Decolonization

Who Am I,                                                                     Quien Soy,

Before I became modern?                                         Antes de ser moderna?

 

Before I was colonized, corporatized,                    Antes de que fui colonizada, corporatizada,

capitalized, commodified?                                       capitalizada, mercantilizada?

 

Who Am I,                                                                    Quien Soy,

before the ancestral wisdom                                   antes de que la sabiduría ancestral

in my DNA was                                                          en mi ADN fuera

genetically modified by                                            geneticamente modificada por

empirical evidence and theories?                           pruebas y teorías empíricas?

 

Who am I,                                                                     Quien Soy,

before the drumming                                                antes de que los tambores

of my Mother Land                                                    de mi Madre Tierra

was silenced by                                                            fueron silenciados por

relentless pistons of                                                    pistones implacables de

the greed machine?                                                     la máquina de la codicia?

 

I was born into                                                            Nací en

a world of busyness,                                                  un mundo de ocupaciones y preocupaciones,

fast-pace breathing;                                                  de respiracíon rápida;

 

A world of transactions                                            en un mundo de transacciones

in which individual benefits                                   en el que los beneficios individuales

crush the whole;                                                        aplastan el todo;

 

In which getting mine                                             En el que “conseguir lo mio”

becomes getting mined,                                         se convierte en ser minado,

bulldozed, and eroded;                                           arrasado, y erosionado;

 

Opened up and extracted                                       Abierto y extraído

until there is no more                                              hasta que no hay mas

to take.                                                                        que agarrar.

 

I was born into a world where                                Nací en un mundo donde

Who Am I?                                                                 Quien Soy?

is a checklist of                                                           es una lista de

accomplishments                                                      logros,

acquisitions and                                                        adquisiciones,

earnings.                                                                     y ganancias.

 

Who Am I,                                                                  Quien Soy,

before the river’s spirit                                            antes de que el espíritu del río

was dammed,                                                            fuera represado,

confined to believe                                                   confinado a creer

it would never rage again?                                      que nunca fluira con furor de nuevo?

 

Who Am I,                                                                 Quien Soy,

as I search through the debris                               mientras busco entre los escombros

of my ancestors’                                                       la fuerza de determinación

self-determination,                                                  de mis antepasados,

deconstructing the dominant                                deconstruyendo la historia

story in order to find                                               dominante para encontrar

the sovereign pieces                                                 las partes soberanas

of myself?                                                                   de mí misma?

 

Who Am I,                                                                  Quien Soy,

before borders were                                                  antes de que las fronteras

entrenched like                                                          fueran atrincheradas

gashes in the land,                                                    como heridas en la tierra

now infected with                                                     ahora infectadas con

-isms?                                                                          -ismos?

 

Who Am I,                                                                  Quien Soy,

before avalanches of concrete                                antes de que avalanchas de cemento

suffocated earth,                                                        asfixiarán la tierra,

oppressed her under                                                  la oprimierán bajo

the weight of                                                                el peso de

patriarchal pathology,                                               patología patriarchal,

and held her down                                                      y la sujetarán

against her will.                                                           contra su voluntad.

 

Who Am I,                                                                  Quien Soy,

before I was uprooted                                               antes de ser desarraigada

from the womb                                                           del vientre

of the land,                                                                  de la tierra,

implanted into servers                                              implantada en la red

and trafficked                                                              y traficada

through bandwidths?                                                por la banda de tecnología?

 

Who Am I,                                                                   Quien soy,

when Abuela                                                               cuando abuela

spoke the language                                                    hablaba el idioma

of the moon,                                                                de La Luna,

danced with Gray Wolves                                        bailaba con los Lobos Grises

under her light,                                                          bajo su luz,

and sculpted me                                                        y me moldeaba

in her shadows?                                                        en sus sombras?

 

Who Am I,                                                                Quien Soy,

when I was earth?                                                   cuando yo era tierra?

 

 

 

 

 

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