Indigenous Quotient/Stalking Words
by author Juan Gómez-Quiñones

Reviewed by José Luis Serrano Nájera

Cross-posted at Somos en escrito

In our historical moment, we have seen the people of the world announce a global crisis. In 2011 we saw the peoples of North Africa and the Middle East call for an end to oppression and foreign American imperialism. These calls rang a chord with the people of the United States who called for an end to capitalist greed through the Occupy movements.
Yet the problems of capitalism, hegemony, and the imperialism that binds the two are almost two centuries old and colonialism has produced similar outcomes since the first European invasions of Africa in the early 15th century. This is a fact that is well known among the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas since 1492.
Now more than 500 years later, we see how the material benefits of western modernity have come with the price of violence, gluttonous consumption by the privileged few at the expense of the have-nots, oppression on the basis of race and ethnicity, the exploitation of land, resources, hearts and souls, and the de-validation of Indigenous knowledge across the globe. The crises of today are an extension of this history and are like a nightmare we cannot wake up from. The irony of this is that many of us don’t learn how our current crises are part of long historic trends. More importantly, we don’t learn that for 500 years, the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas have been trying to have us see there are ways to live our lives in accordance with the values of respect for all living beings and the land.
When educators at the Mexican American Studies Program in Tucson tried to incorporate Indigenous values into their curriculum state officials shut these classes down and carted away banned books in front of tear-eyed Latina/o youth with the similar soul-crushing effect Nazi book burnings had on Germans who did not adhere to Nazi ideology in 1933. Or was it more like the conquistadores and Franciscan friars burning Aztec codices in the 16th century? Either way shared knowledge, written or oral, is a challenge to power and has been at the forefront of resistance to imperialism and colonialism for centuries.
In his book Indigenous Quotient/Stalking Words: American Indian Heritage as Future, Juan Gómez-Quiñones depicts how colonizers and imperialists have de-validated Indigenous knowledge to rationalize the exploitation and oppression of Indigenous Peoples in the Americas. He is critical of Western forms of knowledge production because Western thinkers have used their written word to depict Indigenous Peoples across the world as backwards in an effort to establish Western supremacy since the 15th and 16th centuries.
Gómez-Quiñones writes his critique in a chronological manner to help us understand how present day rationalizations of exploitation and oppression tied to global capitalism and American hegemony are a continuation of efforts started by Columbus with his paternalistic and racist portrayals of Indigenous People that rationalized Spanish colonialism. More importantly, however, Gómez-Quiñones’ book can serve us by helping us reflect on how we produce and acquire knowledge, as well as the implications of this practice. If we, as humans, continue to build knowledge and society on the backs of the unfortunate, then the nightmare of 500 years of violence will continue.
Indigenous peoples have recognized that Western knowledge production is allied with exploitation and oppression for centuries. However, in the last six decades, this centuries-old recognition has served as the impetus for activism and revolutions that challenge unjust power and literature that examines and critiques how Western thinkers have rationalized the violence of imperialism and colonialism. Beginning with revolutionary intellectuals like Albert Memmi and Frantz Fanon, the second half of the 20th century was characterized by successful challenges to imperial political power by the formally colonized that were inspired by an ideology critical of western imperialism and modernity. In the United States, Civil Rights activists challenged racism, apartheid, and injustice to fight for the national audience to become aware of the atrocities and inequality that resulted from Western definitions of inferior and superior.
By the late 1960s and early 1970s, the geopolitical context of activism and revolution allowed for the institutionalization of this thought in Ethnic Studies programs. Even traditional academic disciplines were forced to reflect on their role in the subjugation of people around the world. The first half of Gómez-Quiñones’ book is a product of this anti-imperial and anti-colonial intellectual production inspired by activism in the United States, and specifically in Chicana/o Studies since 1969. His book, however, is also a reflection of this decades old intellectual tradition and a realization that: 1) The heirs of Western imperial power aren’t going down without a fight; 2) Without an alternative, those of us who dream of a just world don’t have a chance; and 3)

A respect and validation of Indigenous knowledge, and the just treatment of Indigenous Peoples, is the strongest avenue towards moving beyond the ills of Western modernity.

