Death of the Ocelotl: Colonialism and Imperialism on the Rio Grande River

• In Event: 58.065 - This Is Yanaguana: Reframing Indigenous Texas for Environmental Education

Abstract

This story is set in southernmost Texas, where the Rio Grande Valley forms the ecotone between the Rio Grande River and the Gulf of Mexico. The landscape has long been a nexus for wildlife, including migratory bird species from South America to Alaska, a breeding ground for sea turtles, and home to many species listed by federal agencies as threatened and endangered – including the ocelot. This once free-roaming leopard stands as a symbol for the indigenous people who share its threatened environment. Here the history of colonial imperialism is perpetuated, through historical revision and erasure, and through ongoing land seizures from its original inhabitants. This story presents the fight of Dr. Eloisa G. Tamez’s against the Department of Homeland Security, and its illegal confiscation of her ancestral indigenous land for the border wall.

Authors

• Rosalva Resendiz, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

• Ramon Resendiz, Texas Woman's University