Introduction: Maya Language Advocacy And Mayas’ Production Of Cultural Knowledge,
2026
University at Albany
Introduction: Maya Language Advocacy And Mayas’ Production Of Cultural Knowledge, Walter E. Little
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
This introductory essay is part of the special issue Maya America, Volume 8, Issue 1, guest-edited and coordinated by the Mayan Languages Preservation Project. The 10 authors of the various research articles and commentaries represent eight of Guatemala’s 22 Maya languages. What brings these essays into relationship with each other are the pragmatic concerns of strengthening Maya languages, such as providing academic, professional, and social services contexts for using and not merely maintaining these languages but helping them thrive. Each author in this special issue has actively worked in various ways to promote Mayan language and cultural knowledge preservation. As …
Geographic Origins Of Mam Interpretation Encounters At La Clínica De La Raza Fruitvale Village In Oakland, California: Informed By A Survey-Based Study,
2026
Mam Interpreter and Independent Ethnographer
Geographic Origins Of Mam Interpretation Encounters At La Clínica De La Raza Fruitvale Village In Oakland, California: Informed By A Survey-Based Study, Anibal Pablo
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
This study examined the geographic origins of Mam Maya who sought interpretation services at La Clínica de la Raza’s Fruitvale Village Pediatrics department in Oakland, California. Between February 22 and September 6, 2024. The results showed that 95% of interpretation encounters involved respondents from three municipalities – Todos Santos Cuchumátan, San Juan Atitán, and Santiago Chimaltenango – located within the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes region of western Guatemala. This concentrated pattern suggests that the Fruitvale Mam community is largely rooted in a specific set of municipalities whose linguistic variants and cultural practices have important implications for interpreter training and healthcare …
Who Owns Land, Who Owns Language? Challenging The Commercialization Of Indigenous Language Data,
2026
Heriot-Watt University
Who Owns Land, Who Owns Language? Challenging The Commercialization Of Indigenous Language Data, Matthew Riemland
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
As Indigenous scholars and activists have pointed out, the commercialization of Indigenous language data resembles the historical and ongoing dispossession of Indigenous land. Using Mayan languages as a case study, this article illustrates the process by which digital advertising platforms – Google and Meta – appropriate and benefit commercially from Indigenous language data, drawing parallels with the dispossession of Indigenous land. It identifies the significant costs of this commercialization to Indigenous communities, including the lack of compensation for the Indigenous language data’s commercial value, the distortion of Indigenous communities’ linguistic and cultural representation online, and the reinforcement of extractive relationships …
La Violencia: Family Stories Of Labor, War, And Migration,
2026
University at Albany
La Violencia: Family Stories Of Labor, War, And Migration, Gabriela Merida
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
Gabriela Merida, a doctoral student at the University of Albany and a child of Guatemalan Maya refugees, interviews her grandmother and father about their lives in Guatemala and their subsequent experiences as migrants in the United States. Through life history interviews with each of them, Merida examines how foreign intervention shaped the economic and political realities that compelled them to migrate. She employs Giovanni Batz’s (2024) concept of the four invasions as an analytic frame to demonstrate how the historical arc of colonization, the plantation economy, the Guatemalan Civil War, and capitalism produce compounding forms of structural and quotidian violence …
Mayan Languages And Technological Inclusion: The Mayan Languages Preservation Project As An Applied Model To Create Equity In Language Access,
2026
The Mayan Languages Preservation Project
Mayan Languages And Technological Inclusion: The Mayan Languages Preservation Project As An Applied Model To Create Equity In Language Access, Winston Scott
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
This article traces the project's founding, structure, and achievements over three years, documenting a community-led effort to create digital resources, including talking glossaries, keyboards, tools to help communities create textbooks for schools, and machine translation corpora for the 22 Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala. Drawing on principles of communitybased language documentation and recognized under UNESCO’s International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL 2022–2032), the project confronts intersecting challenges of poverty, illiteracy, digital exclusion, and the ethical risks of data extraction by external actors. The author argues that meaningful language digitization should be guided by native speakers and community organizations, rather than …
Who I Am,
2026
Kennesaw State University
Who I Am, Andrea Per
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
I have many beautiful memories from my childhood visiting my grandma in the village of Patzicía, Guatemala. Usually, my cousins and I helped her feed her chickens and collect eggs. She also had turkeys, bunnies, and many other animals, including a parrot that my aunts and uncles bought for her so she wouldn’t feel alone during the day. After helping her, Grandma Rafaela usually invited us to enjoy a traditional Maya dinner: black beans, rice, homemade cheese, and handmade tortillas cooked on her comal over a traditional firewood stove, along with a warm drink she made from toasted corn powder. …
Sentimiento Maya Frente A La Injusticia: Qué Es Ser Maya,
2026
Kennesaw State University
Sentimiento Maya Frente A La Injusticia: Qué Es Ser Maya, Kawoq Baldomero Cuma
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
¿Qué es ser maya? El sentimiento de ser maya se refleja en todo nuestro y entorno, como lo es nuestra cosmovisión, donde emerge mucha sabiduría y arte, que muestran nuestra identidad. Los pueblos originarios tenemos un tronco común en nuestras vivencias, y eso nos hace identificarnos con el mismo sentir. Solo expresamos nuestros pensamientos sobre todas las vicisitudes de los distintos escenarios de nuestra historia. Así pues, este ensayo sirve como un llamado a alzar nuestra voz colectiva, para hacer saber al mundo que perduramos —que existimos— a pesar de las indignidades que hemos sufrido en un mundo desigual.
