Places of memory and living traditions of the Otomí-Chichimecas people of Tolimán — Transcript

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1. 0:03[Music]
2. 0:05in central
3. 0:07Mexico in the semi- desert region of the
4. 0:10state of
5. 0:12Ketero within the municipalities of
6. 0:14Tolman Cadeta de Montes Colon and Eekiel
7. 0:18Montes there is a group of Otomy on
8. 0:21native speaking communities that
9. 0:23recognize themselves as descendants from
10. 0:25the Chichim tribes that occupied a great
11. 0:28expanse of the northern central
12. 0:30territory of ancient
13. 0:33Mexico. In this wild land, the Otomy
14. 0:37Chichi communities have adapted and have
15. 0:40managed to survive throughout centuries
16. 0:42in a sacred territory they assume as a
17. 0:44legacy of their ancestors.
18. 0:48Scarce rainfall has reduced the
19. 0:51development of agricultural activities
20. 0:53to the margins of streams whose generous
21. 0:56vegetation and the abundance of majestic
22. 0:58Montasuma bald cypress trees contrast
23. 1:01with the semi- desert and dry
24. 1:03environment of the surrounding plains
25. 1:05and connected hills. This is a region
26. 1:08with great biological diversity where
27. 1:10centinary plants such as the giant
28. 1:12columnar organ cacti, the barrel cacti
29. 1:16and the star cacti dominate the horizon
30. 1:19intermingling with mosquet trees, white
31. 1:22thorn acius, agaveis and prickly pear
32. 1:24cacti. delicate flowers such as the
33. 1:27onion leaf das asphodel and the St.
34. 1:29Lucia herb as well as an endless number
35. 1:32of the regions found species such as the
36. 1:34kaca mississle, the squirrel or the
37. 1:37gopher snake. Because the human groups
38. 1:39that dwell in this territory are well
39. 1:42acquainted with their natural
40. 1:43surrounding by means of recollection
41. 1:46since ancient times, they have been able
42. 1:48to obtain foods, medicines, and other
43. 1:51products useful for life, establishing a
44. 1:54respectful and profound relationship
45. 1:55with their
46. 1:57environment. Before the Spaniards
47. 2:00arrived, this was a frontier zone in
48. 2:03which semi-nomead hunters gatherers that
49. 2:06the now was generically called chichimax
50. 2:09interacted with Mesoamerican
51. 2:11agricultural peoples with whom they
52. 2:14exchanged goods and fought for
53. 2:16territories. Since the 16th century,
54. 2:19this region was linked to the
55. 2:20colonization processes that Ottomy
56. 2:22groups carried out with the Spanish
57. 2:25crowns endorsement.
58. 2:28The Chichime resisted the Spaniards and
59. 2:31Ottomy Indians
60. 2:33ferociously. Many of them were
61. 2:36exterminated, but a few groups agreed to
62. 2:38congregate and finally mix with the
63. 2:40colonizing Ottomy Indians and adopted
64. 2:43their tongue. Thus, this cultural
65. 2:46landscape is an expression of the fusion
66. 2:48between the Chich historic component,
67. 2:51the Ottomy language and culture and the
68. 2:54influence of Catholicism imposed by the
69. 2:59[Music]
70. 3:03Spaniards. The Ottomy Chichima
71. 3:05communities of the semi- desert region
72. 3:07have built their territory symbolically.
73. 3:10To the south, the imposing boulder of
74. 3:13Bernnal, an unmistakable landmark of the
75. 3:17landscape, the gateway and guardian of
76. 3:20the Ottomy Chichim world that marks the
77. 3:23beginning and end of all
78. 3:26times. To the west, the Samurano pine
79. 3:29grove that provides with water and life
80. 3:32where the souls of the mechos or
81. 3:33grandparents reside. And to the east,
82. 3:37the Fontton Hill where the divine Savior
83. 3:50appeared.
84. 3:54Year after year, the settlers undertake
85. 3:57a pilgrimage to these hills with their
86. 4:00miraculous crosses to pray for water,
87. 4:03divine protection, and to venerate the
88. 4:06Meccos, their Chichim ancestors, and the
89. 4:09Shita, as they call their Ottomy
90. 4:11forebears.
