On Tu'un Savi (Mixtec) Language Revitalization
Tu'un Savi is the language of my community and their legacy. Although the Mixtec (Tu'un Savi) language is no longer spoken fluently in our hometown, it is familiar as our Spanish still holds onto words such as viko, nduchi, and yucu and more. These words are reminders of our Mixtec language not leaving our bodies, but still yearning to be rolling off our tongues. I am a part of the Mixtec diaspora in California, however, my lack of fluency in Mixteco has not been a challenge for me, yet rather it has helped me forge better relationships with community members of the Mixteca region as I attempt to (re)learn the language. In May of 2021, I created two Digital Zines in Tu'un Savi (Mixtec). The first one titled "Dyi Yucu Nduchi, Nuundyiva a Maat Tipai" is a short introduction to the world I come from. The second Zine, "Kanaka Ita si tyinaña" is a short fiction story about a young girl named Ita who loses her pet dog in her village. My hope is to acquire funds to be able to publish the short story in English, Spanish and Mixtec. I hope this can become useful to language resuscitation projects in my community, as well as others.
2021-2022 Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies Foreign Language and Area Studies (LLILAS FLAS) Fellow
From August 2021-May 2022 I was a FLAS Fellow continuing Tu'un Savi Language instruction at San Diego State University under the supervision of Professor Angelina Trujillo. In this role I was able to develop my own material to teach Tu'un Savi as well as language practice programs.
Presenting in Tu'un Savi in Ixpantepec Nieves, Oaxaca
On July 11, 2021 I was a guest speaker, alongside my uncle and professor, to present a short story to primary school children in Tu’un Savi. My uncle was familiar to this municipality, as he worked here as a primary school teacher over 30 years ago . A huge thank you to the teachers of Ixpantepec Nieves for all that they do to teach the young generation.
Fall 2021
In Fall 2021, I began the devising of Tu'un Savi language instruction. Throughout the course I had the ability to create my own material and teach the students as well as to strengthen my proficiency.
Spring 2022
During Spring 2022 I was able to begin an introduction to translating and interpreting services in Tu'un Savi.
As a component of my research, I engage in ethnographic work. In this course I was able to devise ethnographic questionnaires in Tu'un Savi.
Pensamientos on La Mixteca
This past July of 2021, after countless conversations about climate, soil, and topography with my family, we found time to visit the Mixteca Alta and the Mixteca Baja of Oaxaca. Due to my limited knowledge, and my renewed interest in Mixtec geography, I assumed every village was like ours: arid, "sterile" soil as my cousin would say, and dry vegetation. With an invitation to a community member's town of Ixpantepec Nieves in the Mixteca Baja, we made our way Southwest through the region(s). During this time, I was able to listen to my elders share stories of how they remembered the Mixteca throughout their livelihoods, and the stories my grandparents would share with them of Tlaxiaco, Jaltepec, and other towns. It is these moments that impulse me in pursuing a PhD in Geography.
Espinazo del Diablo in the Mixteca Baja
July, 2021
Geoparque Mixteca Alta
July, 2021
Waterfalls between Putla and Tlaxiaco
July, 2021