/* Written 4:23 pm Oct 19, 1992 by Mendoza-Grado@ATT.COM in soc.culture.me */
1492-1992: La Interminable Conquista
Hanz Dieterich Steffan (Ed.)
Joaquin Mortiz/Planeta
Mexico, 1990.
The following dialogue with Rigoberta Menchu, Maya-Quiche'
leader of the Comite de Unidad Campesina (CUC) of Guatemala,
[winner of the] Nobel Peace Prize and member of our
Honour Council, published under our series of popular
testimonials on the V Centennial of the conquest, contributes
important elements for reflection and discussion of this topic.
...
A.P.G: Spain promoted several years ago this celebration
under the name of "discovery" of America.
What is your opinion about this discourse?
R.M.: There has been much controversy, but I think that to speak
of discovery is to minimize the values of our people. Especially
when our ancestors possessed a millenary culture.
A.P.G.: How can we explain that the Spanish officialism and
many Latin American governments accept such a false concept?
R.M.: I believe the first thing one has to understand is that
the V Centennial represents, at this moment, political
interests, of economic nature and even of legitimacy. They
have put aside the just evaluation of history and of what
happens in the present. The celebrations that have been
made have not reflected popular opinion and even less
that of the indigenes. There is not one true representativity
of the ancient owners of this continent. What I do want to
emphasize is that the V Centennial should represent a just
evaluation, worthy and in agreement to the events that happened.
A.P.G.: What would you call those 500 years?
R.M.: We have advocated three petitions before the United
Nations for the last two years. We have requested that
1992 be declared the International Year of Recognition
of the Struggle and Resistance of Indigenous Peoples, the
redemption of all the indigenous leaders that gave their
lives and blood for the liberation and, finally, to bring
into being an evaluation just and closer to reality. The
oppression to our peoples should be terminated so that we
can aspire to a true encounter of two cultures. The ransacking
and exploitation to our peoples should be terminated as well.
...
A.P.G.: Another part of the same official discourse pretends
that there were neither victors nor vanquished ones. It speaks
of the birth of a new culture, the mestizo. Supposedly in this
new culture there are Europeans as well as "Indigenous"
contributions. Would you agree with these postulates?
R.M.: That is deceitful. It would be enough to see the number
of indigenes who died in comparison to the number of Spaniards
to figure out who were the victors. It would be enough to see
the present conditions of the people to see who was the
victor. It is true that there are indigenous manifestations
that have been integrated in the mestizo culture but, in
general, the indigenous culture has been cast aside,
discriminated against or simply used as ornament.
A.P.G.: That concept of mestizaje that we mentioned resembles
another one that has been used, the "encounter of two worlds."
Under this phrase it would appear that two cultures were united
and harmoniously gave origin to something completely new.
Is it true that the Latin American culture carries
Indigenous and European contributions on even terms?
Does it really exist this equilibrium within the "mestizaje"?
R.M.: We know the mestizaje did not arise because the
Spaniards thought in terms of equality and mutual respect.
Many of our grandmothers were raped, and the product of that
violation can not be compared with the harmony of the
encounter of two sentiments or of two cultures.
Presently in our countries, power is in the hands of criollos
or privileged mestizos. That tells us of the imposition of
one culture over another. Five hundred years later we
continue living the consequences. First were the Spaniards,
then came others: Germans, North Americans, etc. Can you
imagine what it would mean to a new and more human society
the vision of the universe, the concept of nature still
kept by our people?
A.P.G.: There exist certain figures, national heroes that
have been stereotyped and that governments celebrate at a
political level. Tecumun Uman in Guatemala, for example.
Do they have true representativity for the "indigenous" people?
R.M.: They are figures we have to rescue and that in some
measure we have already rescued from the official history.
It is said, for instance, that since Tecumun Uman did not
know the horse, he thought the horseman was killed when
the horse was killed. Our people is able to recognize
perfectly between the human being and another animal.
How is it possible to ascribe to us that falsehood that
even insults us? There we see clearly the signs of
discrimination to justify oppression and exploitation.
A.P.G.: Is it possible to have a brotherhood between
"indigenes" and "non-indigenes" in pursuit of a common goal?
R.M. Of course it is. Of this I can speak competently
because of the experience from our organization: the
Comite' de Unidad Campesina. The CUC was born precisely
under those conditions, the enormous barriers between
indigenes and ladinos. If the CUC was repressed and
persecuted; if there were attempts to destroy it, it
was because its goal was to break the disunion among the
peoples. In my particular case, I had the opportunity
to know many colleagues who were non-indigenes who
nonetheless fought for the same cause. I remember now
a Salvadorean colleague from the Commission of Human
Rights, Marianela Garcia. She was a great role model
to many women; with her I exchanged views on the identity
and brotherhood of our people and she was Salvadorean
and mestiza. When I learned of Marianela's demise, I felt
much sorrow because I knew her thinking, her humanism,
her ideals, her sacrifice. With her, not only El
Salvador but, the entire continent lost yet another
daughter.
A.P.G.: What would be the way to recognize the rights
of the "indigenes" and of the nations in general?
R.M.: An adequate option would be to support projects
like this of Emancipation and Identity of Latin America.
If in some places it is not possible to raise your head
because they will cut it, it does mean those heads
do not exist. This is a process that have been evolving
day by day with the effort and sacrifices of our people.
The choice lies on the nations and on those who stand
behind them.
--
Gary S. Trujillo gst@gnosys.svle.ma.us
Somerville, Massachusetts {wjh12,bu.edu,spdcc,ima,cdp}!gnosys!gst