What is Xican@ Indigeneity? In order to define this phrase, it is important to look at each individual term. Each word, Xican@ and Indigeneity, is complex within itself, because they contain a lot of history and require much understanding. Therefore, learning, understanding, and defining each term would give us a better comprehension of what the phrase means as a whole. That being said, the real questions are: What is Xican@? What is Indigeneity? And how do the words relate to each other? From my understanding, the word Xican@ is derived from the term Chicano. Thus, what is Chicano? How did the term arise? And why was there another word derived from it? According to “Running for Peace and Dignity”, Roberto Hernandez states that in
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The reason is that, o’s at the end of words, in spanish, are used to reference males. While, a’s at the end of words, in spanish, are used to reference females. Therefore, having the term “Chicano” end with an o makes it seem as if it is only being used to reference males. In response to the exclusiveness of the term, many Mexican woman criticized the works of the ChicanO’s. Through their feminist critiques, then came the term Chicana. After the commentary and the inclusion of the new word, Mexican males and females began to use both terms. Usually, the o and the a at the end of the words would be and/or are separated by a dash: making it Chicano/a. Although some people began to feel more incorporated, others still felt excluded. In a similar manner as Chicana’s, the LGBTQ community felt excluded from both terms. Much the same, the LGBTQ Mexican community criticized both works of Chicano’s and Chicana’s, and created discontinuity. Instead of having an o or an a at the end of the word, the LGBTQ group then introduced the replacement of the o/a as the @ sign.This @ sign worked as a form of resistance and as a disruption to the national gender roles. In addition, it worked as a form of inclusivity of all genders and/or of people that are …show more content…
This is because, the Anglo colonization has made people want to deny their indigenous roots and/or seperate themselves from their indigeneity, due to the injustices that indigenous people face. Through this rejection, people create more systems of oppressions that are used against indigenous people in the United States. Like Juan Gómez-Quiñones states in “Indigenous Quotient/Stalking Words: American Indian Heritage as Future”, “The point of learning about the indigenous past is not to relive past practices, or to propose one essentialization over another; or to be immobilized by history. The first stone to demolish the old presidio is our own consciousness. Aborigenismo, a colonialist construct that continues to be propagated in contemporary academic presentations, must be challenged.….... Asborigenismo has devoiced native peoples from their land, culture, and ultimately themselves.” (Kindle Page. 589-590: Section-Turning Around) In other words, remembering your indigenous roots is a way of challenging the norm, fighting the inequities placed on indigenous people and/or other people of color, and a way of reclaiming your
The reason is that, o’s at the end of words, in spanish, are used to reference males. While, a’s at the end of words, in spanish, are used to reference females. Therefore, having the term “Chicano” end with an o makes it seem as if it is only being used to reference males. In response to the exclusiveness of the term, many Mexican woman criticized the works of the ChicanO’s. Through their feminist critiques, then came the term Chicana. After the commentary and the inclusion of the new word, Mexican males and females began to use both terms. Usually, the o and the a at the end of the words would be and/or are separated by a dash: making it Chicano/a. Although some people began to feel more incorporated, others still felt excluded. In a similar manner as Chicana’s, the LGBTQ community felt excluded from both terms. Much the same, the LGBTQ Mexican community criticized both works of Chicano’s and Chicana’s, and created discontinuity. Instead of having an o or an a at the end of the word, the LGBTQ group then introduced the replacement of the o/a as the @ sign.This @ sign worked as a form of resistance and as a disruption to the national gender roles. In addition, it worked as a form of inclusivity of all genders and/or of people that are …show more content…
This is because, the Anglo colonization has made people want to deny their indigenous roots and/or seperate themselves from their indigeneity, due to the injustices that indigenous people face. Through this rejection, people create more systems of oppressions that are used against indigenous people in the United States. Like Juan Gómez-Quiñones states in “Indigenous Quotient/Stalking Words: American Indian Heritage as Future”, “The point of learning about the indigenous past is not to relive past practices, or to propose one essentialization over another; or to be immobilized by history. The first stone to demolish the old presidio is our own consciousness. Aborigenismo, a colonialist construct that continues to be propagated in contemporary academic presentations, must be challenged.….... Asborigenismo has devoiced native peoples from their land, culture, and ultimately themselves.” (Kindle Page. 589-590: Section-Turning Around) In other words, remembering your indigenous roots is a way of challenging the norm, fighting the inequities placed on indigenous people and/or other people of color, and a way of reclaiming your