Metaphors of Embodiment and Disembodiment in the Maya Poetry of Calixta Gabriel Xiquín

• In Event: Emergent Voices, Divergent Approaches: Theorizing Contemporary Indigenous Literature

Abstract

In the context of cultural revitalization in Guatemala over the past decades, traditional Maya spiritual practices have become more widely practiced. At the same time, many Maya shamans, who are often central figures in their communities, are increasingly conscious of socio-political issues affecting the structure of their communities. Using the medium of poetry, Kaqchikel-Maya shaman Calixta Gabriel Xiquín examines the socio-cultural problematics of her contemporary milieu. Through metaphors of embodiment and disembodiment, her poetry questions global economic structures that separate families and threaten Maya spiritual practices. References to corn as bodily nourishment and other symbols of embodiment serve as a counterpoint to the absence – or disembodiment – felt by many Mayas today in Guatemala.

Author

• Elizabeth R Bell, Ball State University