Abstract

White ethnographers, anthropologists, and sociologists have dominated the historical and cultural narratives about Indigenous cultures in North America, often citing autonomous “informants.” Regardless of how sincere these narratives may seem, they are all too often presented through ethnocentric lens. Often these narratives are too widely classified by geographic or linguistic terms - therefore missing the intricate details put forth by the Indigenous storyteller. Our study focuses on the life and work of Florentina (“Tina”) Lopez de Jesus (1939-2014), an Amuzgo Indian in Xochislahuaca in the Costa Chica region of Guerrero State, Mexico. Her remarkable storytelling, conveyed through her aboriginal weaving skills, told the story of the often-forgotten Amusgo and their affiliation with the pre-Aztec, Mixtec civilization. She articulated the rich pre-Columbian arts of natural dyes, fibers, and weaving that is often associated with other Indian groups with out due credit to her group. Fortunately, recognition for her work went beyond her region and Mexico leading to International recognition, including the 2001 UNESCO Handcrafts Prize. Her oral history of the Amuzgo was conveyed to fellow Indian scholars who share her cultural heritage - notably, Juieta Altamirano-Cosby. Contrasts are made with other “scholarly” assessments of the tribes of this region as well as awareness of the problem of biases inherent in ethnocentric scholarship.

Presenters

Laurence French
Affiliate Professor, College of Liberal Arts, University of New Hampshire, New Hampshire, United States

Julieta Altamirano-Crosby
Co-Founder and Executive Director, Equity, WAGRO Foundation, Washington, United States

Magdaleno Manzanárez
Vice President and Professor, External Affairs, Western New Mexico University, New Mexico, United States

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

2023 Special Focus—Literary Landscapes: Forms of Knowledge in the Humanities

KEYWORDS

Indigenous Story-Telling; Indigenous Female; Cultural Preservation; Ethnocentric biases

Digital Media

This presenter hasn’t added media.
Request media and follow this presentation.