Full Description
As part of the larger, ongoing movement throughout Latin America to reclaim non-Hispanic cultural heritages and identities, indigenous writers in Mexico are reappropriating the written word in their ancestral tongues and in Spanish. As a result, the long-marginalized, innermost feelings, needs, and worldviews of Mexico's ten to twenty million indigenous peoples are now being widely revealed to the Western societies with which these peoples coexist. To contribute to this process and serve as a bridge of intercultural communication and understanding, this groundbreaking, three-volume anthology gathers works by the leading generation of writers in thirteen Mexican indigenous languages: Nahuatl, Maya, Tzotzil, Tzeltal, Tojolabal, Tabasco Chontal, Purepecha, Sierra Zapoteco, Isthmus Zapoteco, Mazateco, ÑahÑu, Totonaco, and Huichol.
Volume Two contains poetry by Mexican indigenous writers. Their poems appear first in their native language, followed by English and Spanish translations. Montemayor and Frischmann have abundantly annotated the Spanish, English, and indigenous-language texts and added glossaries and essays that discuss the formal and linguistic qualities of the poems, as well as their place within contemporary poetry. These supporting materials make the anthology especially accessible and interesting for nonspecialist readers seeking a greater understanding of Mexico's indigenous peoples.
Contents
Acknowledgments/Agradecimientos
Abbreviations/Abreviaturas
Regarding the Indigenous Languages and Alphabets in This Volume/Acerca de los idiomas y alfabetos indÍgenas de este volumen
Poetry in Mexican Indigenous Languages/La poesÍa en lenguas indÍgenas de MÉxico (Carlos Montemayor)
Spirit-Matter-Word: Contemporary Mexican Indigenous Poetry/EspÍritu-Materia-Palabra: PoesÍa indÍgena contemporÁnea de MÉxico (Donald Frischmann)
1. VÍctor de la Cruz (Isthmus Zapotec/zapoteco del Istmo)
Chupa si diidxa'
Just Two Words
SÓlo dos palabras
Dxi biaba'
My Fall
Mi caÍda
Diidxa' bisiaanda'
The Word I Have Forgotten
La palabra que olvidÉ
Lidxe' canayubi lii
My House Seeks You
Mi casa te busca
HuazacalÚ
It Usually Happens
Suele suceder
Tu laanu, tu lanu
Who Are We? What Is Our Name?
¿QuiÉnes somos, cuÁl es nuestro nombre?
Dxi guyubu' naa
When You Search with Your Eyes
Cuando con tus ojos busques
2. VÍctor TerÁn (Isthmus Zapotec/zapoteco del Istmo)
HuadxÍ que ziyaba
The Day Was Fading Away
CaÍa la tarde
Ndaani' batanaya'
From the Palm of My Hand
En la palma de mi mano
Lu ti nagana
Indecision
Duda
Xhoopa' diidxa' ruÍ' xiinga guendaranaxhii
Six Variations on Love
Seis variaciones acerca del amor
Yaga yaa
Unseasoned Wood
LeÑa verde
Biluxe
It's Over
Se acabÓ
3. Natalia Toledo Paz (Isthmus Zapotec/zapoteco del Istmo)
Liidxi na Olga
Olga's House
La casa de Olga
Zenaida
Zenaida
Zenaida
Na Marcelina
DoÑa Marcelina
DoÑa Marcelina
Yu'du'
Temple
Templo
Yoo lidxe'
First House
Casa primera
Guiee lÚ dani
Eye of the Volcano
Ojo de volcÁn
Bacaanda'
Dream
SueÑo
Bacaanda'
Dream
SueÑo
4. Mario Molina Cruz (Sierra Zapotec/zapoteco de la Sierra)
Yu'
The Earth
La tierra
Yejpen nhaken nhÓlh
Drizzle Is a Woman
La llovizna es mujer
WuetÉ
Grinding
La molienda
Tu llwia'xhÉnza
To Look without Seeing
Mirar sin ver
Ka ya' chhyalhj nhÁk yelnbÁn'nha
Life Is a Volcano
VolcÁn es la vida
Gani yÉda xnha'gulha
Here I Come, Grandmother
AquÍ vendrÉ, abuela
Tu rad'gulhe
An Old Plow
Un viejo arado
Bidao nhÓlh yadslhaa llÍw
A Little Girl Called Freedom
La niÑa Libertad
XhÉb gwen guayiÁ
JosÉ the Dancer
JosÉ el danzante
5. Juan Gregorio Regino (Mazatec/mazateco)
Chikon nangui
The Guardians of the Earth
Los Guardianes de la tierra