At almost the same exact time as revolutionaries and activists challenged global imperial powers, those powers began to reorganize how global politics and economy functioned. Like magicians pulling the tablecloth from under the silverware, corporate fat cats moved the sites of production to areas of the world where democracy, freedom, and equality were desires far beyond the human necessity for food, water, and shelter, which were conditions that were the historic outcome of imperialism and colonialism. They pushed for policy that supported “free trade” to ensure their profits would grow unrestricted through unethical lobbying that in any place in the world but the United States would be defined as bribery.
All in all, these neo-liberals ensured that the fights for civil rights and equality in the United States meant that we all had the equal opportunity to work at Wal-Mart, join the military, and fear getting thrown in jail and losing the privilege of working at Wal-Mart or joining the military. The rights of citizenship also became restricted to ensure that a second class of humans remains to work for cheap in primarily agriculture and in slaughterhouses, which are industries that couldn’t move overseas, or at least not yet. Finally, the lack of investment in public education ensures a population without the credentials to propose and create self-determined models for economic development and governance for their communities. The quickness and scope of these political and economic maneuvers would make Machiavelli proud.
In response to the political and economic injustices of the globalization age, activists, artists, and teachers (both formal and informal) have fought to raise consciousness of both the current injustice of the world and how these injustices have a long history. Since the 1980s, Indigenous Peoples of the world moved the fight of recognition and resolution to the fact that the modern world was created through the genocide and exploitation of their people and land to the United Nations.
These efforts resulted in the creation of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in 2000 and the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous People by the UN General Assembly on September 13, 2007. The rights outlined in the Declaration refer to the rights of Indigenous people to not suffer from discrimination and marginalization, maintain their cultural identity and determine for themselves the social and political trajectory of their communities.
Among many Chicanas and Chicanos, the last three decades has been marked by a growing consciousness and elaboration of the meaning of Indigenous heritage. Beginning with the Chicana/o Movement of the late 1960s and 1970s, Chicanas and Chicanos have declared their Indigeneity after reflection on Indigenous heritage and history. The works of Luis Váldez and El Teatro Campesino, which were inspired by Mayan and Aztec philosophies, served as a model for a reflection on Indigenous heritage for many young Chicanas and Chicanos during the movimiento. Since then, Danza Azteca groups have multiplied in the United States and have engaged in transnational collaborations through respected Danza teachers like Andrés Segura. Many of these Danza groups’ goals are spiritual and hope to provide more harmonious understandings of the universe and society.
The success of Indigenous philosophy as foundation for bettering society and humanity is exemplified by the Mexican American Studies (MAS) program in Tucson, AZ. In this program, “In Lakech,” that is, tu eres mi otro yo (you are my other self), served as the guiding ethos for high school students to engage in a discussion on society and humanity. This program accomplished the goal of instilling in Latina/o youth a sense of pride and self-validation that contributed to their educational success by raising graduation rates. From 2005-2010, a Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) evaluation found that the MAS program had high school graduation rates of over 90%, which is considerably higher than national averages for Mexican Americans that is 44%1 and TUSD overall graduation rates in the same time period that were 82-86.9%.
The success of the program, however, was not enough to withstand the onslaught of racism that was overrepresented in Arizona’s state government and was suspended on January 11, 2012. The overall significance of the aforementioned activists, danzantes, and teachers is that they signal a new trajectory for humans and civilization. These persons have constructed a philosophical and social foundation inspired by Indigenous heritage on which they wish to build an understanding of humanity that is not dependent on violence and exploitation.
In the second half of his book, Gómez-Quiñones is in tune with what activists, danzantes, and teachers have been doing since the 1980s. He proposes a paradigm for conceptualizing a world that is truly postcolonial and post-imperial that is based on Indigenous ethics and morality, which consists of: 1) critiquing all oppressive power structures; 2) self-reflection on history and philosophy; 3) responsibility of transmitting heritage and good values; 4) Indigenous philosophy of knowledge as the foundation of personhood and auto-validation; and 5) ideological autonomy. Gómez-Quiñones demonstrates how Indigenous knowledge and teachings promote values and ethics of compassion and understanding, or as he states it, “of strong heart and wise character.”
All in all, Gómez-Quiñones’ book is a call for us to connect to the intellectual traditions of the Indigenous People of this land. A connection with this ideological heritage can form the foundation to a conceptualization of a trajectory for politics that truly represents all peoples’ perspectives, economics that does not exploit people and land, and more harmonious social structures. More importantly, the guiding ethos that informs Gómez-Quiñones’ book is one that challenges us to uphold a democracy that is free from the rule of hegemonic norms.
Gómez-Quiñones demonstrates the necessity of the fundamental Indigenous “belief in the interdependence of all life and life sources.” This depicts the historic and present responsibility all humans have to each other and the land we depend on. Also, all humans share the responsibility of upholding the rights to democracy, heritage, and self-determination, and Gómez-Quiñones demonstrates that all humans must also uphold these moral obligations. Indigenous ethos and philosophy of knowledge provide the intellectual means to articulate this responsibility.
The publication of Gómez-Quiñones book comes at an opportune time for reflection on the significance of Indigenous knowledge. Hysteria regarding the end of the Mayan long count on December 20, 2012 is being spread through media outlets like the History Channel. This apocalyptic hysteria has its historical context that is tied to a long tradition of millenarianism in the Western world. In fact, the Franciscan friars that helped colonize the Americas thought the apocalypse was near when they sought to convert masses of Indigenous People. Yet Mayan elders have been saying for a long time that the years leading up to 2012 are times of transition that require healing and developing a good heart so that we can find our way.2
Instead of fearing that the four horseman of the apocalypse are coming next winter and hoarding material goods, we should take this time to reflect, analyze, and critique the oppressive aspects of the western/modern world and propose new ways of structuring our governments, economy, and society. Gómez-Quiñones’ book provides us with the historic understanding and philosophical tools to join Mayan elders and the rest of the people on this planet in a discussion that has gone on among humans since time immemorial to answer the questions: Who are we? Why are we here? Where do we go from here?

