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Xikano Studies - A Lost Cause? |
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Written by Xiuhcoatl
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Nov 25, 2005 at 02:02 AM |
Xikano Studies - A Lost Cause?
By Kurly Tlapoyawa
More often than not, when Universities offer programs in Xikano
studies, what they are really talking about are courses in “Mestizo”
studies. The entire program appears to be geared towards engendering
the mentality that we are not truly Indigenous people, but rather a
mixture of various races and cultures. Some programs even go so far as
to claim that we are an entirely “new “ people - brought into existence
by the brutal invasion and genocide of the Conquistadorks. Literature
produced by the Xikano Studies Department at the University of New
Mexico is filled with images of Mexikah warriors and pictographs
straight from Pre-Kuauhtemok codices, yet our Indigenous heritage is
completely ignored within the classes themselves. Native people, it
seems, are best seen and not heard.
It is a truly sad state of affairs when images of our glorious heritage
are used to entice young Xikanos into Xikano Studies programs, yet our
actual Indigenous history and culture are viewed as irrelevant to our
experiences in this “modern” world. In the eyes of many so-called
Xikano intellectuals, our Indigenous heritage is viewed as only a small
“part” of who we are - a quaint side note to mention in casual
conversation. For the most part, Xikano Studies Programs overlook such
seminal works as Mexico Profundo by Guillermo Bonfil Batalla and
Aztecas del Norte, by Jack D. Forbes - and choose instead to focus on
superficial and pretentious works such as Bless me Ultima and films
like “My Family.”
In a bizarre contradiction, we are left with an educational program
born out of anti-imperialist struggle, yet founded completely on
imperialist thought. Concepts such as the Mestizo and Hispanidad -
cornerstones of most Xikano Studies programs, have roots which are
vehemently white supremist and anti-Indigenous. Jose Vasconcelos, the
biggest proponent of the Mestizo identity, let his views be known when
he stated “Christianity made the American Indians advance, in a few
centuries, from cannibalism to a relative degree of civilization." He
later added that Native people had "no other door to the future but the
door of modern culture, nor any other road but the road already cleared
by Latin civilization." It is the works of Vasconcelos and others like
him which continue to shape the driving philosophy of many Xikano
Studies programs.
The advent of Latino fraternities and sororities on college campuses is
symptomatic of our complete lack of identity and the burning desire to
identify ourselves with all things European. One Fraternity even refers
to their new recruits as “Conquistadores.” It’s enough to make you want
to puke. Imagine Blacks founding Ku Klux Klan fraternities, or Jews
founding Nazi fraternities. It boggles the mind. All of these things
ultimately reflect the tragic failure of Xikano Studies programs.
The failure of Xikano studies programs to cultivate a unified
Indigenous identity within our people has had far reaching
consequences. Students find themselves exposed to European concepts
such as capitalism, communism, socialism, anarchism, etc. but
principles such as Mexikayotl (Meh-Shee-Kah-Yot) are completely left
out of the conversation. As a result, the more “revolutionary” Xikanos
usually attach themselves to European social movements such as
socialism or anarchism, without ever even knowing that our ancestors
had already developed a complete social, economic, and philosophical
system of our own. A system which is the product of OUR cultural
heritage and which offers a complete WORKING alternative to the
Amerikan regime which we currently live under.
Translated literally, Mexikayotl means “everything which is Mexikan.”
It is our collective Indigenous cultural heritage: our food, music,
customs, traditions, ceremonies, philosophies, cosmology, etc. -
everything which makes us who we are as Native people. It is also the
traditional morals, values and ethics which our ancestors passed down
to us and which shape how we view the world around us. Mexikayotl has
presently taken on the form of a powerful and rapidly growing social
and spiritual movement - a means by which de-tribalized
Xikano-Mexikanos can reclaim who we are as Indigenous people.
A student of Mexikayotl would learn that over 99% of our history as a
people occurred BEFORE the arrival of white Europeans. They would learn
that our ancestors had developed written languages, school systems, a
complex cosmology, and a complete political and social system based on
collectivism and shared responsibilities. Xikano Studies programs
ignore this 99% of our history altogether and seem obsessed with the
idea that we must “make it” within this society so that we may get our
“piece of the pie.” This is hardly an anti-imperialist ideology. Xikano
Studies programs obsess over so-called land grants, while Mexikayotl
teaches us that this land is ours by birthright - NOT by European
treaty.
Since we cannot rely on Xikano Studies programs to adequately teach our
history and heritage, it becomes OUR responsibility to raise the
awareness of our people and spread the living principles of Mexikayotl
within our communities. But we cannot follow the path of religious
zealots and beat our people over the heads with these ways. Nor can we
take on an elitist attitude wherein we are the only ones who know
better and everyone else is a mindless moron in need of being saved by
us. Such things are counterproductive and hardly reflect the ideals and
principles of Mexikayotl.
I truly believe that teaching by example is more productive than
standing on a street corner and randomly shouting out propaganda at the
tops of our lungs. We must allow Xikano-Mexikanos to see for themselves
the kind of caring, educated, disciplined, and compassionate people
which the principles of Mexikayotl will produce. Contrasted against the
cold, greedy, ignorant and elitist “Hispanics” and “Latinos” produced
by Amerikan cultural values and the Mestizo mentality, the choice will
become obvious - our traditional culture and heritage is the key to our
ultimate liberation.
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