THE LAST SHEARERS
Hunched backs, sweat and dust. This hard work to strip sheep of their precious fleece has been going for millennia. In June, shearing crews make their journey to the Andalusian sheepfolds. They work tirelessly day after day until the season is over. The working day starts at dawn, when a tamed wether leads the flock into the shearing pens. Everyone knows their role and they work skillfully and at frantic speed filling sacks with wool that is no longer a valuable commodity as once was. The day ends with a hearty lunch, amid laughter and anecdotes, which alleviate the harshness of the trade.
This ancient practice comes back to life again, fighting not to die alongside those traditional sheep breeds that are linked to these lands. This trade made Spain prosperous but nowadays is a worn culture and a way of life in risk of disappearance. In many places only some signs remain like the 'cortijos' that have been sealed with brambles and oblivion.