> Marilyn:
> There are 200.000 Mixtec and Zapotec Indigenous peoples in the U.S. Most
> of them belong to the ancient civilizations that lived in the Hemisphere
> and specifically in Mesoamerica. There are Kuna (Panama-Colombia),
> Quechua (Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia), Guarani (Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina),
> and several other ethnicities living in the U.S. mainland. Here, several
> of them have been welcomed and recognized by their brothers and sisters
> belonging to nations who live within the U.S. territory. Today, as a matter
> of fact, their leaders are getting together in the Maya Territory of
> Quintana Roo for an international meeting of Indigenous peoples, nations
> and organizations. The Inuit should be there as well. Greetings. I hope the
> Inuit answer you.
> SAIIC
I am an Aztec Indian, who lives in the U.S., who knows of no other Aztecs
in the Chicago-land area. I currently hang out at the American Indian
Center in Chicago in order to be with people of similar values and
background. Growing up I only knew of the Sac and Fox of the Mississippi
and I spent the majority of my time learning from them, but never any
other Aztecs other than my own family. Now, I want to meet other
natives from the Indian villages of Mexico.
It is so hard for me to understand why some people in the Native American
community would exclude other Indian people south of the border from the
other Indian communities in the U.S. People in Mexico treat us as if as
we are invisible or nonexistent. Now that I live in the U.S. these same
people in the Hispanic community don't understand or exclude us treating
us only as if we were history. I would think that other tribal people
in the U.S. would understand that and accept us into their communities.
Maybe we should just buy some land and make it available to the Indian
people who leave their villages to make money but still desire to go back
to their villages. OR maybe our tribal affiliation could be recognized at
the NA cultural centers like the one here in Chicago. Shouldn't we stand
together and help each other?
Before the Europeans came and instituted a new form of government in
Mexico and the U.S. there were no borders keeping Indian people from each
other. Even the language of the Ute and Shoshone are of the Nauhtl stock
of language spoken by the Aztec people. But how much of the people on the
reservations in the U.S. and Mexico know about each other? How much
research is done that studies the migration of the Southwest tribal
people?
Thank you for listening.
Tony Quinones
via
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* Angie Quinones, Academic Advisor * "Many receive advice, only the *
* Undergraduate Education Dept. * wise profit by it." :-) *
* Nova University * *
* quinones@polaris.nova.edu * *
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