TatsjejÍn nga kjabuya
Death Is Not Eternal
No es eterna la muerte
XingÁ chi'un
The Lord of Thunder
El SeÑor del trueno
Nijmi en nima
Chants
Cantares
6. Heriberto Prado Pereda (Mazatec/mazateco)
Ts'e chan
Our Calendar
El calendario
Kjobeyana natjona
Our Mother Receives Us
Nos recibe nuestra madre
Ts'e' ndi sitjo
Prayer to the Little Mushrooms
Rezo de los honguitos
Ts'e' kjuab'ets'atji
Prayer to Plead for Others
Rezo para rogar por otras personas
Ts'e' naNno
Green Tobacco Prayer
Rezo del piciete (tabaco)
Nngo kjuanda b'ile si ts'e' jiso'nde
We Give Thanks to the Creator of the World
Le damos gracias al DueÑo del Mundo
Ji na-in si-in kjua
You, Faithful Father
TÚ, Padre fiel
7. Natalio HernÁndez (Nahuatl/nÁhuatl)
Toselti matinemican
Let Us Walk on Our Own
Caminemos solos
Tecueso titlachixtoque
Our Existence Is Sad
Es triste nuestra existencia
Na noquia ni tlacatl
I Also Am a Human Being
Yo tambiÉn soy un ser humano
Amo ninequi nimiquis
I Do Not Want to Die
No quiero morir
Yancuic tonaticuicatl
Song to the New Sun
Canto al nuevo sol
Icnocuicatl
Song of Orphanhood
Canto de orfandad
Teotlacxochitl
Flower of Dusk
Flor del atardecer
Nehuatl nimoyoltlatlanilia
I Ask Myself
Yo me pregunto
Itlamiya xochicoscatl
Necklace of Flowers
Collar de flores
8. SerafÍn Thaayrohyadi BermÚdez (ÑÄhÑu/ÑÄhÑu)
NzÖya xui
Sir Night
SeÑor noche
Tsi ngande zÄnÄ
Grandma Moon
Abuelita Luna
Hin gi 'buhsehu
You Are Not Alone
No estÁn solos
Hiti thÄhi
Spinner
Hilandera
Dro ÑÄtho ÑÄhÑu 'Ñuhu 'Ñuhmu
I Am ÑÄhÑu
Soy otomÍ
Tihta
Temascal
Temascal
Tsi MÄhkitaa Lerma
Sacred Father Lerma
Sagrado Padre Lerma
9. Briceida Cuevas Cob (Mayan/maya)
A na'
Your Mother
Tu madre
U ak'abil tu chibil uj
Night of Eclipse
Noche de eclipse
Je bix chuuk
Like Charcoal
Como el carbÓn
A yaax tup
Your First Earring
Tu primer arete
Yan a bin xook
You Will Go to School
IrÁs a la escuela
Jeex uulich
Like a Snail
Como caracol de tierra
10. Gerardo Can Pat (Mayan/maya)
Kin wilik tin wenel
I See Her in My Dreams
La veo en mis sueÑos
Teech u dzook in tuukul
My Final Thought
Mi Último pensamiento
Tii u saas ak'abil abril
On a Clear April Night
En una noche clara de abril
Teech yeten teen
You and I
TÚ y yo
Taan a bin
You Are Leaving
Te vas
Xi'iktech utzil
I Wish You Well
Que te vaya bien
K'a'ajsaj
Memories
Recuerdos
11. Alberto GÓmez PÉrez (Tzotzil/tzotzil)
Chavuk
Thunder
Trueno
Kakavute'
CacatÉ
CacatÉ
K'epelal
Drought
SequÍa
Yalemo'
The Waterfall
La cascada
K'elo me le ixmaltike
Watch Over the Corn Fields
Cuida los maizales
Ja' le kalab kuntikile
My Children and Grandchildren
Mis hijos y nietos
Yibelun k'op
Source of the Word
RaÍz de la palabra
Mu jna' jayib k'ak'al
Unaware of the Days
Ignoro los dÍas
K'unk'un ta k'unk'un
Little by Little
Poco a poco
Muk'ul o'ntonal
Consolation
ConsolaciÓn
Alboto
Tell Him
Dile
Ilikik
They Awakened
Despertaron
12. Jun Tiburcio (Totonac/totonaco)
Jununu
Jununu
Jununu
Tachuwin xa tutunaku
Sweet Tutunaku Language
Dulce idioma tutunaku
Xtantun xakgalh
The Talons of the Eagle
Garras de Águila
Li tutunaku
Totonaco! Totonaco!
¡Totonaco, totonaco!
Mariano Peres Arenal
Mariano PÉrez Arenal
Mariano PÉrez Arenal
Kaman xalak ChumatlÁn
Chumatec Children
NiÑos chumatecos
Taskulanatlon
Blessings
Bendiciones
Jun
Hummingbird
ColibrÍ
Appendices/ApÉndices
Appendix A. The Owners, Lords, or Guardians of the Earth and the Water
ApÉndice A. Los DueÑos, SeÑores o Guardianes de la tierra y el agua
Appendix B. Hurricane and Lightning Entities
ApÉndice B. Entidades del huracÁn y del rayo
Appendix C. Traditional Prayers and Healing Ceremonies
ApÉndice C. Rezos tradicionales y ceremonias de curaciÓn
English Glossary
Glosario espaÑol
Sources of the Poems/Fuentes de los poemas
