Nuestro Padre Celestial:

Hemos sido hijas e hijos fieles.
¿Por cuánto tiempo más tenemos que sufrir?
¿Hasta cuándo serán nuestros hijos e hijas arrancados de los amados brazos de sus padres?
¿Hasta cuándo seguirán sufriendo los indígenas a manos de los ricos y acaudalados?

Nuestra Madre Celestial:

Hemos sido hijas e hijos fieles.
¿Hasta cuándo te seguirán silenciado los hombres?
¿Hasta cuándo seguirás tejiendo un huipil tejido con las lágrimas y sangre de tus hijas?
¿Hasta cuando podremos evolvernos en esta huipil de nuestra antepasadas?

 

Our Father in Heaven,

We have been faithful daughters and sons.
How much longer must we suffer?
How much longer will our sons and daughters be torn out of the loving arms of their parents?
How much longer will the Indigenous Peoples suffer at the hands of the wealthy and proseperous?

Our Mother in Heaven, 

We have been faithful daughters and sons.
How much longer will men continue to silence you?
How much longer will you weave the huipil made from the tears and blood of your daughters?
How much longer can we wrap ourselves in the huipil* of our ancestors?

__________________________

* A huipil is the most common traditional garment worn by indigenous women from central Mexico to Central America. It is a loose-fitting tunic, generally made from two or three rectangular pieces of fabric which are then joined together with stitching, ribbons or fabric strips, with an opening for the head and, if the sides are sewn, openings for the arms. Traditional huipils, especially ceremonial ones, are usually made with fabric woven on a backstrap loom and are heavily decorated with designs woven into the fabric, embroidery, ribbons, lace and more. However, some huipils are also made from commercial fabric.

The decorative elements can signify history, cultural identity, something personal about the wearer and more. Since most indigenous come from agricultural societies, clothing designs generally relate to the natural world. The most complicated designs are generally known only to a few older master weavers.

Source: wikipedia 

Rigoberta Menchú Tu, recipient of the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize, wearing her traditional Mayan huipil.

Rigoberta Menchú Tu, recipient of the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize, wearing her traditional Mayan huipil.

Miguel is a Guatemalan-American Mormon living in the Northwest with his family. He is one of the proprietors of the Rational Faiths blog.

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