- So, are you Mexican or are you native?
So we're dealing with lateral depression and then,
we're dealing with just straight up haters and trolls.
So, to decide to do this,
when we could be talking about X, Y and Z,
we're honoring our ancestors,
just this conversation. (soothing music)
- Hello, Everybody. So as you know,
I've had quite the time here,
better like learning about my culture, Latinidad,
the language, everything like that.
There has been a part of my family history I haven't shared
because it's something I'm always constantly learning about.
We don't have a lot of information about it,
just because of the history of how
Indigenous people have been treated throughout the years
and that is my Yaqui roots.
My family is from Arizona,
but they originated in Sonora, Mexico.
My grandmother and I recently had a conversation
about her Yaqui grandmother
and wanting to learn more information
because her dad wanted to find out more information
but at the time there just was such limited access.
There wasn't the internet. - It didn't make sense.
- So, then how do you spell Yucupicio,
cause that says with a U-Y-O. - Y-O.
- Cause this one says, Y-U.
- What does this one say? (soothing music)
This is her death certificate.
She died October the 13th, 1931.
And here, it says that she wasn't married to my grandpa.
- So, they got married later on?
- Yeah. (speaking in Foreign Language)
It says that she's single
and she goes, (speaking in foreign language)
- So, I wanted to take it upon myself to like,
give them all of this information back.
And I wanted to document that,
but then I quickly realized that not everything needs
to be documented for the public to see,
because this is a very special, sacred part of my family.
And I wanna be mindful about this topic and conversation.
I don't wanna take up space whatsoever.
This is my friend, Tomas.
He is a Phoenix native, just like me,
a film director, writer, and visual artist.
His work is absolutely stunning and so is his family.
As I learn more about my own native roots,
I wanted to have this conversation with him
about the intersectionality between
Latinidad and Indigeneity. (soothing music)
So, I hope you guys enjoy and meet Tomas.
All right. So, I'm here with Tomas.
I wanted you to be in this video
because I think you've always had this,
great perspective and pride for your indigenous roots.
Just the work that he does also is very meaningful
and passionate and artful and it's inspired me as a creator.
And also, as I discover more of my indigenous roots,
I look to people like you to kind of see,
"Okay, cool. What are they doing?
How are they honoring their roots and everything, so."
- Thank you for all those kind words.
(speaking in Foreign Language)
My name is Tomas Karmelo Amaya.
I am Yoeme and A:shiwi on my mom's side
and Raramur on my dad's side.
I'm currently in Phoenix, Arizona, the 602,
which is the ancestral homelands
of our (indistinct) relatives.
When we speak about Indigeneity,
I think about expression for me seeing you as a person
that thrives in like comedy and storytelling,
I feel like it's there too.
And so there's a saying that, "Real recognizes real."
And I just think that it's a beautiful thing
to connect on different levels like either through our art,
but also through this really important part
of our identity, which is Indigeneity.
- [Maya] You know that question for like, what are you?
What do you usually say?
- When I'm asked about how I identify,
I say that I'm indigenous and I definitely mentioned,
like I did in my introduction the tribes that I'm born for.
And I feel like that's really important
and I encourage, as we look at our family histories,
if we're able to identify those parts of ourselves,
either through oral history
or different kinships and relationships.
At least for me, in that journey of,
I would say healing from the lasting impacts
of intergenerational and historical trauma,
I feel much more empowered to say, I am A:shiwi.
I am Yoeme. I am Raramur. (cheerful music)
But, I understand too that to be able to say that,
requires a certain level of commitment and appreciation
and dialogue and connection with the people.
There's a certain level of privilege that could be involved
with just saying, "I am this or I am that."
For me, it's like, if I'm saying these things is
because I'm showing up.
I'm in community, I'm supporting community
through thick and thin and in moments of joy,
going to feasts and celebrations.
And so, I personally identify as an indigenous person.
I'm Mexican. My parents were born in (indistinct).
That to me, is important in identity,
but I'd like to go further because I can
and say the tribes to which I belong
and that's important to me personally.
That I am respectful and mindful of the fact
that because of different levels of disconnection
from our cultural roots, not everybody can do that.
And so, instead of being like, "Aw, dang. Look at you,
you can't name the tribes." Like in shame somebody.
I feel like that's kind of that's some problematic.
- Its bull. - Damn it.
- How did you grow up honoring your roots
or like coming to terms with,
your indigenous history and everything,
and how do you honor that today?
- I think it goes back to my elders, my elders in my family,
especially I was very close to my maternal grandmother,
as well as my paternal grandmother.
So, from the grandmother's side,
there's that kind of deep connection
and celebration of our matriarchs
and matriarchs within my family are highly regarded
as culture bearers and knowledge bearers.
And so, I think being a little boy and growing up,
basically right next to my abuelita Paula,
that was really important for me.
To see that, to see her hold space for other native people.
She was someone that would go to the ceremony often,
and that would be invited to speak.
She was also a traditional healer.
That visibility alone and that feeling
that it is something of value in our family,
was really important. (soothing music)
But I will say this, growing up in West Phoenix,
my block was basically almost half black relatives
and then the other half was like,
different immigrant communities in Latin America.
Being part of that environment,
it did make you feel a certain type of way with like,
"So are you Mexican or are you native?"
And then like all these different types
of lateral oppression, that was honestly as a young person,
it could weigh heavy on you and the effects of how,
maybe social media or how our peer groups can put pressure
on us to claim something, to be something,
is something that I definitely like talking about head on
because our youth are precious.
I think it's really important to amplify the beauty
that exists in being that.
How can we support each other in this journey
to be connected to our people and ultimately to the land.
- What are your kind of views on like the intersectionality
of being Indigenous and being Latino also?
- There is something that we need to talk about
and that's the fact that in the so-called the United States,
there's this concept of what it is
to be native American and Indigenous,
a lot of tokenization of what it means.
When we go into Latin American countries
and I can speak about experiences in Mexico,
when I think of Mexico,
when I think of how my grandmother Paula,
grew up and that her mother-in-law would put her down
or attempt to, by calling her India. That's hurtful.
And the way I kind of flipped that around is like,
I give thanks to my grandmother.
To my abuelita Paula, for standing tall in her Indigeneity
and being like, "This is a gift to my family."
There's so much more to talk about than just the resilience
or to define ourselves by the fact
that we survived colonization or we continue to thrive.
Sometimes it just feels like,
"Let's just talk about how dope we are."
As we navigate these spaces and embrace our Indigeneity,
leave room for that humor.
Its okay. (cheerful music)
We're not perfect. "I don't feel comfortable with this."
All right, let's talk about that then.
All this is a boundary of,
"All right, bet. Lets move through it."
Then we can laugh and then I bet you, we can cry about it.
But, if at the end of our conversation or interaction
and say, "Damn. I feel more rooted. I feel more connected."
Then I think we've done something good for this world.
Every facet of what we call society,
there is indigenous excellence and you are a part of that.
I'm looking forward to seeing you, do your thing.
Chokes me up cuz. Damn. (soothing music continues)
Seeing you go on this journey to ask these questions
and to reach out to me, is really important.
I think it goes both ways when we are vulnerable
and just celebrating you too, as a leader, as a matriarch.
Something that needs to be said.
- Don't do it, Tomas. Don't do it.
- It's a risk to take.
And when I say risk its like, because like we said,
there's the lateral oppression is real.
So, we're dealing with lateral oppression
and then we're dealing (upbeat music)
with just straight up haters and trolls.
So, to decide to do this when we could be talking
about X, Y, and Z,
we're honoring our ancestors, just this conversation.
(upbeat music)
- [Announcer] Pero Like.