Breaking the Hispanic Stereotype. Exploration and Dissemination of Other Cultures: The Pre-Hispanic Arhuaco of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia

Grant:

Lecturers' Professional Development Fund (LPDF)

Academic Year:

2010 - 2011 (June 1, 2010 through May 31, 2011)

Funding Requested:

$2,000.00

Project Dates:

Fri, 07/01/2011 - Mon, 08/15/2011

Applicant(s):

tcalixto

Overview of the Project:

Learning about ancestral cultures like that of the Arhuaco in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia would add to a more integral notion of a Pan-Hispanic World. It seems that the dominant societies, and Spanish language textbooks have constructed ideas of "the Hispanic World" omitting pre-Hispanic cultures that exist today, and that follow a way of life different from that of the main societies. Using an apprenticeship-practice approach to gain knowledge of the Arhuaco culture, this project aims to educate the University community, and to contribute to our development of cross-cultural competence by disseminating the Arhuaco way of life as a representative of these non-Hispanic cultures.

Final Report Fields

Project Objectives:

Introduction Disseminating a native culture from Colombia at the University of Michigan has been productive. My efforts have also brought colleagues and staff into thinking of more ways to disseminate native cultures, and the cultures and languages that we teach at Michigan. One of the capstones of this project was the photography exhibit that took place in the Michigan Union Lobby from October 8th – 30th. However, this exhibit has been only one of the activities of the project that started with a month-long immersion in the culture, and more dissemination activities are still to come.

Project Achievements:

Results and Impact of the Project The project has been carried out as planned on my proposal. As with any project, the outcomes can only be previewed, but executing the pan provides a richer experience. • Host family. The project started with a month-long period stay with my Arhuaco host family, and as a result of living with them, we now call each other family. One of the highlights of my stay was taking care of their 7-year-old grandson, their house and farm for a week as my host parents had to leave for the city for medical care. Even though it would take years to acquire vast knowledge of the Arhuaco culture, I realized that my understanding of the culture is substantially more advanced than that of the non-Arhuaco living just 3 hours away from the Sierra Nevada. I noticed this while talking with my instructor and classmate at an Arhuaco & Kankwamo bracelet private class back in the city; and also when interacting with Colombians from the center of the country. • “Zarwatun’s Bridge” A Photography Exhibit of the Arhuaco of the Sierra Nevada. Working with University Unions Arts & Programs since January this year has also been a good experience for future collaborations and also to share with colleagues who may want to utilize an exhibit as a dissemination method. The University Record published and article (http://ur.umich.edu/1112/Oct17_11/2768-dont-miss-indigenous) and I have received emails and comments from the public with their reactions to the exhibit like the following communication (dated October 15th:) Hola, Tati!! I walked through the Union earlier this week and looked at all of the pictures in your exhibit. The whole display was beautiful, and the pictures were so much more than just photographs. I felt like I could see into the souls of the people in the pictures. Great job! I loved it!!! Also, I miss you so much; I hope all is well!! :] • Exhibit Opening Talk. Consistent with my teaching style, on October 10th I offered a talk that included authentic cultural artifacts. An audience of around 30 had the chance to learn from the culture by manipulating these artifacts freely. The audience consisted of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and children and adults from the Ann Arbor community. The response was positive, and I have continued communication about the culture with a small group of attendees. • Bach Elementary School. On December 3rd and 10th I will present the culture to a group of 15 7-year-old students in the Saturday program “En nuestra lengua.” This is a language and literacy program for heritage Spanish speakers. The presentation will include art and crafts, and it will provide the children with and insight of the life in the Sierra through 7-old Zarwatun’s lifestyle. • U-M Spanish Club Lecture Night Presentation – Winter Semester. Lecture for the Spanish Club in February 2012 as part of the Lecture Night Series. • The Arhuaco Exhibit at North Quad - The photographs will be on display at 2435 Space NQ in the Winter Semester - February 1st - February 24th.

Continuation:

Sustainability Plans Besides making the exhibit available on the web at www.personal.umich.edu/~tcalixto/zarwatunsbridge/, my commitment to disseminating the native culture has inspired other colleagues and U-M affiliates. Martin Vega, a graduate student in RLL, Chris Chapman, from the Medical School, and I are planning a Gathering of Native Cultures from Central America, Colombia and the US for Winter 2013. Finally, I would like to thank the CRLT again for making this project possible. I now have a more solid experience in working with different units at U-M and in planning dissemination activities. The project has also inspired other people for future collaborative and interdisciplinary projects that will continue adding to the education of students, faculty, and the community at large.

Dissemination:

n/a

Advice to your Colleagues:

Lessons Learned If I were to carry out a similar project with a native community, the three main changes that I would implement are:
• Opening talk date. Many past and current students, and colleagues expressed their interest in attending the opening talk but regretted not being able to. On the second week of October, the students seemed to have more projects and exams than usual due to Fall Break on the following week. This lower attendance than expected was consistent with the attendance to two other activities coordinated by RLL on the same week. I would definitely try to open the exhibit earlier in the semester and get a higher turnout.
• Website of the exhibit. Colleagues and students have asked if there is a website where the photographs are available. Originally I did not plan for this, but I am considering this idea. I have developed skills in creating websites through projects in my courses, and I can plan to create this website in the Winter Term.
• Mochila Knitting group. I simply need to be more proactive in coordinating sessions to learn to make an Arhuaco ancestral bag. This activity is still pending.

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