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Mexika
Consciousness
“An Indigenous Path to Awareness”
(Part II) By Tekpatzin
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Ometeotl!
Hau Mitakuyapi
Writing from the Chicago area, which is home to the second
largest concentration of Mexika/Mexicano/Xicano people in the
United States, second only to Los Angeles, I would like to dedicate
these few words to our young people and to the spirit of resistance
and
non-violence….Tekpatzin (Mah Piya Aka Mani)
We
celebrated the Summer Solstice this past Monday, and now with
the summer season upon us the time arrives for the fulfillment
of annual pledges of healing ceremonies and rituals. Depending
on which indigenous tradition one has been guided to, there will
be many people suffering, praying, fasting, dancing and piercing
in traditional (albeit with a modern interpretation) settings
all across this continent. There are many in our Chicago Mexika
community that will be driving up to South Dakota or Minnesota
to attend and participate in any number of vision quests and Sun
Dance ceremonies. We are told that these ceremonies may provide
one with spiritual enlightenment and an inner peace that many
of us are praying and asking for in these very confusing and violent
times. What we do with this spiritual enlightenment (the positive
and creative energy) is the most difficult choice many of the
people walking and living the Red Road (Mexikayotl) face. Due
to the tragic and painful history of this continent many of us
are working in the areas of “historical healing”.
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In
the process of walking the Mexikayotl (Red Road), this spiritual
enlightenment and awareness of an inward state will hopefully
provide one with the wisdom “to know”, which in ancient times
was known as consciousness. Personally, I would like to think
that we are born with this “Mexika Consciousness” which, in essence,
is an indigenous consciousness known at one time by all people.
If awakened and nurtured by genuine teachers, wise elders and
medicine people we can enhance our innate Mexika consciousness
with the dynamic life experiences (the good and not so good) that
each and every one of us has
lived and is living.
This,
in essence, is where many of us stumble because we are not truly
aware of our true dynamic (and creative) natures as universal
human beings. We are not static, immovable beings (although some
of us can be pretty stubborn, which is more of an EGO state) but
very beautiful, emotional, dynamic energy beings. Read some of
the countless historical texts of our indigenous Mexika/Tolteca/Mayan
ancestors and their academic, philosophical, spiritual and astronomical
teachings and one can easily see that we as a culture were ever
evolving and reaching higher states of awareness and wisdom.
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We
honor our Mexika Consciousness and our ancestors by fully embracing
all people as our relations. I know that this is easier said then
done, but if one truly is on the path to healing and to awareness,
then knowing that we are all related is the first step we have
to take to continue down the path. Many may not agree with this,
but we’re losing more of our youth to consumerism, prisons, urban
violence, drugs and alcohol each and every day. We don’t have
the luxury or the time to debate how we are being taught our traditions
or our ceremonies.
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FIn
Chicago our youth organization, YSS, and many others have united
under the banner of urban arts (hip-hop) and indigenous and cultural
awareness for the purpose of liberation (mind-body-spirit). YSS
is primarily a Mexika and Filipino organization that fully embraces
all indigenous struggles that target the unfair practices of corporations
and greedy individuals.
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To
be fully awakened and conscious one feels all unjust pain and
all undue suffering. This is truly the arena that many of the
authentic medicine people and genuine native elders are working
in, to heal the pain and suffering. It may not have been like
this in the old days, before drugs, consumerism, greed, fear,
alcohol and sexual abuse ran rampant. But today we are living
in the midst of many of these social, political and spiritual
ills. And yes, it may be unfair to be given these extra responsibilities,
but as many of us know, the Great Spirit Ometeotl would not place
something on our path unless we are totally capable
of working with it.
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Mexika Consciousness provides us with just that, a very powerful
and ancestral connection to the past to do something positive
in the present to help our children prosper in the future.
End
of Part II
Read Part I
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The
Aurora-Chicago area youth organizations participating on this
historic journey are Youth Struggling for Survival (YSS), University
of Hip Hop (UHH), Southwest Youth Collaborative, AlterNatives,
Synergy, Chicago Tribe, Kuumba Lynx, Urban Art & Action Movement
(UAAM) and a Mexika Danza collaboration of four different danza
groups, which includes Nahuali. The Oakland- based youth groups
are Higher Gliffs, Ground Effects and SNAG (Seventh Native American
Generation).
This
youth collaboration is a representation of many different indigenous
cultures and backgrounds and depending on the results of RED NOIZE
at Pine Ridge High School we may be taking RED NOIZE to other
reservations and urban centers in the near future. For more information
about RED NOIZE go to www.youthstrugglingforsurvival.org
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Mexika
Tiahui! Mitakuye Oyasin!
To all our ancestors and relations
Tekpatzin (Frank)
Mah Piya Aka Mani
Executive Director of YSS
www.youthstrugglingforsurvival.org
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