91. 4:12Shitata their grandparents father and
92. 4:15ancient solar deity has merged with the
93. 4:18holy cross in a reverence cult with
94. 4:20three central elements the water the
95. 4:24hill and the cross.
96. 4:48The Ottomy Chichi Chime people also have
97. 4:51sacred places created with their own
98. 4:53hands, the family chapels, in such way
99. 4:57that in this cultural territory we can
100. 5:00still find 258 of such chapels, most of
101. 5:04which were built built in the 18th
102. 5:06century. These unique stonework and
103. 5:09vaulted ceiling oritories are a
104. 5:11testimony of the presence of the Ottomy
105. 5:13people in central Mexico since the
106. 5:15colonial era to present
107. 5:19days. The domestic chapels make the
108. 5:22encounter between the living and the
109. 5:23dead possible and safeguard the family
110. 5:26lineage, the cornerstone of communal
111. 5:29organization.
112. 5:32The family oratorries have two
113. 5:34constituent
114. 5:36elements. An outside area formed by a
115. 5:39small atrium in which we find one or
116. 5:42many small niches known as calvaries or
117. 5:45[Music]
118. 5:47justices. The cross of the calvary
119. 5:49represents the founder of the descent.
120. 5:52The crosses of the ancestors or shita
121. 5:55also known as before time grandparents
122. 5:58are placed within the niche.
123. 6:00and an inside space that corresponds to
124. 6:04the chapel itself, invariably precided
125. 6:07by an altar in which different religious
126. 6:10images and boyces are
127. 6:21placed.
128. 6:44for the OTIC people maintain a
129. 6:47centennial tradition alive expressed in
130. 6:50their annual ritual cycle. cycle where
131. 6:52water is considered a fundamental
132. 6:54element for life and
133. 6:56[Music]
134. 6:58survival. In this calendar, two types of
135. 7:01rituals stand out.
136. 7:04On the one hand, pilgrimages that demark
137. 7:07the external boundaries of the territory
138. 7:09in a demonstration that surpasses the
139. 7:11limits of the community towards the
140. 7:13mythical hills
141. 7:16Samurano and the boulder of Bernal where
142. 7:19they implore for water from the sky.
143. 7:43on the other hand, communal festivities
144. 7:46in which people gather in a convergent
145. 7:49movement towards the communities inside.
146. 7:52Among such festivities, we can emphasize
147. 7:55that of the Holy Week that is celebrated
148. 7:57in all of the communities and is
149. 8:00particularly intense in San Antonio de
150. 8:02Lal. There are also patron saints
151. 8:05festivities in all the regions, towns
152. 8:07and villages, celebrations of the days
153. 8:10of the dead, the Virgin of Guadalupe and
154. 8:13baby Jesus, and the divine savior's
155. 8:16festivity on December 31st.
156. 8:20One of the main community celebrations
157. 8:22that exemplifies the richness of their
158. 8:24intangible heritage is that of St.
159. 8:26Michael in late September when the
160. 8:29raining season has come to an
161. 8:31end. In this festivity, the region's
162. 8:34biggest offering is raised. The almost
163. 8:3776 ft high Chimal that stands out
164. 8:40majestically as a tribute to abundance,
165. 8:43as an emblem of the Chichim resistance,
166. 8:46and as a sign of vitality and ownership.
167. 8:55[Music]
168. 8:56Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Foreign
169. 8:57speech.
170. 9:19Today, the Yono communities of the Semi
171. 9:22desert are determined to preserve and
172. 9:25defend before the world their cultural
173. 9:28values, their language, their territory,
174. 9:31and their natural richness because it is
175. 9:34a valuable heritage that the people of
176. 9:36Ketero
177. 9:37The Mexican nation and the whole world
178. 9:40should recognize, respect, and safeguard
179. 9:43as part of the humanity's diversity and
180. 9:46memory.
181. 9:56[Music]
182. 10:03[Applause]
183. 10:05[Music]
184. 10:18[Applause]
185. 10:20Heat. Heat.
186. 10:25[Music]