I'd like start by saying that this is my experience as a #Brown, #Queer, & #TwoSpirit person, that this my own view, and that my experience does not necessarily apply to everyone. As a #Nahuatl teacher / #IndigenousLanguage promoter & previous #Activist, Spanish/English Translator & #HIVPrevention ambassador, it is important that I state this. 

The term Brown as an identity has resonated with me in the past few years. It has especially resonated with me when I heard the phrase "Brown & proud" at the 2019 Navajo Nation Fair where I participated as a huehuetl (drum) player. I know that colorism is a byproduct of racism & that both have functioned as a way to strip me off my identity: my identity as a Macehualli (Native person / Indigenous person), my identity as an #AmericanIndian, and my identity as a #NativeAmerican. I also honor & acknowledge those of us who are of mixed ethnicities.

I know that most of these terms with the exception of Macehualli pre-date my  indigenous blood. I know that Native and Indigenous are used in a positive way: Native American Month & Indigenous Peoples' Day. I know that Indian / Indio are used in a  derogatory way. I also know that my ancestors spoke Nahuatl. I know that even though I don't know the specific tribe, I find joy in what I do know. I do know that I have roots in Xayamitla (Jayamitla, Ameca, Jalisco) therefore I identify as Xayamitecatl (person from Xayamitla). I do know that I also have roots in Quilitl (El Quelite, Sinaloa) therefore I also identify as Quilitecatl (person from El Quelite).

The more posts I see for h******* / l***** heritage month, the more I encourage folks to disrupt the systems  that encourage these Eurocentric identities & reindigenize their identities. One way I have reindigenized myself is by learning what my ancestors planted, cultivated and harvested: elotl (corn), etl (beans), and nopalli (nopales). Going further with this, connecting the dots with the foods I eat: tlaxcalli (tortillas), tamalli (tamales), pozolli (pozole), etl (beans), and of course chilli (chile) and chilmolli (salsa). 

#BROWNANDPROUD
#BROWNANDBEAUTIFUL 
#NATIVEPRIDE 
#BROWNPRIDE
#NIMACEHUALLI


WHY I IDENTIFY AS BROWN

We discuss classes, upcoming books, & how has COVID-19 affected us.
Please fast forward to 1:04.

LINKS
https://www.citlalli-anahuac.com/
https://linktr.ee/Mexican__Excellence
https://speaknahuatl.com/
https://linktr.ee/speaknahuatl

CLASS SIGN UP LINKS
Decolonial History of the "Americas": https://tinyurl.com/edspring22
Womxn of Mesoamerica: https://tinyurl.com/abuelas22
Decolonial History of Mexico: https://tinyurl.com/EDMEX22
Nahuatl Classes via Zoom: https://tiny.one/xochitlan

YOUTUBE CHANNELS
https://www.youtube.com/user/AnahuacWomenFight
https://www.youtube.com/cuiamartinez

Decolonial Work: Classes, Books, & COVID-19

Interviewer: D'Angelo from the University of Nevada
Interviewee: Cuitlahuac A. Martinez from speaknahuatl.com 
Topics Include/Content Warning: 
-Identifying as #indigenous, #queer, & #indigequeer or #indigiqueer
-Building community
-2SLGBTQIA+ discrimination 
-Catholic church atrocities
-Knowing your roots 
-#LanguageRevitalization 
-#LanguageActivism 

The Nawat classes mentioned at the end are by Asociación Nacional Indígena Salvadoreña - ANIS
https://www.facebook.com/ANISTunalsental
https://www.instagram.com/anistunalsental

Nawatl classes by https://speaknahuatl.com
https://linktr.ee/speaknahuatl

Find Indigenous Language resources here: https://tiny.one/NDGNSlang
Find whose traditional lands you are on here: https://native-land.ca/
 
More episodes here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5OSwFkRI7I8GiCwFoW70fA
and here: https://soundcloud.com/you/tracks

An Indigequeer's Language Journey

In this episode we talk about where we're from, where we were born, what got us started, and how you can also contribute to this decolonial work. This episode also features Citlalli's semillita👶🍼
 
Our websites 
https://speaknahuatl.com
https://www.citlalli-anahuac.com
 
IG 
https://www.instagram.com/mexican__excellence
https://www.instagram.com/speaknahuatl
 
YouTube 
https://www.youtube.com/user/AnahuacWomenFight
https://www.youtube.com/cuiamartinez

Tlamachtihketl Kui A. Martinez