Dancers, musicians and artists took the spotlight on October 14 at the second annual event of "Indígena" at Tempe Center for the Arts.
The event showcased indigenous cultures from Latin America.
Rebecca Ibarra is with the dance group Grupo Coatlicue. They do what’s called a prayer in motion as drums beat loud.
“There’s Hispanic American month and then there’s Native American heritage month, and I don’t see a difference because I feel like this whole continent is of Indigenous people," Ibarra said. "Mexico has over 70 tribes over 70 nations of Indigenous people. And now just because someone speaks Spanish doesn’t mean that they’re Spanish 100%, they come [from an] Indigenous background."
Many of the dancers were in regalia painted in bright colors with tall feather headdresses, and ankle shakers made from the lucky nut tree.
Carmen Guerrero is with the Cultural Coalition. She said "Indígena" is about more than just sharing culture.
“Opening minds to everybody because even the Native people here don’t really know the Native people of South America. Like if you talk to an O'odham person, they don’t know about South American cultures because we’ve been so fragmented," Guerrero said.
She says people from Peru to Honduras to Guatemala have deep roots in the Indigenous world.
