Tu'un Dali

This is our first episode of Tuun Dali after nearly 2 year of not posting. Come and learn about our work with the Undocu Indigenous Fund, a solidarity aid project for the Undocumented Indigenous Migrants of Los Angeles, California. 

The organizational efforts by Indigenous Oaxacan communities in Los Angeles have had a ripple effect in the United States. One of the most visible and long-standing events organized by Indigenous Oaxacans is the Guelagetza. Miriam Lopez and Raul Cortez share their experience being at the precipice of the Oaxacan organizing movement that would change the face of Oaxacalifornia. 

In this episode, we have a conversation with Alida Yath, an indigenous Q’eqchi’ interpreter who joins us to talk about her journey as an interpreter in the United States. Alida is among the only trained interpreters from Q’eqchi to Spanish and English in the country. She has proven that the life of indigenous peoples is important to her role as an interpreter since she prepares profoundly before she takes an interpretation case. She is a strong indigenous woman that is capable of speaking in multiple languages transforming a message from English or Spanish into her community’s worldview. We want share a trigger warning for this episode. 

In this episode of Tu'un Dali, we shared space with Lyndsea Reed to talk about her experience growing up Black, Indigenous and Queer in a racist and homophobic society. She addresses the challenges she faced in navigating Brown and Black spaces as a Black Queer woman and her journey towards embracing both, her Indigenous and Black identity. 

This episode is about the resistance and organization of the indigenous Coca people in the community of Mezcala, Jalisco. Rocio Moreno joins us to talk about the resistance of her community against the racist campaigns of extermination on behalf of the state of Jalisco, Mexico. She talks about women's participation in the collective organization of Mezcala, as well as the importance of the collective memory of her community to keep alive their existence as indigenous peoples. She also emphasized the need to bring awareness on the ecological disaster that are happening in her territory and the need to stop these transnational projects in the midst of Mexico’s so-called “fourth transformation". 

Enjoy this bonus episode that is brought to you by the Cognate Collective with music from the Mixtec Region and the voices of migrant Mixtec women in Tijuana that share their stories of migration. Our work was featured in their exhibition and we are happy to share with you all!

In this episode we have a conversation with Yasnaya Aguila, an Ayuujk writer, researcher, linguist and a water protector. We conversed about gender and women's participation in the organization of celebrations of her town. We also talked about the migration of indigenous Oaxacan communities and the creation of imaginary territories with strong organization beyond borders that allow us to heave deep connections to identities and community. Also this episode is in Spanish. 

A conversation with Policarpo Chaj , a community organizer, K'iche' interpreter and executive director of MayaVision an indigenous Guatemalan organization in Los Angeles. This episode cover an array of topics from the challenges of interpretation to the forced displacement of indigenous communities from Guatemala and the indigenous unaccompanied minors at the US/Mex border. We would like to let our listeners know that there is sensitive issues discussed in this episode. Also this episode is in Spanish. 

Na Syika Nda’vi: Los que andan por tierras lejanas, en una conversacion con Laura Velasco tocamos el tema de los migrantes mixtecos en Baja California y California siguiendo la conversación sobre Oaxacalifornia y los procesos organizativos de las organizaciones migrantes indígenas. En este episodio tocamos temas sobre: migración indígena, trabajadores indígenas, la mujer, identidad y la lucha por la representación propia de los pueblos en ambos lados de la frontera. 

Oaxacalifornia is a concept that Oaxacan communities are using to contextualize their stories of migration from Oaxaca, to Baja California and California as well as the political and cultural movements of revindication of who we are as indigenous peoples. Yet, the idea is taking multiple journeys which has created different conversation in various platforms. In this first episode of the second season of Tu’un Dali we are having a conversation of the idea of #Oaxacalifornia, the past, the present and our vision to the future. Join us!