Lenguas Vivas: La Importancia De Preservar El Idioma Mam Y Las Lenguas Indígenas De Guatemala,
2026
Kennesaw State University
Lenguas Vivas: La Importancia De Preservar El Idioma Mam Y Las Lenguas Indígenas De Guatemala, Sindy Villagrez
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
Cada vez que una lengua indígena deja de hablarse, el mundo pierde una manera única de entender la vida, la naturaleza y la experiencia humana. Con ella desaparecen historias transmitidas durante generaciones, conocimientos construidos a través de siglos de observación y experiencia, formas particulares de relacionarse con la comunidad y visiones del mundo que no pueden reproducirse completamente en ningún otro idioma. Estas lenguas forman parte del patrimonio cultural de la humanidad porque conservan conocimientos sobre la agricultura, la medicina tradicional, la convivencia comunitaria y la relación respetuosa con la naturaleza. También guardan valores, memorias y formas de pensamiento que …
My Experience As A Mayan Language Interpreter,
2026
Kennesaw State University
My Experience As A Mayan Language Interpreter, Misael Itzep
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
Misael discusses his experiences as a court interpreter for K’iche’ migrants in the United States. He has witnessed that “many of my compatriots don't consider that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fleeing after an accident, leaving a minor alone at home ‘for a moment’, hitting their partner, etc., has serious repercussions under the law in the United States, something that rarely has legal consequences in Guatemala. For example, in Guatemala, many driving laws aren’t enforced, such as the requirement to wear a seatbelt or to stop at a red traffic light. In contrast, laws are enforced in …
Importance Of Maya Culinary Traditions In Cultural Identity,
2026
Kennesaw State University
Importance Of Maya Culinary Traditions In Cultural Identity, Claudia Pacay
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
Elder women play a crucial role in preserving Mayan identity through food, serving as the primary keepers and transmitters of traditional culinary knowledge. Through everyday cooking and special ceremonial meals, they pass down ancestral recipes, techniques, and the symbolic meanings of ingredients to younger generations. These foods are deeply connected to Mayan history, agriculture, spirituality, and community life — such as the use of native maize, traditional grinding methods, and dishes prepared for rituals and celebrations. By teaching children and grandchildren how to prepare these foods and explaining when and why they are eaten, elder women help maintain cultural continuity …
Woven In Silence: Maya Q’Anjob’Al Cosmology,
2026
Kennesaw State University
Woven In Silence: Maya Q’Anjob’Al Cosmology, Gaspar Tomas
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
The Q’anjob’al, Akateko, and Chuj communities of the Guatemalan highlands are among many Maya communities that are flourishing with knowledge that draws on the classical-period Maya civilization and infuses it with contemporary practices. This knowledge guided the Maya people in building a stronger relationship with the natural and spiritual worlds: the very foundation of our social structure and the key to understanding our place in this universe. The survival of our culture, our languages, and our oral traditions all played a critical role in preserving our worldview, but the one that stands resilient above all is the one recorded on …
Indigenous Community Research Opportunities,
2026
University of New Mexico
Indigenous Community Research Opportunities, Sharon Hausam, Aaron M. Canter
Faculty Publications
This is a working paper produced as part of National Science Foundation project #2115169, “Transforming Rural-Urban Systems: Trajectories for Sustainability in the Intermountain West,” known as the “Intermountain West Transformation Network” (TN), led by the University of New Mexico with institutional partners at three additional universities in New Mexico, two in Arizona, and one each in Utah, Colorado, and Washington. The TN’s Indigenous and Tribal engagement was supported through a contract with Dr. Sharon Hausam, additional work by Aaron M. Canter, coordination with Dr. Lani Tsinnajinnie, and an Advisory Committee on Indigenous Information Needs primarily comprised of Indigenous representatives in …
Opportunities For Leadership In Indigenous And Tribally Engaged Research At The University Of New Mexico,
2026
University of New Mexico
Opportunities For Leadership In Indigenous And Tribally Engaged Research At The University Of New Mexico, Sharon Hausam
Faculty Publications
This is a working paper produced as part of National Science Foundation project #2115169, “Transforming Rural-Urban Systems: Trajectories for Sustainability in the Intermountain West,” known as the “Intermountain West Transformation Network” (TN), led by the University of New Mexico with institutional partners at three additional universities in New Mexico, two in Arizona, and one each in Utah, Colorado, and Washington. The TN’s Indigenous and Tribal engagement was supported through a contract with Dr. Sharon Hausam, additional work by Aaron M. Canter, coordination with Dr. Lani Tsinnajinnie, and an Advisory Committee on Indigenous Information Needs primarily comprised of Indigenous representatives in …
Mohammed Harbi : Un Historien De Talent, Un Homme Libre Aux Convictions Bien Trempées,
2026
Claremont Colleges
Mohammed Harbi : Un Historien De Talent, Un Homme Libre Aux Convictions Bien Trempées, Tahar Khalfoune
Journal of Amazigh Studies
NA
Precious Pattern: The Dotted-Diamond Motif In Indigenous American Textiles, Explorations In Mesoamerica, The American Southwest, And The Andes,
2026
Missouri State University
Precious Pattern: The Dotted-Diamond Motif In Indigenous American Textiles, Explorations In Mesoamerica, The American Southwest, And The Andes, Billie J. A. Follensbee, Lois Martin
Zea E-Books Collection
No abstract provided.
