K'iche’ Maya glyphs to reconnect art and language: Wilmer Aram Ajú's project in Guatemala
Illustration created by Marco Martínez and the Rising Voices team, used with his permission.
Meet the participants in the Catalyst Program for Digital Activism for Indigenous Languages of Guatemala! The program, coordinated by Rising Voices, brings together participants from various regions who have projects related to the use, strengthening, revitalization, and/or promotion of an Indigenous language through digital media and tools, and through processes that involve and benefit their communities.
Each participant receives a stipend, peer support, and opportunities for dialogue with people from other regions, languages, and worldviews, as well as with participants in the Mayan Languages program from Mexico and Colombia.
Rising Voices (RV): How do you like to introduce yourself?
Wilmer Aram Ajú: Mi nombre es Wilmer Aram Ajú y suelo presentarme también con el nombre Saq Imox (el apellido de mi familia que no heredé pero que quise adoptar también). Soy de la aldea El Novillero, Santa Lucía Utatlán, Sololá, Guatemala y soy mayahablante k’iche’. Estudié la Licenciatura en Arte en la Universidad San Carlos De Guatemala y soy profesor de educación musical. Me gustan las artes gráficas y la cerámica, soy serigrafista, músico y me encanta relacionar cada cosa que hago con mi cultura k’iche’.
Wilmer Aram Ajú: My name is Wilmer Aram Ajú, and I also often go by Saq Imox (my family name, which I didn't inherit but also wanted to adopt). I am from the village of El Novillero, Santa Lucía Utatlán, Sololá, Guatemala, and I speak K'iche’ Maya. I studied art at the University of San Carlos de Guatemala and I teach music education. I enjoy graphic arts and ceramics, I'm a silkscreen printer, a musician, and I love connecting everything I do with my K'iche’ culture.
Photo of Wilmer Aram Ajú, shared with his permission.
RV: What would you like to share with the world about your language and territory?
Wilmer Aram Ajú: Mi comunidad es maya hablante k’iche’ y tenemos mucha tradición cultural tangible e intangible, tenemos esculturas de todos los tamaños que nos dejaron nuestros abuelos y abuelas. Nuestra cultura está muy arraigada al conocimiento k’iche’.
Me gustaría que nuestro idioma sea usado no sólo para comunicarnos verbalmente, sino también en murales, canciones, e incluso en rotulación en espacios públicos. Así mismo, que seamos más conscientes que nuestro idioma tiene su propio sistema de escritura que llamamos tz’ib’ y está lleno de historia y sabiduría.
Wilmer Aram Ajú: My community is a K'iche’-speaking Mayan community, and we have a wealth of tangible and intangible cultural traditions. We have sculptures of all sizes left to us by our grandparents. Our culture is deeply rooted in K'iche’ knowledge.
I would like our language to be used not only for verbal communication, but also in murals, songs, and even signage in public spaces. I would also like us to be more aware that our language has its own writing system, which we call Tz'ib’, and that it is full of history and wisdom.
K'iche’ Maya glyph art by Saq Imox, shared with his permission.
RV: What dreams do you have for your language in the digital and non-digital world?
Wilmer Aram Ajú: Una problemática muy grande en mi comunidad es que mi generación es la última que habla nuestra idioma. Yo tengo 31 años. Las personas más jóvenes entienden un poco, pero las infancias ya no lo hablan. Por eso, me parece muy importante trabajar por el idioma maya’ k'iche’ a través del arte, la música, la pintura y mostrar a las nuevas generaciones que se pueden crear muchísimas cosas con nuestro idioma. Anteriormente he realizado talleres presenciales, pero me he dado cuenta que solo se queda con las personas que participan en el taller, y quisiera que el compartir llegue a más personas de mi comunidad y mi municipio.
Quiero que, a través del sistema de escritura maya se conecte el idioma y el arte. Que las personas que ya no hablan mucho nuestro idioma, comprendan que es muy importante conocerlo, abrazarlo, convivir y materializarlo a través de la escritura antigua.
Wilmer Aram Ajú: A huge problem in my community is that my generation is the last to speak our language. I'm 31 years old. Younger people understand a little, but children no longer speak it. That's why I think it's very important to work for the K'iche’ Maya language through art, music, painting, and to show new generations that so many things can be created with our language. I've previously held in-person workshops, but I've realized that they only stay with the people who participate, and I'd like to share them with more people in my community and my municipality.
I want the language and art to connect through the Mayan writing system. I want people who no longer speak much of our language to understand the importance of knowing it, embracing it, living it, and embodying it through ancient writing.
RV: What is your project about in this Catalyst Program?
Wilmer Aram Ajú: Facilitaré talleres a infancias, jóvenes y adultos sobre el sistema de escritura maya antigua, no solo para que conozcan los glifos, sino a través de ello, generar más curiosidad por el idioma y su relación con el arte maya. Rotularemos espacios públicos utilizando nuestra lengua y nuestro sistema de escritura, también publicaremos infografías y haremos exposiciones sobre la representación en tz’ib’ de elementos importantes de la vida cotidiana.
Wilmer Aram Ajú: I will facilitate workshops for children, youth, and adults on the ancient Mayan writing system, not only so they can learn about the glyphs, but also to generate greater curiosity about the language and its relationship to Mayan art. We will label public spaces using our language and writing system. We will also publish infographics and hold exhibitions on the representation of important elements of everyday life in Tz'ib’.
K'iche’ Maya glyph art by Saq Imox, shared with his permission.
RV: Why is it important for you to create and navigate processes of using, strengthening, revitalizing, and/or promoting your language through digital media and tools?
Wilmer Aram Ajú: Porque las herramientas digitales están cada vez más presentes en nuestra cotidianidad y la mayor parte de la información que absorbemos está en este medio. Es importante utilizarlas a nuestro favor promoviendo nuestros idiomas.
Wilmer Aram Ajú: Because digital tools are increasingly present in our daily lives, and most of the information we absorb is through this medium. It's important to use them to our advantage by promoting our languages.
RV: What would you say excites you about sharing this process with other Indigenous language speakers in Guatemala?
Wilmer Aram Ajú: Me emociona mucho conocer los proyectos realizan en otras comunidades para fortalecer su idioma, llevarme esas ideas en mi comunidad y si me es posible, replicarlas y crear más actividades para revitalizar el idioma maya k’iche’.
Wilmer Aram Ajú: I'm very excited to learn about the projects being carried out in other communities to strengthen their language, to bring those ideas back to my community, and if possible, to replicate them and create more activities to revitalize the K'iche’ Maya language.
RV: What would you like to say to other Ki'che’ Maya speakers about continuing to speak and strengthen their language?
Wilmer Aram Ajú: Rutzil iwach iwonojel, ri un b’i are Saq Imox, kawaj kinsik’ij konojel ri q’ojomanelab’, si aj tz’ib’ab’, ri ajb’ix, Qab’ana ri qachak pa qach’ab’al, kojb’ixonoq pa qach’ab’al, kojtz’ib’anoq pa qach’ab’al, kojch’awoq pa qach’ab’al. Ri oj maya’ winaq oj k’aslik rumal ri qach’ab’al, ri qati’t qama e k’aslik pa le qatzij.
This post is from Rising Voices, a Global Voices project that helps spread citizen media to places that don't normally have access to it. All Posts
