Chiapas : prayer for the weavers /
Gripped by painful memories of the civil war in Chiapas, Mexico, twenty-four women members of a Tzotzil family cooperative gather for a festival to display their work in order to market it. Income from the work of these women is essential to the maintenance of their families. Musicians led by a reza...
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| Format: | Video |
| Language: | English |
| Language Notes: | This edition in English. |
| Published: |
New York, NY :
Filmakers Library,
1999.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to this streaming video (Alexander Street Press) |
| Summary: | Gripped by painful memories of the civil war in Chiapas, Mexico, twenty-four women members of a Tzotzil family cooperative gather for a festival to display their work in order to market it. Income from the work of these women is essential to the maintenance of their families. Musicians led by a rezador (prayer maker), accompany them to a "safe place" in town. The prayer, the music and the weavings intertwine in homage to Mayan traditions and to those who have suffered and died resisting oppression. A year ago, 45 members of a progressive Catholic group known as Las Abejas ("The Bees") were brutally murdered in Acteal by a government paramilitary organization. The husband of one of the weavers, a leader of the Abejas, explains the purpose of his nonviolent organization and of its solidarity with the social programs of the Zapatistas. The leader of the weavers group, who also works with women in a Zapitista support base, describes women's suffering under military occupation. And finally, we hear a firsthand account of the massacre by one who survived. Here is a film that gives a close and moving portrait of the people most affected by the "low intensity war" which to this day has not been responsibly addressed by the federal government. The oppression continues, tacitly supported by global intentions to exploit the natural resources in the area. Meanwhile, the Mayan inhabitants of the land fight poverty and disease, without a promised voice in local government. These deeply pious weavers and their kinfolk survive with charm and dignity. |
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| Item Description: | Originally released as DVD. Title from resource description page (viewed May 24, 2011). Slide. |
| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (36 min.). |
| Audience: | For College; Adult audiences. |
| Awards: | American Anthropological Association, 2000 Dallas Film Festival, 2002 Native American Film and Video Festival, 2000 San Antonio CineFest, 2000 San Diego Human Rights Film Festival, 2002 USA Film Festival, 2002 |