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Articles 1 - 30 of 309
Full-Text Articles in Indigenous Studies
Front Matter, Maya America Editors
Front Matter, Maya America Editors
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
Full issue of Maya America, volume 8, issue 1.
Full Issue - Maya America V8, I1, Maya America Editors
Full Issue - Maya America V8, I1, Maya America Editors
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
Includes Cover Art and Table of Contents
Introduction: Maya Language Advocacy And Mayas’ Production Of Cultural Knowledge, Walter E. Little
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, 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, Matthew Riemland
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, Gabriela Merida
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, 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, Andrea Per
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, Kawoq Baldomero Cuma
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, Sindy Villagrez
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, Misael Itzep
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, Claudia Pacay
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, Gaspar Tomas
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 …
[2026 Honorable Mention] Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, Daylyn R. Reese
[2026 Honorable Mention] Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, Daylyn R. Reese
Ethnic Studies Research Paper Award
This research offers unique insights into the creation and development of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (N.M.S.) with a focus on indigenous populations’ roles (primarily Chumash and Costanoan). In this episode, I analyze what makes this NMS different from every NMS precluding it, how it recognizes a new goal in conservation (thrivability), and the areas in which improvements still must be made to authentically include and honor indigenous voices.
Identity Restoration Theory: Reclaiming Cultural Identity As A Pathway To Reintegration, Sigifredo Castell Britton
Identity Restoration Theory: Reclaiming Cultural Identity As A Pathway To Reintegration, Sigifredo Castell Britton
Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences
This article introduces Identity Restoration Theory (IRT), a new theoretical framework that explains what formerly incarcerated individuals need to reconnect with disrupted cultural identities as a pathway to reintegration. Grounded in qualitative fieldwork with Raizal ex-offenders and community leaders on San Andrés Island, Colombia, IRT is designed to conceptualize reintegration, not as institutional resettlement, but as a culturally rooted process of re-embedding identity within community and place. The framework delineates five interdependent constructs—cultural memory, place reconnection, narrative repair, communal belonging, and agency activation—that emerged inductively from participant narratives. Anchored in the postcolonial context of an Afro-Caribbean island society, IRT provides …
The Migrant As A Pilgrim: Decolonising Identity And Belonging, Susan Nemec
The Migrant As A Pilgrim: Decolonising Identity And Belonging, Susan Nemec
International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage
This paper responds to pilgrimage scholar George Greenia’s assertion that meaningful intersections exist between pilgrimage and various forms of displacement, such as migration or involuntary exile due to famine, war, or political unrest. Greenia proposes that vulnerable, displaced individuals might find shelter, both conceptually and emotionally, within the framing of pilgrimage. By extending concepts of pilgrimage, it can be understood as a deliberate and intentional journey, simultaneously emphasising the transformative potential inherent in migratory movement. By adopting a working definition of pilgrimage as ‘any form of travel that is intentional, purposeful, or transformative,’ the paper considers how migrancy, particularly within …
¿El Futuro Es Latino En La Iglesia Metodista Unida De Arkansas? Un Análisis Pastoral-Teológico Desde La Práctica, Lupita Chavarria-Garcia
¿El Futuro Es Latino En La Iglesia Metodista Unida De Arkansas? Un Análisis Pastoral-Teológico Desde La Práctica, Lupita Chavarria-Garcia
Apuntes: Reflexiones teológicas desde el margen hispano
This article offers a pastoral-theological analysis of the near absence of intentional ministry with the growing Latino community within the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church. Drawing on demographic data, denominational documents and the author’s 23 years of experience in Arkansas—first as a Roman Catholic layperson and now as the only Latina United Methodist pastor in the state—the essay situates Latino families’ profound spiritual hunger within a context marked by economic, spiritual and sexual abuse in some independent and evangelical churches. It contrasts this vulnerability with the structural responses of the Catholic Church in Arkansas (such as Spanish-language liturgies …
Construyendo Comunidades Inclusivas: Estrategias Para Fomentar La Unidad En Iglesias Progresistas Diversas, Andi C. Villar Arroyo
Construyendo Comunidades Inclusivas: Estrategias Para Fomentar La Unidad En Iglesias Progresistas Diversas, Andi C. Villar Arroyo
Apuntes: Reflexiones teológicas desde el margen hispano
This article explores the challenges and opportunities faced by progressive churches in balancing their cultural identity with inclusive principles. It argues that inclusive language, intercultural communication, and diverse leadership are key strategies for fostering cohesive and equitable faith communities. Drawing from biblical teachings and Wesleyan theology, the article emphasizes that embracing diversity strengthens the church’s mission of unity, justice, and spiritual growth. By implementing these practices, congregations can create a welcoming environment where all members feel valued, respected, and actively engaged in the life of the church.