1. Tarra J. Yosso, Critical Race Counterstories along the Chicana/Chicano Educational Pipeline (New York: Routledge, 2006) 3.
2. Barrios, Carlos, “What Mayan Elders are Saying about 2012,” SERI-Worldwide: http://www.seri-worldwide.org/id435.html.

José Luis Serrano Nájera, a native of Long Beach, California, is a Doctoral Student in the Department of History at the University of California, Los Angeles, with a concentration in U.S. studies along with work in Mexican history. He intends to finish the Ph.D. by June 2013.

See an extract from the book, Indigenous Quotient/Stalking Words by author Juan Gómez-Quiñones that ran in “Somos en escrito” on December 29, 2011 HERE.

There was the Beauregard/Friendly Spot in San Anto during the mid-eighties where Sandra Cisneros would drive by every afternoon on her bike listening to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and would occasionally stop in to admire raulrsalinas‘ tattoos when he was in town. Then there was Los Padrinos, managed by the Mendez sisters, where Ricardo Sanchez and Max Martinez se dieron panzasos after having too many Budweisers and frajos and debating quien era el mas chingon. And of course, there’s Salute International Bar, owned by Azeneth Dominguez, where Esteban Jordan, the hipster pachuco pirate acordeonista estrambolico held court every Friday night for over fourteen years con todos los cocodrilos locos and the avant garde artistas, musicos y escritores xicanos looking to score.

The four Valdez artworks included in this inaugural notecard series are: Recuerdo (1999) Acrylic/Wood-24”X36”; Kill the Pachuco Bastard! (2000) Oil/Canvas-42”X60”; Pride of the Southside (2004) Pastel/Paper-42”X60”; and Ah Yes, That Notorious Place Everyone Speaks Of (2007) Oil/Canvas-52”X36”. About his painting Recuerdo Valdez writes: “My Grandpa Santana was the hardest worker I knew. He was the most stubborn man I will ever know. He cut yards his entire life. With arthritic fingers, emphysema, a busted arm, skin cancer, and tired bones, he cut yards under the scorching Texas sun almost up until the day he died. He always drank and told fantastic tales. How many of them were exaggerated, I will never know. But I will always remember.”

