you should talk to [[Santos->Event option]], our lawyer.