When you visit Paulina Yus Lopes in
Santa Cruz del K'iché in the highlands of Guatemala, you
enter a house that seems exactly as she describes it. "Esta es nuestra
casa comunitaria," a community, multi-purpose house with an open center,
four rooms, a kitchen, and a stairway leading to the terrace. There's a huge
fountain next to the front gate, unused so as not to waste any water. A table
stands in the middle, right outside the rooms and kitchen. "Aquí es donde
nos sentamos a platicar," where discussions and ideas are shared. But,
mostly it's the place where actions begin and are organized, projects are
hatched out and
responsibilities are doled out and accepted. Paulina has accomplished so many
projects in her three years in K'iché; many are ongoing and their completions
rely on external funds, since Paulina and compañeras choose to remain an
autonomous entity, foregoing the restraints that accompany government-supported
funding. Her mission is to collaborate with the K'iché communities that
dominate the 48 surrounding municipalities, to work in collective structures
that address the wounds and scars of the people affected, even today after 26
years since the official end of the 36-year civil war that raged the country.
But there are specific areas of the country where people were brutally tortured
and murdered in exceedingly large numbers, and K'iché and rural communities
nearby were especially targeted. Paulina's journey in search of self and
self-fulfillment brought her "back to her roots," to the ancestral
home of her K'iché great-grandparents. She left her family in the capitol city
of Guatemala at the age of 15; her parents and grandparents moved to the city
from the Kaqchikel community and thus, she learned both Spanish (el castillano)
and Kaqchikel. Her mother was a healer of animals, and taught her about
medicinal herbs. She realized at a very young age that healing, using alternate
means from the western traditions, was her calling. But Paulina had another
motive for choosing the path as healer of others; she had an inner struggle of
painful proportions that she could only heal herself.
The
Journey Toward Self-fulfillment
Paulina was the 16th and last child of a
mother, a healer of animals who passed away at the age of 85, and her father, a
former military soldier, who at 92 suffers from dementia. When she left home at
age 15, she and her entire family was shunned by the community since she was
the youngest daughter and was expected to take care of her aging parents. And,
besides that girls are expected to stay home until they marry. But, Paulina
suffered because of her abusive alcoholic father and she chose to leave home
even though she knew the risks involved and had no specific place to go. She
sought and acquired very low paying employment until she became a member of a
group of women who shared similar backgrounds, views and aspirations. Not yet
twenty and Paulina knew her life's calling, that she wanted to help others heal
their wounds through a holistic approach using alternative medicines, namely
herbs, and therapy. She was also involved in activism, advocating for people
who are powerless socially, economically, and politically. Helping women heal
their wounds became a natural, almost instinctual mission that she adopted as
part of her membership in the women's organization.
Paulina made another life-changing
decision when she learned that her great grandparents were K'iché spiritual
leaders. That was the link that completed her circle of inquiry into who she
was and where she was going. She moved to Santa Cruz del K'iché, where she
lives today, is learning to speak K'iché, working as healer, activist, and
organizer.
Historical
Context
To understand Paulina's work in the
feminist movement, it's important to understand the history and context of a
colonized country, against the background of a hammered oppression of the
people, especially the indigenous groups, by dictators and brutal military
corps. No doubt, the civil war from 1960 to 1996, when the official peace
accord was signed, left a huge mark of destruction in people and property.
Lives were destroyed or disintegrated; around 200,000 people lost their lives.
Whole villages were pulverized as part of the military's "scorched
earth" operations. But the worst catastrophe was the horrendous treatment
of women and children, and the crimes of the most evil proportions that were
perpetrated upon them.
The exact number and nature of crimes
committed against women and children were unreported for quite some time.
Communities that suffered major casualties and crimes were so ashamed and
offended that their silence became the cloak of fear and resentment. The rape,
torture, and murder of women were strategic war crimes that intentionally
targeted the most vulnerable of the community and were set to destroy lives,
human dignity, and break the spirit of the entire social tapestry.