La Iglesia Ante La Migración: Hospitalidad, Justicia Y Testimonio Cristiano, Gricelda Careaga
La Iglesia Ante La Migración: Hospitalidad, Justicia Y Testimonio Cristiano, Gricelda Careaga
Apuntes: Reflexiones teológicas desde el margen hispano
This paper examines migration as a central theological and social reality, drawing on biblical narratives, Christian ethics, and contemporary experiences. It argues that migration, present from the history of Israel to the present, has shaped communities and continues to challenge the Church to respond faithfully. Grounded in Lovin’s concept of integrity and the theology of the Incarnation, the study contends that the Church is called to embody a distinctive witness through hospitality, justice, and dignity toward migrants. Through an analysis of key biblical accounts—such as Abraham, the Exodus, Ruth, and the flight to Egypt—alongside insights from liberation theology, migration is …
La Enfermedad Del Nacionalismo Cristiano, Joaquín Martinez
La Enfermedad Del Nacionalismo Cristiano, Joaquín Martinez
Apuntes: Reflexiones teológicas desde el margen hispano
This paper critically examines Christian nationalism as a distortion of the Christian faith, arguing that it is rooted in historical systems of oppression that can be traced back to the Doctrine of Discovery and early European colonial expansion. While often presented as a movement to restore a nation “for God,” Christian nationalism frequently aligns itself with political and economic interests that marginalize vulnerable communities. Drawing from theological reflection, particularly the frameworks of liberation theology and practical theology, this study proposes that the incarnation of Christ serves as a foundational model for understanding true Christian discipleship as one oriented toward justice, …
Relación De Los Desafíos Que Sufren Los Indocumentados En Estados Unidos Con Las Disciplinas Teológicas Y La Historia De La Iglesia, Zulma Tifre
Apuntes: Reflexiones teológicas desde el margen hispano
This theological essay examines the challenges faced by undocumented immigrants in the United States through the lens of theological disciplines and church history. Drawing parallels with the biblical experience of Israel in Egypt, it argues that contemporary immigrants endure systemic injustice, economic exploitation, and social exclusion, particularly due to the lack of legal status and access to basic rights. Using insights from practical theology, liberation theology, and the doctrine of the Imago Dei, the study emphasizes the inherent dignity of all human beings and critiques structures that perpetuate marginalization. It further highlights the historical role of the Church as a …
Indigenous Land Seizure & Environmental Injustice: Impacts Of Settler Colonialism, Lydia Moorman
Indigenous Land Seizure & Environmental Injustice: Impacts Of Settler Colonialism, Lydia Moorman
Journal of Earth and Life Science
The fields of conservation and environmentalism prioritize ecosystem health, yet both emerged from western frameworks that displaced and criminalized Indigenous land stewardship. The idealization of “pristine wilderness” narratives served to justify the removal of Indigenous peoples from their homelands and erased millennia of sustainable land stewardship that had maintained ecological balance long before western conservation existed. These narratives not only misrepresented Indigenous relationship with land but also constructed a false dichotomy between humans and nature that positioned Indigenous presence as a threat rather than a source of ecological knowledge. Simultaneously, anthropogenic expansion; such as pipelines, mining, railroads, and other extractive …
Front Matter, Maya America Editors
Front Matter, Maya America Editors
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
Includes Cover Art and Table of Contents
Maya Health In The Days Of Deportation Discussion And The Case Example Of Colectivo Vida Digna, Guatemala, David W. Barillas Chon
Maya Health In The Days Of Deportation Discussion And The Case Example Of Colectivo Vida Digna, Guatemala, David W. Barillas Chon
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
Health inequalities and health racism have a long history in the Americas, as in Guatemala and the United States. Drawing upon testimonies and case examples from the Maya non-profit Colectivo Vida Digna [Guatemala]. Barillas-Chon reveals how some Maya in Guatemala have organized to overcome historic and current challenges and are now working with Maya who have returned from the US.
