First the formal description so you understand a bit more about them, then inside, my own experience and the purpose of this note:
The Huichol or Wixáritari are an indigenous ethnic group of western central Mexico, living in the Sierra Madre Occidental range in the Mexican states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Zacatecas, and Durango. They are best known Huichol, however, they refer to themselves as Wixáritari “the people” in their native language. The adjectival form of Wixáritari and name for their own language is Wixárika.
The craftsmanship of the Huichol includes embroidery, beadwork, sombreros (hats), archery equipment, prayer arrows, and weaving, as well as “cuchuries”, woven or embroidered bags.
Their religion consists of four principal deities, the trinity of Corn, Blue Deer and Peyote, and the eagle, all descended from their Sun God, “Tao Jreeku”. The Shaman is named Maraakame . Most Huichols retain the traditional beliefs and are resistant to change.
In traditional Huichol communities, an important ritual artefact is the nieli’ka: a small square or round tablet with a hole in the center covered on one or both sides with a mixture of beeswax and pine resin into which threads of yarn are pressed. Nieli’kas are found in most Huichol sacred places such as house shrines (xiriki), temples, springs and caves.
In the past thirty years, about four thousand Huichols have migrated to cities, primarily Tepic, Nayarit, Guadalajara and Mexico City. It is these urbanized Huichols who have drawn attention to their rich culture through their art. To preserve their ancient beliefs they have begun making detailed and elaborate yarn paintings, a development and modernization of the nieli’ka.
For the Huichol however, yarn painting is not only an aesthetic or commercial artform. The symbols in these paintings are sprung out of Huichol culture and its shamanistic traditions. From the small beaded eggs and jaguar heads to the modern detailed yarn paintings in psychedelic colours, each is related to a part of Huichol tradition and belief.
The beaded art is a relatively new innovation and is constructed using glass, plastic or metal beads pressed onto a wooden form covered in beeswax. Common bead art forms include masks, bowls and figurines. Like all Huichol art, the bead work depicts the prominent patterns and symbols featured in the Huichol religion.
Some Huichol shaman-artists have acquired some fame and commercial success: the acclaimed Huichol yarn painter José Benítez Sánchez has had an exposition of his works in the USA. (source: Wikipedia)
My own experience with Huicholes
The Huicholes are hearty and enduring people, one of the very few indians communities left in México that are trying to keep alive their traditions, still striving to keep their culture alive and viable.
I have the great luck to know and count as friends, a group of Huichol women, which has given me a deep love of them and a tremendous admiration for their traditional, but very difficult way of life.
Unfortunately, the effects of modernity have taken them to the edge of their culture extintion.
We have a lot to learn about their respect for family, nature, their culture, their ceremonies, their deities.
We are so very used to go buy our food to the market, to open the tap and have the water running immediately…when they have to carry it for miles from the river or a water post to their homes…
The Huichol community need our help, but my wish here is to help a group of women, that are close to my heart and in my prayers.
I want to help them support the continuity of their Huichol native traditions, to promote the respect of Huichol people and to help them find economic solutions that promote their self sufiency,
This would provide them with educational opportunities and help them commercialize their products to create opportunities for cultural exchange with art exhibitors and shops around the world.
Basilia is my longtime friend, we were involved in a project a few years ago, we had this dream to mix their bead jewerly with huge silver pieces and earings, that we would produce and export.
Basilia and some of her friends were born in Guadalupe Ocotán, at the Sierra Madre mountains in Nayarit, they moved to Tepic, the capital of the state, with their families. They want their kids to study and have more opportunities for a better life.
They are organized on a group of 20 women from different communities and got some support from the state and federal government; so now, they produce art crafts, working from home to take care of their kids at the same time.
This group has been working for 5 years now on a project to rescue their traditions, their mother dialect, to protect their sacred places and to commercialize their art crafts and hand made clothing.
I lost track of Basilia when I moved to Puerto Vallarta but recently I was at an Expo Providers from Nayarit, an event organized by the Economic Development Secretary to support the producers of the state and help them commercialize their products directly to the touristic industry in Banderas Bay.
What a suprise to see Basilia there!!! we hugged and chatted for longtime and I was shocked to hear her asking me what to do with a box of plastic beads I gave her 6 years ago to make some of the products for our common project…she has been keeping the box and looking for me to give it back!! This kind of values, of honesty and pure heart, is something that our “modern” society lost…I was almost in tears, so now I feel a big compromise with Basilia en her group of Huicholas.
They want to buy the machinery and the materials needed to produce sandals, just as the sandals they use (and that I find really beautiful!!) and they also want to rescue the old way of making their traditional Huichol clothes, hand made, hand embroiled…full of colors and one of the most amazing things I ever saw!
To make one of this suits, a woman needs from 6 months to a year, it´s completely hand made and it includes the belt, the hat and the accesories. This work and their amazing beaded pieces and jewerly are very delicate work and they loose their sight for the hours and hours of work each peace takes.
I had a great time chatting with them, we even had a nice culinary conversation and the dream to make a nice recipe book of traditional Huichol food like: Atole made of roasted corn and milk, tortillas made with corn and amaranto, gorditas with banana; blue, yellow and green tortillas made of pure corn, many recipes with wild mushrooms, deer and wild roots and vegetables. yummy!!!!
So here I am…dreaming with them and trying to find a way to help them reach this dreams!!!
If you are connected to an organization, a non profit association, a group of people that love to help or if you have a beautiful heart that would simply help for the pure joy of doing it, feel free to contact me!!!
Your purchase of their artwork and donations would support their projects. Plus, in addition to much needed funding, your kind assistance is also greatly appreciated in the donation of medical supplies, school supplies, computers, publishing materials (for brochures, catalogs, and PR), and other useful things.
Please contact me or my office to discuss any ideas you might have to help us out, or for more information about the products!!!
I also need volunteers to help develop this project, people to help make business plans, find some resources, permits, lawyers, administrators, custom agencies, export/import agencies, graphic and fashion jewelry designers, web designer, sales people, etc.
I will try to figure out a way to make your purchases and donations tax deductable and if someone knows how to do this, please let me know as I am completely blind on those matters.
Thank you from our hearts!
Gina Naya and the Wirarítari women:
Basilia Muñoz, Felipa Carrillo de la Cruz, Inocencia Carrillo, Herlinda Carrillo, Alma de la Rosa Carrillo, Dolores Carrillo, Delia Carrillo, Bonifacia Salvador and Georgina de la Cruz.
The next pics were taken by my very talented and great friends the photographers David Barra and Betty Iñiguez from D&B Photographers, in Tepic Nayarit. If you want to contact them please let me know!!!
Pharmacy Technician
nice post. thanks.