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Posts Tagged ‘Indigenous’

So You Wanna Be Indigenous, Taino Edition

9:13 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Culture| Puerto Rico| history · 4 Comments

14 Nov 2009

When I was in 7th grade I had to do a project on an Indigenous community for school. I’m sure the project was assigned to me sometime between Columbus Day and Thanksgiving the way these projects tend to be. I chose the Tainos, the indigenous people of the Caribbean and specifically what is now Puerto Rico. I chose the Tainos not because I identified as Taina or even as Rican at the time but because growing up I can remember Puerto Rican coloring books telling me of my Indigenous heritage and I remember being told that my great great grandmother was a Taina. I remember feeling shocked and angry when in my research I read over and over how the Taino were extinct. How could that be? It didn’t make sense to me historically. I thought of stories I was told of people hiding from the Spanish in the mountains and intermarriage. Does intermarriage/mestisaje = extinction?

It would be for another 5 or 6 years until I really thought about it again. As I claimed my Puerto Rican identity and became an activist I wold come into contact with Ricans claiming Taino. My new found political identity made this complicated for me and now, settled nicely into my identity as Rican via Queens, NYC, it’s an issue I struggle with. There is a resurgent movement of Ricans claiming Taino. As the mother of an Indigenous daughter I think about self-identification and when it crosses the lines into appropriation. Can a colonized person appropriate from their own history/bloodline? I know I don’t feel comfortable claiming Indigenous Taina, even if I can pull the stereotypical great great grandmother that many people do.

I would love to hear people’s thoughts on this.

Via / Literanista

Eco-Tourism : Where Native Service is Part of the Experience

9:17 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Ecuador| Media| travel · 5 Comments

8 Jul 2009

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Sometimes, I ‘m a little ashamed to admit that I read Gawker. Most of the time, I find what they write offensive, and the hipster’er than thou comments piss me off. This morning though, a post on a PR pitch for an Amazonian Spa in Ecuador, opened up my head about the economics and identity politics behind eco-tourism, specifically in Latin America.

Here’s the orginal PR pitch that got my wheels spinning:

The women, who are immaculately clean and wear uniforms which do little to conceal their glowing aboriginal cheekbones and other attractive features, have very strong hands after toil since childhood in fields and in the home virtually without tools,but are surprisingly soft and tender when they massage just the right places…

An intimacy has been shared, for the women, who speak only a handful of words in English and speak Spanish as a second language to their native Indian dialect have communicated much to their guest. And their guest understands everything.

You have to love the emphasis on how clean the Indigenous woman are, as if usually they are dirty, so it needs to be pointed out. Also I found the statement on how the uniforms do not conceal their cheekbones written in a way that was intended to sexualize which is made more explicit with how the mujeres know where to touch. Then there is the glamorization of labor, which goes back to what a surprise that they are so clean since they spent their childhood sweating in the dirt without “civilized” tools. Wrapped up in the pretty bow of their Indigenous language. Forget the fact that here in the U.S., speaking an Indigenous language can allow the state to take away your child.

Pero perhaps that was just crappy ass pitch from a crappy ass PR dude. So I went to find out some more about this Amazon resort and spa.
Read more…

More reports from Peru

2:40 pm By la Macha · Peru · Comments Off

11 Jun 2009

peruprotests via favianna

I was told that the indigenous people had “tortured, gutted, and violently killed the police men they had captured the day before, slicing their necks and in at least one case cutting their eyeballs out.” You can also read about this in some of the Peruvian papers, such as El Comercio.

These accounts were not mentioned neither in the NY Times article, nor the BBC one, and so its validity is in question. (Of course the framing for both articles is centered on the police and not on the protestors themselves, also victims of violence) It seems that this piece of the story is either made up or being exagerrated to readers into a general sentiment heading in the direction of “Those Savages Must Be Stopped!” In other words, the “savagery” is described as being perpetrated by the indigenous people, when in actuality, it is the Peruvian military that is committing the “savagery,”, with their guns, tear gas, and tanks; backed by big oil and logging companies, and by the “free-trade-loving” president Alan Garcia himself. Not to mention how “savagely” the Amazon land is being destroyed day by day by the oil profiteers, nor how these companies are destroying the bio diversity of one of the most important regions for planet earth.

This type of fear mongering is to be expected when you are the president of a country that just signed Free Trade Agreements with China and Canada. He even went as far to call the resisters “terrorits.” Ben Powless, a Mohawk from Six Nations in Ontario and blogger with Rabble.ca, writes:

“Garcia declared the Indigenous elements to be standing in the way of progress, in the path of national development, wrenches in the gears of modernity, and part of an international conspiracy to keep Peru down. In a troubling statement on the resemblance of the Indigenous protestors to the infamous Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) armed insurrection, Garcia seemed to imply the Natives were a band of terrorists as he stood in front of hundreds of military officers in a nationally televised speech. He continued to decry the Indian barbarity and savagery, and called for all police and military to stand against savagery.”

In spite of strides, Mexico still discriminatory

8:54 am By Maegan La Mala · GLBT| mexico| society · Comments Off

24 Sep 2007

While many outsiders consider the strides being made towards a more progressive society in Mexico’s capital — among them the legalization of civil unions for gay couples — and on the national level, a national study shows that if the country’s youth are an indicator, there is still quite a long way to go with regard to a truly equal society.