Indian Independence,
2026
University of North Dakota
Indian Independence, Unknown
Usher Burdick Papers
This editorial, titled “Indian Independence,” reflects on the historical and ongoing challenges faced by Native Americans due to colonization and federal policy and discusses the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ policy that allows tribes to govern themselves and gain independence from federal supervision, though it notes that full independence remains a distant goal. It addresses concerns about overprotection, undereducation, and the lack of viable opportunities for tribes to thrive economically, particularly in agriculture and ranching.
“To Complete Our Declaration”: The American Indian Chicago Conference, The Declaration Of Indian Purpose, And The Quest For Self-Determination,
2026
SUNY Geneseo
“To Complete Our Declaration”: The American Indian Chicago Conference, The Declaration Of Indian Purpose, And The Quest For Self-Determination, Joseph W. Ferguson
Department of History
The American Indian Chicago Conference (AICC) illuminates understudied elements within twentieth century Indigenous history. Post WWII policies of termination came to frame the conference, and archival evidence from the planning and establishment of regional conferences and founding documents allows for analysis of the deeper meaning the conference held. The planning phases, schedule, events, and outcomes of the conference indicate factors of a national Indigenous community and identity that have yet to be fully explored in the historiography of this period. The implications of termination policies on Indigenous peoples in North America act as a starting point for the conference’s development. …
Lengua, Conocimiento Y Continuidad Cultural: Contextos De La Educación Avanzada Del Maya Kaqchikel,
2026
Universidad Autónoma de Campeche
Lengua, Conocimiento Y Continuidad Cultural: Contextos De La Educación Avanzada Del Maya Kaqchikel, José Israel Herrera
Journal of Maya Heritage
Resumen. La revitalización de las lenguas indígenas ha dejado de concebirse exclusivamente como una estrategia de preservación lingüística para convertirse en un campo de reflexión sobre la continuidad de los sistemas de conocimiento, las pedagogías comunitarias y la diversidad epistémica. En este contexto, el presente ensayo analiza Kik'aslemal ri Kaqchikela': An Advanced Kaqchikel Maya Language Textbook como una propuesta educativa que trasciende la enseñanza avanzada del idioma kaqchikel para constituirse en un modelo de producción comunitaria del conocimiento. A partir del diálogo con la literatura sobre epistemologías indígenas, antropología lingüística y revitalización lingüística, se sostiene que la organización temática …
Language, Life, And Indigenous Knowledge: Cultural Contexts In Advanced Kaqchikel Maya Language Education Approaches To Indigenous Language Revitalization In Kik'aslemal Ri Kaqchikela': An Advanced Kaqchikel Maya Language Textbook,
2026
Universidad Autónoma de Campeche
Language, Life, And Indigenous Knowledge: Cultural Contexts In Advanced Kaqchikel Maya Language Education Approaches To Indigenous Language Revitalization In Kik'aslemal Ri Kaqchikela': An Advanced Kaqchikel Maya Language Textbook, José Israel Herrera
Journal of Maya Heritage
Abstract. This article examines the relationship between Indigenous language revitalization and the continuity of socially embedded systems of knowledge through the case of advanced Kaqchikel Maya language education. Drawing upon scholarship on Indigenous pedagogies, linguistic anthropology, and Indigenous epistemologies, the article explores how culturally grounded approaches to language learning contribute not only to the development of linguistic competence but also to the reproduction of memories, values, and intellectual traditions. Particular attention is devoted to Kik'aslemal ri Kaqchikela': An Advanced Kaqchikel Maya Language Textbook, whose thematic organization and collaborative development illustrate broader processes of knowledge production and cultural continuity. Rather than …
Ruptures: A Village Child’S Diary In Colonial Algeria,
2026
Claremont Colleges
Ruptures: A Village Child’S Diary In Colonial Algeria, Abderrahmane Azzi
Journal of Amazigh Studies
NA
