THE WIXáRIKA NATION
Second Sight is fortunate to hold a rare collaboration with the Wixárika Nation, who reside in the Sierra Madre of north central Mexico.
Over the past eleven years we have formed a deep relationship with several marakame’s (shamans) and their families. Through the hosting of their work in the U.K. and travel to their communities, there has been much cultural exchange, shared sacred experiences, support and mentorship. It has been a real teaching of reciprocity and is now at the point we have become ‘family’ to each other.
Without the guidance of the Wixarika, Second Sight wouldn’t have grown into the organisation it is today and we will be forever grateful and indebted to this remarkable tradition for everything they have shared with us.
The Wixárika are a rare tribe in Meso America, in that they managed to resist both the Aztec and Spanish empires and keep their culture and traditions alive and are still self governing to this day.
The Wixárika (also known as Huichol) are well known for their pilgrimage to the Wirikuta to collect their sacrament, the Hikuri (Peyote) cactus which is used for ceremonial and healing purposes and sits at the heart of their culture. They are also known for the bead art that is created thorough their interaction with the sacred cactus. This bi- annual pilgrimage used to done by foot and would take two months to cover the 1000km round trip.
Nowadays the travel is by vehicle, but still with the same intention, to re-enact the journey of their ancestors and visit the Wirikuta and its sacred mountain where the sun was born for the first time and the world was created.
On this journey, they visit many sacred sites along the way, giving offerings and cleansing themselves, so that when they enter the desert, they are able to meet the spirit of the desert (the library) and Kuayumari (the sacred Deer) free of the distractions and burdens of every day life. And free form the poisons that create sickness. In the desert, they ‘hunt the Deer’ (gather the Hikuri) and present final offerings to the sacred mountain.
THE DEAR
Kuayumari, the sacred Deer, who is the spirit of the Hikuri was hunted for the first time by the ancestors and sacrificed its life to them to show them how to live. Where its blood fell in the desert so the Hikuri was created. Kuayumari’s spirit still lives in the desert in a sacred site that is visited when on pilgrimage.
The Hikuri, the Deer and the Corn are all the same spirit. These are the life giving forces given to the Wixarika so they are able to thrive physically and spiritually in this world. Kuayumari is the messenger spirit between the
the Wixárika and their gods and is able to communicate to them directly upon ingestion of the sacred cactus which means ingesting the heart of the Deer, or by tending the corn.
The Deer can assist humans in living in good relationship with all of life, reminding them of their sacred duty to keep the world in balance. And to The Deer also lives in the U.K. and is the guardian of our work here and is part of the sacred medicines that grow on these lands. We are committed to learning from this ancient spirit of life how to live in a good way.
Why are indigenous people coming to the West?
The Wixárika have always had a policy of ultra safe guarding their traditions from outsiders. However, like many indigenous people, especially those removed from the modern world, they started getting messages that humanity was in grave danger. Tatewari – the fire – was informing them that the Earth was sick, and unless humanity changed its course and started showing respect to Her and living in proper balance, our survival as a species could be threatened.
At the same time, the Mexican government granted mining concessions to a Canadian corporation for their sacred (and supposedly protected) mountain in the Wirikuta. The combination of these events pushed several Wixárika to attempt to educate those responsible (us in the West) for the collapse in relations between the human and non-human world. They are now sharing their teachings and culture as part of this re-education. We are fortunate to be able to welcome these teachings, with respect to how much your indigenous brothers and sisters are doing to keep the world alive. Comprising less than 5% of the world’s population, indigenous people protect 80% of global biodiversity. This is due to the sacred relationship with the invisible forces that govern nature and is something we have so much to learn from. Watch the film below to discover more about the experience of the Wixárika and click here for more information on the Maya Takuta Foundation and how you can support this work.