Words of the True Peoples/Palabras de los Seres Verdaderos: Anthology of Contemporary Mexican Indigenous-Language Writers/Antología de Escritores Actuales en Lenguas Indígenas de México: Volume Two/Tomo Dos: Poetry/Poesía

Mario Molina Cruz

Mario Molina Cruz Sierra Zapotec/zapoteco de la Sierra Mario Molina Cruz. Photographed at Monte Albán, Oaxaca. Tseng 2005.6.14 08:08 7273 Montemayor / WORDS OF THE TRUE PEOPLE V2 / sheet 102 of 295 Mario Molina Cruz was born on January 19, 1955, in the Zapotec community of Yalálag, Villa Hidalgo, in the Sierra Norte of the state of Oaxaca. He has worked for a number of years as a bilingual cultural promoter. Molina Cruz is a founding member of the National Association of Indigenous-Language Writers and an active member of the Zapotec Center for Research and Dissemination of the Sierra (CID-Sierra). He was a grantee of the National Fund for Culture and the Arts (FONCA) in 1994. He writes poetry, short stories, and essays and has published his writings in newspapers in the city of Oaxaca, regional journals, and supplements to national newspapers. Molina Cruz holds a bachelor’s degree (licenciatura) in Indigenous education and coordinates the Permanent Research Workshop for Zapotec Language and Tradition inYalálag. He has published several books of poetry, including Ya’byalhje xtak yejé/Volcán de Pétalos (Volcano of Petals) (CLIC, Mexico City: CNCA/DGCP, 1996) and Ga’ bi’yalhan yanhit benhii ke will/Donde la luz del sol no se pierda (Where the Sun’s Light Will Not Be Lost) (Mexico City: ELIAC/SNTISSSTE, 2001). He presently works as coordinator for literary creation and development at the Center for the Study and Development of Oaxaca’s Indigenous Languages (CEDELIO), a state government agency. Mario Molina Cruz nació el 19 de enero de 1955, en la comunidad zapoteca de Yalálag, Villa Hidalgo, perteneciente a la Sierra Norte del estado de Oaxaca. Promotor cultural biling üe durante años, ha sido también miembro fundador de la Asociación Nacional de Escritores en Lenguas Indígenas y miembro activo del Centro de Investigación y Difusi ón Zapoteca de la Sierra (CID-Sierra). Becario del Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes en el año 1994, escribe poesía, cuentos y ensayos. Ha publicado en algunos diarios de la ciudad de Oaxaca, revistas regionales y suplementos de diarios nacionales. Es licenciado en educación Indígena y coordinador del Taller Permanente de Investigaci ón sobre la lengua y tradición Zapoteca de Yalálag. Ha publicadovarios libros de poesía, entre ellos Ya’byalhje xtak yejé/Volcán de Pétalos (CLIC, México, D.F.: CNCA/DGCP, 1996) y Ga’ bi’yalhan yanhit benhii ke will/Donde la luz del sol no se pierda (México, D.F.: ELIAC/SNTISSSTE, 2001). Actualmente trabaja como coordinador de creación y desarrollo literario del Centro de Estudios y Desarrollo de las Lenguas Indígenas de Oaxaca, una dependencia estatal. 85 Tseng 2005.6.14 08:08 7273 Montemayor / WORDS OF THE TRUE PEOPLE V2 / sheet 103 of 295 86 words of the true peoples Yu
Ka’ byalhje ya’ yeo’ka kánha béda lhao yell’liunhi, bénbiaa benhi ke will, nha be’; bénbiaa ye’ban ka nhunhén nyellén ihao lla’. Kát bzulhawa da’ wuet’llin lhawo da’ tipa chak blliwa, wix’biala ka nanhacha lhuékzo zeo ka’ ze xnha’ kát bzulhawa chhlhej’chekua lhué nha tu ’tu da bnablha lhué lhué nhezlho bi bta’bnew wenll benón, ka’ ndedo lla’ yielh’ka. Na’ nhadlhaa ba llnhebiaa. Kanhák na’ banhaka bene wák . . . le’llinzé da zbán chhonha lhawon, chhalhal chhyixja yéj, wénllnha llak nhú yoo, nhú lia’a. Yoy lla’ chhunha lhué bziwo, lakse chaa kuslho nezlha yel’gut kiazan yilhja. Bakse’ nheze yoyte, wllín tu lla’ kát llejchielho nheto yu’ xnhato’dáo, kánha wsálhj ya’ yeo’koka ya’tu nháll yayében yoyteto tuchis. Tseng 2005.6.14 08:08 7273 Montemayor / WORDS OF THE TRUE PEOPLE V2 / sheet 104 of 295 Mario Molina Cruz 87 The Earth You opened your dark womb and I emerged. I met the light, the air; I saw the greatness of the sky as it embraced the universe. When I was crawling you embraced me, and thus . . . little by little, I learned to walk on you. With each clumsy fall, you tirelessly received me and for each of my needs, you transformed your seasons; in time, and in your hands, I found my right to live. Now that...