intro; (un)/making of Indigeneity in the Andes

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lyrically speaking; the blooming of May's milk moon and the seasonal warmth here on Coast Salish territories spirals my attention towards questions of culture, diversity, spirit, and growth.

logistically speaking; I am currently in completions and preparations to travel to Peru on May 21st. For the 6 weeks to follow (with a cohort of 20 students guided by Jon Beasley-Murray) I will be submerged in an experiential global seminar studying some blend of history, anthropology, sociology, literature, and politics of a country said to be unlike its neighbours.

Opening a space for documentation/reflection/dialouge.

Those who know me know that my hearts intent is the primacy of actions, and for this I will allow this public space to be quite personal ( ¡aunque! the expectation for academic/intellectual thought and engagement with text [2x/week] may balance my musing), so do expect both formal response along side the abstract colloquially of thought, as can be the human mind/metaphor.

The understandings colliding and incubating in this space will be informed by pivotal texts by Peruvian thinkers. Participation in a couple seasonal festivals and visits to sacred sites are planned. I will share on interactions by way of tracking the embodied experiencing of arriving and alivening in lands foreign to me. Grateful, always, to be guest - I intend to learn from the ways of others who reaffirm teachings of entirety and eternity, parting from the dominant culture in so called ‘Canada’ that I am complicit to.

Themes & Concepts:

Syncretism; hybridity; place; space; conquest; colonisation; constructions of indignity; insurrection; gentrification.

Music; movement; mountains/Apus; folkloric practices tied to cosmovision; plant medicine; cross-species social organisation; spirit & animism (?¿?)

Stay tuned to meet the makings…

Warmly,
Emma

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