Holxetat: A Story About Resistance
According to early Dominican accounts in 1824 the majority of accessible natives were converted. The maximum population registered was over 600 making it the Dominican mission with the highest number of registrations. The neighboring tribes to the east, the Kiliwa Y Cucapá were never taken to the mission, and were always hostile towards it. The Cucapá though they did not live far from the mission of Santa Catarina, they denied to live near the mission do to the winter cold. Many natives located in higher altitudes had the custom of heading down to lower lands to spend the winter with family members in Cucapá territory with the objective of escaping the cold and rain. This is one of the reported causes for friction between the natives and missioners who would not allow natives to head down to spend the winter with the Cucapá. In 1840 a native subversion would destroy the mission of Santa Catarina.According to an account given by José Domingo Castro nearly a century ago, grandfather of Teresa Castro, during the month of September when the majority of people had left Santa Catarina to collect Piñon to the North on the Western skirts of the Juarez mountain range, the Kiliwa arrived and burnt the mission. Another source affirms that 16 neophytes died in the attack. Other natives of Santa Catarina said that the subversion that destroyed the mission was "general, including, pai-pai, kiliwa, huerteños, riaño, and they all went without a chief and faught like animals. Everyone hated the missioners."
The initial intention of my research was to learn more about how natives in Baja California resisted Christianization. And more importantly I wanted to see if I could gain insight to their perspective of resistance. In light of the historical context of resistance in Santa Catarina, the story of Hoxetat in this video best gives perspective and voice to the native resistance and struggle against colonization. The story of Holxetat that is told here by doña Teresa Castro was told to her by her father and is also known by other natives of Santa Catarina. She says the following about Holxetat: "They say that animal does not look like an animal, it looks like a human." It lived proximate to Santa Catarina's mission and was killed by a native before 1911.This oral story by Teresa Castro allows us to gain very important insight to the resistance and struggle endured by the natives, as was accounted by the grandfather of Teresa Castro nearly a century before when he explains about the burning of the mission. In their eyes the oppressor was more like an animal than a human being. Devoid of reason, and without a mechanism of self-sufficiency, it's devouring self -indulging appetite was seen as a danger to the physical and cultural survival of the natives. I want the viewer to view this story in light of the historical context I just provided in order to gain the internal insight to their struggle for resistance.
Негізгі бет Teresa Castro/ Santa Catarina, B.C. Mexico. Pai Pai. (2010)
Пікірлер: 44