Kuči nururía

A head scowling at us.
Move into the shadowed passes!
Gentle whispers, fading.

We learn.
We pass.
We are left
coated in dust.

Teach us.
We are strong enough.
Tell us everything there is to know.
We only know,
what we are told.

Distant, dark,
distant-dark,
            figures…

            We plow. We sow. The fields.

            For the children
            who will follow.

Raramuri myth
adapted, from Gabriela Caballero and Bertha Fuentes’ transcription, by Cathiana Sylne

 
Cathiana Sylne was born in Roche-A-Bateau, Haiti, to farmers and fishermen by the sea. Her voice as a writer draws from her cross-cultural experience as a Haitian woman living away from home. Family, love, political strife, and cultural identity are common topics woven throughout her work. She has a background in filmmaking, a deep love of banana trees, and enjoys listening to the sea.

The Raramuri, or Tarahumara, are an indigenous people of northwestern Mexico who are renowned for their long-distance running ability. The Tarahumara language belongs to the Uto-Aztecan family; today its usage is in decline due to pressures from the Spanish language, but it is still widely spoken.