Abya Yala
Abya Yala (from the Kuna language: 'Abiayala', meaning "mature land"[1]) is a neologism used by indigenous peoples of the Americas to refer to the American continent[2]. The term is used by indigenous organisations, institutions, and movements as a symbol of identity and respect for the land one inhabits[3]. The increasing usage of the term can be viewed in the context of decolonization, as it serves to create an understanding that "land and discourse, territorio y palabra, cannot be disjointed" and a geography in which a struggle for sovereignty and resistance occurs on an everyday basis for Indigenous communities[4].
Origin and usage[edit]
The name, which translates to "land in its full maturity", "land of lifeblood", or "noble land that welcomes all" originates from the Guna people who once inhabited a region spanning from the northern coast of Colombia to the Darién Gap, and now live on the Caribbean coast of Panama, in the Comarca of Guna Yala[5]. The term is Pre-Colombian.
The first explicit usage of the expression in its political sense was at the 2nd Continental Summit of Indigenous Peoples and Nationalities of Abya Yala, held in Quito in 2004[6]. Despite each indigenous group on the continent having unique endoynms for the regions they live in (e.g. Tawantinsuyu, Anahuac or Pindorama), the expression Abya Yala is increasingly used in search of building a sense of unity and belonging amongst cultures which have a shared cosmovision (for instance a deep relationship with the land) and history of colonialism.
The Bolivian indigenist Takir Mamani argues for the use of the term "Abya Yala" in the official declarations of indigenous peoples' governing bodies, saying that "placing foreign names on our villages, our cities, and our continents is equivalent to subjecting our identity to the will of our invaders and their heirs."[7] Thus, use of the term "Abya Yala" rather than a term such as New World or America may have ideological implications indicating support for indigenous rights.
A publishing house in Ecuador, Editorial Abya Yala, chose its name according to Takir Mamani's suggestion.[3] The name has also been used by an independent theater in Costa Rica, Teatro Abya Yala,[2] and by a San Francisco video production and web design firm, Abya-Yala Productions.[6]
A similar term referring to the northern part of the continent is Turtle Island, which is used by several Northeastern Woodland Native American tribes, especially the Haudenosaunee or Iroquois Confederacy, for part of the continent.[8]
An anthology titled "Turtle Island to Abya Yala," featuring 60 Native American and Latina women artists and poets, had raised startup funding on Kickstarter as of 2011.[9]
The musical artists Combo Chimbita named their debut full-length album Abya Yala.[10]
See also[edit]
- Guna Yala is the name of the autonomous Guna region in Panama.
- Turtle Island, a similar term referring to the continent of North America.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ Juncosa, José F. (September 1987). "Abya-Yala: una editorial para los indios" (PDF). Chasqui (in Spanish) (23): 39–47.
- ^ a b "Abya Yala". Asociación Cultural para las Artes Escénicas. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
- ^ a b "Abya-Yala - ¿Quiénes somos?" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2013-05-28. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
- ^ "Decolonial: Abya Yala's Insurgent Epistemologies". THE FUNAMBULIST MAGAZINE. 2023-10-25. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
- ^ López-Hernández, Miguelángel (2004). Encuentros en los senderos de Abya Yala (in Spanish). Editorial Abya Yala. ISBN 978-9978-22-363-5. Retrieved 11 May 2013 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "Abya-Yala Productions". Archived from the original on 2013-05-20. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
- ^ Nativeweb.org
- ^ a b Johansen, Bruce E.; Mann, Barbara Alice (2000-05-30). Encyclopedia of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy). Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-0-313-30880-2.
- ^ "Turtle Island to Abya Yala - A New Anthology by Native Women by Macha Femme". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
- ^ "Abya Yala, by Combo Chimbita". Combo Chimbita. Retrieved 2018-10-08.