Beyond Cultural Dialogues: Identities in the Interstices of Culture in Jimmy Santiago Baca’s Martín and Meditations on the South Valley

Be y o n d C u l t u r a l D ia l o g u e s : IDENTITIES IN THE INTERSTICES OF CULTURE IN JIMMY SANTIAGO BACA’S MARTÍN AND MEDITATIONS ON THE SOUTH VALLEY G e o r g e M o o r e J im m y S a n t ia g o B a c a h a s e st a b lish e d h im se lf as o n e o f t h e le a d ­ in g C h i c a n o p o e t s o f t h e A m e r ic a n So u t h w e st , in p a r t , p e r h a p s, b y h is w illin g n e ss t o c o n t in u e t h e d ia lo g u e b e t w e e n t h e Sp a n ish a n d I n d ia n c u lt u r e s t h a t m a k e u p C h ic a n o id e n t it y . “I d r e a m e d m y sp ir it w a s st r aw a n d m u d ,” h e w r it e s in a n e p ic p o e m t h a t c a p t u r e s t h e st r u ggle o f t h e se v o ic e s, a p it d u g d o w n b e lo w m y fle sh t o p r a y in , a n d I p r a y e d o n b e a d s o f b lu e c o r n k e r n e ls, slip p e d fr o m t h u m b t o e a r t h w h ile d e e r sk in n e d d r u m h e a d o f m y h e a r t g e n t ly p o u n d e d . . . . (M a r t in 1 7 ) In t h e lin e s o f h is p o e t r y w e fin d t h e d o u b le d im a g e s o f in d ig e n o u s a n d w e st e r n iz e d h ist o r ie s. T h e e x c h a n g e is n e v e r se t t le d , n e v e r fu lly u n ifie d , e x t e n d in g in t o t h e c o n t e m p o r a r y w o r ld lik e v o ic e s t h a t h a u n t a n d in h a b it t h e a u t h o r ’s o w n v o ic e . B u t st r u g gle , fo r B a c a , h a s alw ay s b e e n a d e fin in g e le m e n t o f h is p o e t r y . F r o m h is e a r lie st e ffo r t s w h ile in p r iso n t o h is m o st r e c e n t p o e m s a n d e ssa y s, w e h e a r t h is c o n t in ­ g e n c y a n d d e b a...