Tzonteyōtl Na’ach’ąą h

Cross-cultural resistance through art

PAUL GARCIA

Diné and Xican cultures are colliding in the most beautiful way possible.

Tzoneteyotl Na’ach’aah is the purest expression of Indigenous solidarity and defiance of the many challenges that all Indigenous communities face, and they’re doing so through art, poetry and music. The collaborative performance will feature Klee Jones Benally, a local Diné artist and musician, and Rubén Funkahuatl Guevara, a Los Angeles-based musician, activist and poet. The two spearheaded the collaborative art performance with Suzanne Thompson from the Arts and Cultural Bridge Foundation, who has worked with both artists in the past. Together they were able to reach out to other Indigenous artists and bring this event to life. Benally and Guevara will be joined by Diné drag artist Lady Shug, the Danza Mexica Mexicayōtl dance group and Sonni Pinto, an Indigenous visual performance artist.

Tzoneteyotl Na’ach’aah translates to resistance art; Tzoneteyotl is resistance in Nahuatl and Na’ach’ h means art in Diné [Navajo]. The idea behind Tzoneteyotl Na’ach’aah is to resist the ongoing erasure and violence that Indigenous people in the American continents face. It’s also a way to shed light on those who have been overlooked.

“We want to create awareness and acceptance of Indigenous existence. It’s coming around. There are strong Indigenous movements that are creating huge awareness of us and our struggles,” Guevara said. He expanded on this in a press release for the upcoming collaboration. “Knowledge of these struggles, contributions and achievements can possibly shift misperceptions and show the intrinsic, elemental value of Indigenous cultures and how their various contributions have continued to enrich this country and continent for thousands of years. Hopefully, a more transparent, equitable, educated and humane society will emerge.”

Other members of the art resistance also shared these sentiments.

“Collectively, we agreed on expressing the political [and social] issues that are affecting our communities,” said Massai Gonzalez, organizer for the Danza Mexica Mexicayōtl dance group for this collaboration. The Danza Mexica Mexicayōtl are a danza group that focuses on bringing awareness to the injustices that Indigenous people face throughout the world through tradition and culture. “It’s not just issues that affect us [Diné and Xican] but issues that we are facing as human beings in general. I think the most important message we want to get across is that our communities are beautiful. In order to preserve our people’s identities, we need to give them their equality, liberty and dignity. We need to fight for their justice and their rights to practice their culture. And we do that through various forms of art. We use what was given to us by our ancestors as a tool to convey political messages that are important to us. We use our dances and movements to express our message that we are supporting whatever protest or event we are at. The most important thing to me is to make sure at least one person understands that message. That’s everything for us.”

Fellow artist Lady Shug also had similar thoughts about the performance. Lady Shug began her drag career in Las Vegas before moving back to the Navajo Nation. Since then, she has been using her drag shows to do her activism and political work.

“I want people to come out and build K’e [kinship] with one another,” Lady

Shug said. “I want people to have conversations and engage with one another. It’s going to be educational and entwined with our culture and tradition. It’s going to be an overall great production. I’m going to be there, so you know it’s going to be fabulous. We are going to push the boundaries as far as we can, and it’s going to be raw and in your face; Indigenous

Klee Jones Benally

excellence. It’s our time to shine. I also want to highlight the issue of the MMIW/ MMIR [Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women/Relatives]. There are a lot of people that go missing and aren’t looked for, and I want to bring attention to that. That’s what my segment is going to be centered around. It’s something I feel passionate about because it’s still happening, centered around. It’s something I feel passionate about because it’s still happening, and it’s not really talked about ”

Benally also addressed the violence that Indigenous people are disproportionately affected by in a press release for the event.

“We live where the streets have no shame,” states Benally, “Where the most revered holy site of 13 Indigenous Nations is desecrated with treated sewage Where unsheltered Indigenous Peoples are disproportionately arrested while facing freezing temperatures. Where the names of Indigenous women like Ariel Bryant, Nicole Joe and Vanessa Lee are lost in between brief news posts and labeled as missing, as murdered. This is occupied Kinłani, so-called Flagstaff, a ‘border town’ of many borders and buried histories. From forced migrations and border wall militarization, to assaults on bodily autonomy and transphobic attacks, how do we find harmony when the borders of colonial violence cross our lives every day?”

Tzoneteyotl Na’ach’aah isn’t just another piece of performance art. It’s more than that to the artists, it’s reshaping the way Indigenous people are viewed through cultural connections and educa- tion It’s a way to share both the contribution and pain of the Indigenous communities. It’s also deeply spiritual.

“It’s a blessing and an offering.” Guevara said “It’s a protest as much as a celebration of Indigenous resistance, resilience and unification.”

This cross-cultural, collaborative art performance will be hosted at the Coconino

Center for the Arts as a part of the ARTx Festival. The doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the event begins at 7:30 p.m. It will be free to all ages, but donations will be accepted at the door to benefit Northern Arizona Immigration Legal Services and Kinlani Mutual Aid. Due to health and safety concerns, masks will be required for admittance to the event