| 2/13/2008 3:00:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| MYAN CULTURE AT RISK: Elizabeth Idalia Ollej, director of the K’astajib’al bilingual and intercultural school in Guatemala, lectures at Hanover College on Tuesday. (Staff photo by Ken Ritchie) |
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Mayans work to preserve culture
Emily Taylor
Courier Staff Writer
A language barrier didn't prevent Hanover College students from learning about an effort to preserve Mayan culture.
"Mayan Cultures: A Struggle for Survival" was presented by Elizabeth Idalia Ollej and Rosa Cándida Cúmez at a lecture at Hanover College on Tuesday. Idalia Ollej is the director of the Center of Education Bilingual Intercultural K'astajib'al, or CEBIK, in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Cándida Cúmez is a teacher there.
The two Mayan educators talked about the school's focus on preserving Mayan heritage in the midst of oppression. Translation was provided by Celia Dollmeyer, a professor of Spanish at Hanover College.
"They want to make sure the children there don't feel ashamed of being Mayan," Cándida Cúmez said through the translator.
That effort hasn't always been easy. Political instability and turmoil in the Central American country over the years resulted in a loss of many cultural traditions.
"There was a great loss of intellectuals, both Mayan and non-Mayan because of their beliefs," Idalia Ollej said through the translator.
Peace accords signed in 1996 have brought greater stability to the area, helping the bilingual school further its mission. That mission includes helping create harmony among all cultural groups that are represented in the diverse country. There over 20 Mayan languages, though Spanish is the official language of Guatemala.
At CEBIK, Spanish and the Mayan language of Kaqchikel are both spoken. With fewer and fewer people speaking Kaqchikel, teachers at the school hope to instill the importance of native languages, along with other traditions, in their young students.
"They're trying to rescue all these traditions that unfortunately they're losing quickly," Cándida Cúmez said through the translator.
Hanover College senior Justin Domingus attended the lecture for more than just extra credit. He spent six months at the Guatemalan school last summer, teaching English and working with students in computer labs. The communication major, who aspires to join the Peace Corps after graduation, was impressed by the school's emphasis on cross-cultural education.
"Amazing," he said, talking about his summer experience after the lecture. "It was probably the best experience of my life."
Domingus emphasized that his time at CEBIK was not a mission trip.
"I'd much rather learn from the Mayan culture than impose my own views," Domingus said. "I definitely learned more than I taught."
The Hanover Presbyterian Church has been an active partner with CEBIK and helped sponsor the lecture. The Rev. Jim Richards has taken many trips to Guatemala over the years, leading groups of Americans as they worked with CEBIK.
"It's an incredible program," Richards said. "I've never seen kids so excited."
Idalia Ollej and Cándida Cúmez have a busy itinerary during their trip to America. In addition to the lecture Tuesday, they will be speaking to classes at Hanover College and a group of Southwestern students.
"The Mayan culture helps them see themselves as members of a larger universe," Cándida Cúmez said through the translator. "They're creating bridges for mutual respect across cultures."
The lecture Tuesday was made possible by the Hanover College Campus Community and Culture Committee, HAQ Center, the departments of International Studies, Communication, Modern Languages and Education, and Hanover Presbyterian Church.
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Reader Comments
Posted: Sunday, December 06, 2009
Article comment by:
Philip Franklin
I was thrilled to find this online. I was a volunteer at K'astajib'al during 2007 (just before Mr Domingus got there I guess) and it truly is a fantastic place. The school is charity funded and although multicultural, follows the 'Mayan curriculum' proposed by the education reform movement. Mayan cosmovision is central to this curriculum which also includes Mayan music, Kaqchikel language and Mayan mathematics, in addition to all the 'regular' subjects of the Ladino state curriculum. Just one point of correction: Elizabeth Ollej was the administrator, Rosa Cumez the director (what in England we would call Head Teacher).
Kind regards
Phil Franklin
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