The report, "The Silence of
Memory" by the Commission for Historical Clarification (http://shr.aaas.org/guatemala/ceh/report/english/toc.html)
clearly meant to reveal what had been hidden from the public, underscores the
atrocities committed against women. One-fourth of the victims were women; they
were raped, tortured, killed - all acts of human rights violations and
violence. They were targeted because of their political or social associations,
and sometimes they were massacred indiscriminately along with the men and
children. There were hundreds of cases where civilians were forced by the army
to commit these crimes against women. Even soldiers from the same town as the
women participated in these crimes. Surely, the perpetrators were counting on
impunity, knowing well the shame that would be brought upon the victims if they
dared report them.
But in an ironic twist, women have
bravely come forward to denounce their or others' attackers. Women have played
a major role in defense of the victims, advocating for justice and organizing
actions to locate those that were "disappeared," to help the
relatives find closure to their pain and begin the healing process.
Community
Organizing
As part of the women advocate’s network,
Paulina plays an important role in communities that still struggle to heal
their wounds of pain and sorrow. Faced with the lack of adequate resources and
funds, Paulina uses the culture, knowledge, and religion to perform outreach
and organize collective forms of activities.
In one community, she organized a group of both men and women to address
an overwhelming anger and resentment wrought from years of uncontrolled rage.
Dialogue seemed impossible, so Paulina organized a tree planting activity
whereby each family planted their tree and was responsible for its nurturance.
Now the families had something more fruitful to talk about and at least begin
to put aside their differences.
Kaqla:
Mayan Women's Group
But one of Paulina's most intense and
long-term works has been the women's project.
The common bond of the "grupo de mujeres mayas kaqla" is
liberation. Yet, the women couldn't be more different, as reflected in the word
"kaqla" meaning "rainbow" that alludes to the diversity
represented in the group. The main theme is "transcendence" and
through conscience-raising exercises, the women focus on healing themselves and
each other. Paulina uses her knowledge and gift to empower the women; to help
them use the natural essence of themselves and the natural and organic elements
in their environment. Much like the Mayan religion, she uses the spiritual
aspects of their lives as Mayas to draw energy from all that is sacred and
positive.
Perhaps, the group's finest achievement
is the completion of their book, containing their stories, wisdom, frustrations,
and so much more that captures who they are as women of the universe. The book
titled, La palabra y el sentir de las mujeres mayas de kaqla, is a testament of
the work of women, mayas, survivors, empowered, and strengthen, not overcome or
consumed by grief and fear.
The book is far from a descriptive
discourse. The photographs of the women reveal emotions in the raw; their
sexuality is expressed in photos of themselves nude from the waist up, in
individual and group poses. If the theme is liberation, then the book should
communicate this in a direct and sincere manner. Indeed, this is the message
that Paulina wanted to convey.
Three other books have been produced,
Alas y raíces: afectividad de las mujeres mayas, Mujeres mayas: universo y
vida, and Tramas y trascendencias. Each one focuses on women and education,
using the Mayan culture as a basis or framework.
La
Escuelita/the Little School: Despierta la Conciencia
Recognizing the need to build community
cohesiveness and to help families strengthen their role in maintaining the
values and language of the Mayan culture, Paulina coordinates "la
escuelita: despierta la conciencia" every year for a two-week period.
Sixty children participate in an educational program focused on reaffirming the
cultural values and spirituality, as well as provide them with a space for
self- expression through art and literature. Even though the children attend
primary school, their education is not inclusive of their culture and language.
This programs aims to fulfill a void and enrich their lives as well as their
parents.
Paulina,
the Spiritual Healer
As a spiritual leader, Paulina
leads a ceremony as ancient as the sacred place where it is commonly
held. She starts a fire, each element carefully placed in position with
universe. The sugar is spread in a carocol shape, a symbol of continuity. Then,
a piece of chocolate
is carefully placed to recognize it as a sacred drink created by the Mayan
ancestors. The yellow candles are laid in a circular position, intersperse with
kindling wood
to enhance the fire, and sweet smelling rose petals are placed to accent the
offering. Paulina begins the circle by setting a theme: giving thanks to
everyone, saying their names and asking for blessings for each; invoking the
sacred places such as the names of the mountains, volcanoes and
archeological temples for they house the
Postscript
A dictate from las mujeres de
Ixil:
Decidimos sobre nuestros
cuerpos;
Disfrutamos de nuestra
sexualidad;
Desmontamos el sistema
patriarcal.
We
make our own decisions about our bodies;
We
embrace our sexuality;
We
unleash the injustices in the patriarchal system.
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