Cultural knowledge as opportunities for empowerment: Learning and development for Mexican Indigenous youth

ABSTRACT

Educators are often unaware of assets Mexican Indigenous children possess that originate from their cultural practices. Using Critical Latinx Indigeneities and Indigenous Heritage Saberes, our studies focus on three unique Indigenous learning communities that provide opportunities of empowerment for these students. We examine the experiences of Triqui middle school students in a Youth Participatory Action Research club and how it facilitated their use of research as a decolonizing tool to hold knowledge inside the school. We explore how Oaxacan students maintain their cultural traditions via a learning community created byan Oaxacan philharmonic band. Lastly, we investigate the experiences of Yucatec-Maya youth with cultural community organization programs that instill knowledge of and pride in their Indigenous identity. Our studies contribute to the critical conversations about equity in education for Mexican Indigenous youth. Recommendations are made for educators and community organizations working with Mexican Indigenous students.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

¹ We are not going to allow it.

² “Proud to be Oaxaqueña”.

³ Second of February.

⁴ Do not forget the repetition.

⁵ good

⁶ We are cutting a couple of the notes.

⁷ People that like us.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Saskias Casanova

Saskias Casanova is an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at UC Santa Cruz. She researches individual and contextual factors that relate to the psychological processes and educational outcomes of Latinx and immigrant-origin students, including Indigenous youth. Her work appears in Research in Human Development, Educational Researcher, Teachers College Record, and Latino Studies.

Melissa Mesinas

Melissa Mesinas is a doctoral candidate in the Developmental and Psychological Sciences program in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Her research interests center at the intersection of education and psychology for Latinxs, including identity formation, learning in community contexts, cultural practices, and Indigenous knowledge systems. Her work appears in the Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences.

Sarait Martinez-Ortega

Sarait Martinez-Ortega has over 10 years of experience as a community organizer working with Indigenous Latinx and immigrant-origin communities. She is also trained in participatory action research (PAR) methods. Sarait has a Master’s in Public Administration for Fresno State University and her Ed.D. from San Francisco State University.