To view all four images in the card set, CLICK HERE.

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“Indigenous Quotient/Stalking Words” begins: “American Indian ancestries and heritages ought to be integral to K-12 curriculums and university explorations and graduate expositions for obvious reasons – contemporary universalist understandings. I refer not to a special presentation, project option, or ethnographic appreciation here and there, but rather to the full integration of Native American histories and cultures into academic curriculums. The Indigenous voice matters, yesterday and today, in substantive pedagogical and philosophical discourses.”

“Indigenous Quotient” depicts the history of academic discourse on American Indigenous Peoples. Gómez-Quiñones chronologically examines the context and purpose of Western discourse, specifically U.S. and Spanish/Mexican on Indigenous peoples, which demonstrates a continued attempt by Western intellectuals to rationalize colonization from Columbus to current proponents of financial globalization. “Stalking Words” begins where “Indigenous Quotient” left off by developing a paradigm rooted in Indigenous ethos that consists of: 1) critiquing colonialism and all oppressive power structures; 2) self reflection of historiography, theory, and philosophy; 3) responsibility of transmitting heritage; 4) Indigenous epistemology as the foundation of personhood and auto-validation; and 5) ideological autonomy. By establishing these tracts as a foundation for intellectual theorizing, Gómez-Quiñones points students and researchers towards theory that also serves as a pedagogy that teaches the values and ethics of compassion and understanding, or as he states it, “of strong heart and wise character.”

“Juan Gómez-Quiñones has dug deep and absorbed the relevant literature and Indigenous perspective, giving us a concise and brilliant interpretation, written in his unique and elegant style. This is a text sure to become essential and a classic, a challenge to every living scholar of the Americas.” She goes on to say in her e-mail to the editors that she had written a note to Juan Gómez-Quiñones saying that: “…if I were rich, I would buy up a million copies of this book and have them dropped from airplanes on every university campus in North America.”

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Professor Emeriti, Ethnic Studies, at California State University East Bay, and author of Roots of Resistance: A History of Land Tenure in New Mexico

ISBN-13:978-0-9844415-2-5 * $18.00 * 132 pages * Trade Paperback * Publication: March, 2012

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ISBN-978-0-9844415-1-8  * $10 *  44 pages  *  Trade Paperback  * Publication:  November 2010

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Tunaluna is classic alurista: passionate, sensuous, and political. alurista’s tenth book of poetry is a collection of 52 poems that takes us on a time trip through the first decade of the 21^st century where he bears witness to the “Dubya” wars, terrorism, oil and $4 gallons of gas, slavery, and ultimately spiritual transformation and salvation.

“alurista experiments on the edge, thickly layers multiple meanings onto each cryptic line through language play, brilliant code-switching (‘tu mellow dia’) and love songs to la raza. A statement of survival, he confronts the politics and the hypocrisy of ‘the estados undidos de angloamérica’ with an irrepressible rhythm, with the ‘slingshots in our hands’ of pre-Columbian truths, and with the ability to craft real words from our unreal world of avarice and oppression. alurista’s tenth book holds many spirit treasures calling out to us from between the lines. Con razón k he hears the haunting spirits beneath the surface—‘ayer pasé x tu casa/y me ladra/ron/los libros.’”

(Carmen Tafolla, Ph.D., Doctor of Philosophy, poet and Visiting Faculty, University of Texas at San Antonio)

“Tunaluna is a work of hope, humor, outrage, and beauty by one of our most notable Chicano bards. alurista reminds his readers of the political possibilities of the poetic; in his poems, we hear the song of a people.”

(Cristina Beltrán, Associate Professor of Political Science at Haverford College and author of The Trouble with Unity: Latino Politics and the Creation of Identity)

ISBN-13: 978-0-9844415-0-1  *  $15.00  *  76 pages  *  Trade Paperback  *  Publication:  October 2010

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