I finished a new linocut of an hamsa with the home blessing Birkat haBayit. The motif is the plant añañuca (Rhodophiala rhodolirion) which is native and endemic in the Chilean and Argentinian high Andes.
Linocut, hand-printed and hand-coloured with watercolours. Edition of 18
The plant is about 10 – 20 cm high. It is found at extreme heights, well above the forest line. It is not frequent, but where it occurs it´s often in large groups, creating carpets of flowers in December to January.
A legend surrounds the flower in Chile: A young indigenous woman named Añañauca lived somewhere in a town in the Central Andes. One day, a handsome young miner appeared in search for treasure. After seeing the beautiful Añañuca he stayed in the village and they fall in love with each other. But one night he dreamt of the location of a rich mine and he left immediately. He never returned. Añañuca eventually died with a broken heart. She was buried on a day of heavy rain. The next sunny morning saw, as if by magic, the burial ground and the valley filled with beautiful red flowers, which today are known as Añañuca, in honour of the young woman who waited so long for the return of her beloved who left in the urge for riches and treasure. There are other versions of the legends, but they all centre around the young woman who dies with a broken heart.