According to a survey called The National Youth Survey:

53 percent [of youths] don’t want a gay person as a neighbor. [Nearly] the same percentage rejects having to be around people with HIV and 25 percent don’t want indigenous people close by.

According to Mexico’s La Jornada, Emilio Álvarez Icaza, head of the Human Rights Commission in the Federal District, warns that the youth of the capital are becoming more and more discriminatory in their views.

Rights group demands Mexico look into abuse against Central American immigrants

5:28 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Guatemala| Immigration| mexico · Comments Off

23 Jul 2007

Every year thousands of undocumented people pass into the U.S. through the border with Mexico, and not all of them are Mexican. Many begin their journey in their homelands in Central America, and in order to reach U.S. territory must become, in the words of Los Tigres del Norte –“dos veces mojados” — crossing not one border but two. Central Americans entering Mexican territory do not have it easy, and allegations of abuse on the part of Mexican officials has been a catalyst for a demand by Mexico’s Human Rights Center for the National Commission of Human Rights (CNDH) to investigate the allegations:

In a press release, the National Center for Human Rights announced that there have been numerous complaints filed against military personnel and INM [Mexican Immigration authority) officials for stealing of money, physical and sexual aggression against Guatemalans, Hondurans and Salvadorans without CNDH having ever addressed the problems.

Spanish airline discriminates against Peruvian politicians

12:19 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Controversia| Peru| Spain| race · 1 Comment

28 Nov 2006

It seems that Spanish airline Iberia has some ’splaining to do…as to why two Peruvian parlamentarians were the target of what can only be regarded as racist and xenophobic comments on the part of Iberia staff at Lima’s airport.

Peruvian congresswomen Hilaria Supa and Maria Sumire, both members of the oppositional UPP-PNP alliance, complained they have been the target of discrimination by Spanish airline Iberia. The incident obviously happened on Saturday evening at Lima’s Jorge Chavez International Airport.

According to Sumire’s version given to CPN Radio, both legislators arrived at Iberia’s check-in counter to board the 8:55 p.m. flight to Madrid.

However, they were told the airplane was full and there was no alternative for a later flight that night.

Sumire maintained that despite purchasing the tickets in advance, airline personnel made them wait unnecessarily while servicing other customers first. After the congresswomen started to complain about this disadvantage, an airline employee apparently answered something that roughly translates to “how can you be congresswomen if you don’t even know how to speak the language? Obviously you don’t speak Spanish very well, so complain all you want”.

Um, she said what?! Yet another reason not to fly Iberia. While Spain seems to be the most progressive country in Europe, it appears that some of the people hired by its national airline are not. Which begs the question: was the employee a Spaniard or a racist Peruvian?

Via / Living in Peru

Image via Perfil.com

Mexico’s Teotihuacán to “communicate with E.T.s”

5:57 pm By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Culture| history| mexico · Comments Off

10 Oct 2006

Mexico’s famed archeological site, Teotihuacán, is ready to speak to alien life forms, and will do so by sending a message into space with the help of web company Yahoo! and their “time capsule” project:

Starting on Tuesday, whomever is interested can send text, images, video or sounds that reflect humanity to be included in the message.

These contributions — part of Yahoo!’s “Time Capsule” project will be digitized and shot into space through a laser on October 25 from the Pyramid of the Sun.

Sounds like a huge PR stunt for Yahoo!, which capitalizes on the “exotic” image of the pyramids and the public’s endless fascination with aliens. If anything, I hope Yahoo! is paying the INAH something for this.

Via / 20 Minutos

Image via addicted Eye’s Flickr page

No Thanks on Thanksgiving

10:04 am By Maegan La Mala · New York City| Politics| radio · Comments Off

24 Nov 2005

While some Latino families will be eating pavo (or pernil) giving thanks in the tradition of a story passed on about Native Americans sharing with the pilgrims, others may be out serving those less fortunate. For many Latinos whose roots lie in Indigenous cultures across the Americas today is no party. It is a day or mourning and remembrance of colonization and genocide. Regardless of your position on this so called holiday, even if you’re just enjoying having the day off work and school, it never hurts to have a little background information.

From 10 am to 6 pm EST, WBAI Radio in NYC (99.5 fm or on the web at WBAI.org) will be telling the true story of Thanksgiving and how the Pilgrims, the Puritans, and the influences of Christianity created the American view of this day.

Have a safe and thoughtful day.

Via / WBAI.org

Somos Indios

11:18 am By Maegan La Mala · New York · Comments Off

5 Oct 2005

Part of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month is about deconstructing what makes a Hispanic/Latino. For many of us that means looking at our indigenous roots. The YWCA of Brooklyn is helping to promote that by inviting Bobby Gonzalez, Puerto Rican/Taino scholar and storyteller. The family friendly event Tomorrow, October 6 titled Somos Indios! We are Indian! will discuss and illustrate the art, history, life ways, religions, outstanding leaders, and important events of the Indigenous Peoples of Central and South America and the Caribbean.

YWCA of Brooklyn
Bobby Gonzalez

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