Talena Sanders and village weavers
An adventurous young woman from Kentucky, Talena Sanders, recently contacted Adopt-a-Village with a request to assist her investigative work in Mayan hand-loomed textiles.
The majority of the Maya we help are Q’anjob’al and weaving is not part of their traditions. However, Mam women are noted weavers, so we would take Talena to Nuevo San Ildefonso village, a small community of Mam who pioneered the area 13 years ago.
Everything worked liked clockwork (unusual in Guatemala)! Talena and I hooked up in the town of Barillas and traveled two hours over dry bedrock roads to the mountainside village. Mothers weave striking indigenous costumes, each one an original bearing unique designs and colors. Moreover, they continue to teach their young daughters the art of back-strap loomed weaving from the early age of six and onward.
Talena is an interdisciplinary artist who uses a wide range of media including film photography, digital video, live digital video mixing, moving image film, social practice work, and curatorial projects to explore the extraordinary ways human express individual and collective identities.
Ana Perez displays her weaving
She says, “I have remained impressed by Maya people who have managed to maintain their cultural heritage. They have continued to make and wear their traditional indigenous dress, despite the hardships they faced during the civil war and influence from the influx of foreign tourists.
I spent one month in Guatemala conducting research, interviews, and photo shoots to document dress and culture of the contemporary Maya of Guatemala. During this time, I met amazing people and heard incredible personal stories of both the Maya people and of the people from organizations who work to help them.”
Thank you, Talena, for helping us to tell people about the extraordinary skills of these Mayan women.
Frances
