Ulla Berg

I am sharing here a few remembrances of Tom that are very meaningful to me. 

The first is a small video clip from a party celebrating my dissertation defense in late summer 2007. It shows a brief speech in Spanish and a ch'alla andina that Tom offered at our house. The word ch'allar in Aymara means to “sprinkle.” It is the human ritual action of casting or watering, on earth or material goods, symbolic elements as a gesture of reciprocity and gratitude towards Mother Earth (Pachamama). This pre-hispanic ritual, typical of the time of abundance of the harvest, represents the act of return that the person makes to the Pachamama for the received goods. It cements the social relationship between the person and Pachamama. Tom was a man of few but precise words. In many ways, a done dissertation is like a harvest and must be celebrated with a ch'alla. On this occasion, Tom had prepared a delicious pernil and carried it all the way on the subway from Washington Square to East Harlem to share with me, my family, and friends. In his speech he thanked me for the years I had spent studying at NYU and for my presence – a classic gesture from a selfless brilliant scholar whose generosity, investment, and care for his students knew no boundaries. I will be eternally grateful for his mentorship and friendship and only hope that I can return it forward to those who come after me.

The second remembrance concerns a drawing that my nine-year old son made the weekend when Beth told us that Tom had entered hospice care. The text on the picture reads: “Dear Tom. Hello. I never really met you but somehow you are special to me. You are really special to my mom too. She is sad and my whole family hope you get better. Love, Linus.” The drawing shows how Tom’s presence reverberates in our families and those who come after us. I posted this farewell note on Facebook with the drawing on the day that Tom passed away.

Dear Tom,

You left this world, Kay Pacha, this morning and is now journeying to Hanan Pacha. With your departure, we have lost a great anthropologist and Andeanist, a trusted and beloved mentor to many, and a dear and loved friend to many more - even admired by little people who only had a secondary relationship to you like my son Linus. He made this drawing for you over the weekend when you entered hospice care. The smile in the picture is because there is nothing to fear about death and even the hardest moments must be met with dry wit. I'll toast to you tonight and drink the best bottle I can find in your memory. Please know in the afterlife that you touched many hearts and minds with your brilliance and generosity. You were also a true feminist, supporting the careers of many women anthropologist and rejoicing in our developments. Te guardaré en mi corazón siempre. You will be missed far and wide.

With love,

Ulla

The last remembrance is a picture taken on the day I presented my book Mobile Selves (NYU Press, 2015) at the Hemispheric Institute at New York University – a book that bears deep imprints of Tom’s thinking and influences on my work. As always, Tom took deep pride in his students and in our accomplishments.