Comentario Al Libro: ¡Qué Chula Te Ves! – ¡Wal Watx’Il Heli!, Glenda Yojana Ixtabalán Hernández
Comentario Al Libro: ¡Qué Chula Te Ves! – ¡Wal Watx’Il Heli!, Glenda Yojana Ixtabalán Hernández
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
Por todo ello, leer ¡Qué chula te ves! es un acto de escucha intercultural. Cada poema, desde Majan Mundo hasta los textos finales, mezcla recuerdos personales con escenas cósmicas y denuncias históricas. En esa mezcla se produce una armonía que no es complaciente, sino insurgente: belleza como resistencia. Quizá por eso, al terminar de leer, resuena la frase del prólogo transformada en exclamación colectiva: “¡Qué chula te ves, Madre Tierra!”. No es solo un elogio, sino un compromiso político y espiritual: verla libre, viva y en plenitud; ver también a nuestros pueblos y culturas liberados del racismo y del despojo. …
Women In Santa Eulalia, Guatemala Through The Concepts Of Rootedness, Community, And Migration., Helen Hobson
Women In Santa Eulalia, Guatemala Through The Concepts Of Rootedness, Community, And Migration., Helen Hobson
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
This essay explores the experiences of Maya Q’anjob’al women in the villages of Santa Eulalia in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. Women from eleven communities participated in group interviews during the four months I spent conducting fieldwork in 2024, thus building upon my findings from 2022 and 2023. Questions focused on their daily lives, their connections to people and places, strategies for generating income, and the impact of migration on their lives and the community. Two broad themes emerged from the interviews. The first relates to their relationships to the land and community, and how this rootedness supports a wholistic (Indigenous) sense of …
Introductory Note: Profound Guatemala, Alan Lebaron
Introductory Note: Profound Guatemala, Alan Lebaron
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
Words have historic and contemporary variations in meaning. People who write about the Maya employ words such as revitalization, resurgence, agency, resistance, authenticity, and cosmovision, for example. “Profound” is the theme for Maya America this issue, and we present three examples, two from the past and one from today. The 1st profound comes from Raúl Leiva’s poem Mundo Indigena, and the second from Guillermo Bonfil Batalla who applied the word to Mexico. Our third example of profound comes from Silvia Patricia López Juan, one of the authors in this issue of Maya America.
Flores De Caña: Documental, Adrianna Cruz-Manjarrez
Flores De Caña: Documental, Adrianna Cruz-Manjarrez
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
García Ortega, Martha. (2024). Flores de Caña. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur. https://youtu.be/W3Yv_gOT_EQ?si=nHK-70sEa22tZUFO Dirección: Martha García Ortega Fotografía: Marco Girón y Martha García Ortega Edición y posproducción: Meztli Vianey Suárez Mc Liberty Reseña por Adriana Cruz-Manjarrez Universidad de Colima
El Último Viaje, Gaspar Pedro González
El Último Viaje, Gaspar Pedro González
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
Gaspar le hizo una oferta a la revista: publicar uno de los capítulos de su último libro, Hojas de Onoño. El capítulo, titulado El Último Viaje, narra el último viaje de un anciano a la comunidad de su juventud, ubicada en el departamento de Huehuetenango, Guatemala. De forma lírica y metafórica, el autor describe cómo se desvanecen los recuerdos y la tristeza por las personas que ya no están. El poeta Daniel Caño escribió una breve reacción personal a la historia que incluimos al final de esta.
Full Issue - Maya America V7, I2, Maya America Editors
Full Issue - Maya America V7, I2, Maya America Editors
Maya America: Journal of Essays, Commentary, and Analysis
Full issue of Maya America, volume 7, issue 2.