Hi! I am María Rosenda Camey Huz
Many know me as Saqijix Camey Huz or Nana Rosenda.
I want to take you on a journey through my life and experiences.
Who Am I?
I am a granddaughter of the Wise Grandmothers and Grandfathers of the Mayan people of Guatemala.
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I am Maya Kaqchikel, granddaughter and daughter of maize. In my veins flows the blood of the ancient wisdom of Mayan ancestors.
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Daughter of Felix Camey Calán and Felipa Huz León, I was born in a community filled with plants, flowers, and fruit trees. Oak, pine, alder trees, among many others. I grew up among animals, rivers, and the grandmothers of stones, obsidians from the territory of that community called Saqla'. A very small community of men and women, located in San Martin Jilotepeque, Chimaltenango.
JA YIN , MARIA ROSENDA CAMEY HUZ SAQIJIX
K’amo’ Qatit Qamama’, roma ri jun K’aslem
My Story
I lived in Saqla' with my parents, deeply connected with Nature and in a state of innocence regarding what was happening outside the community. I only noticed some differences with the mestizo town, and the fact that we didn't speak the same language. I didn't know Spanish until I went to school, where I was forced to learn it, even with violence, to read and write. I began to witness many injustices, and as a child, I asked my father many questions about this. However, they were never answered because my father also didn't understand the reasons for these injustices, racism, and discrimination that we were experiencing.
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In 1980, the persecution of the leaders of my community began, and among them were my parents. It was a time when our people had to flee far from their territory, hiding in ravines, mountains, and other communities to protect their lives. So, on May 1, 1981, my family left the community to seek refuge in another territory. We had to leave everything behind - our home, our animals, our belongings... Everything, to protect our lives. We had to endure terrible and painful experiences, such as the effects of the "Tierra Arrasada" policy, which turned into a genocide of our peoples. It was thanks to my father's decision that our family moved, within the same country, to San Lucas Tolimán in Sololá.
My Healing Process
Despite having experienced much pain due to the genocide, deaths, kidnappings, torture, and devastation, I was able to continue my education. I even had the gift of studying abroad, in Canada and later at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain, where I completed a master's degree and presented my thesis on the "Psychosocial Effects of Political Violence in the Sacala, Las Lomas, San Martin Jilotepeque, Chimaltenango Community." My own community.
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Years later, as a result of the traumas and wounds inflicted by the genocide and, above all, by the traumas of colonization to which the indigenous Mayan people of Guatemala have been subjected, I began to suffer from a severe illness. It was necessary to turn to the Ancestral Maya Wisdom for my healing. On this occasion, I had the privilege of receiving guidance from the Grandmothers and Grandfathers, the Timekeepers Ajq’ijab’, the healers of my people. It was thanks to them and the ancestral wisdom of our people that I was able to uncover the root of my illness and complete my healing.
My Personal Healing Journey
I began my journey as a Healer in this way, remembering that my first teacher in healing had been my grandmother Romelia when I, as a child, became her Chmiy’ (assistant granddaughter) for the community's healing. For this path and mission, I recognize and honor all my other healing teachers: the Grandmothers and Grandfathers, the Timekeepers Ajq’ijab’, the ancestors of the wind, Grandmothers and Grandfathers from other Abya Yala communities, as well as my own life and existence.
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Around the year 1996, I co-founded the Kaqla' Maya Women's Group with other women. To this day, I continue to be a member, and many of them, like me, are survivors of the genocide. I am also a member of a Maya organization called CEDIM, with which I have collaborated for over 13 years.
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Today, I am a therapist for many women's groups, as well as mixed groups of men and women and young people from our Mayan communities in Guatemala. However, I also guide healing processes for collectives and individuals from indigenous and mestizo communities in various Abya Yala territories, such as Colombia, El Salvador, Peru, Bolivia, Uruguay, Argentina, Ecuador, and other countries. I am also a co-author of the book entitled "Raxalaj Mayab’ K’aslemalil - Maya Cosmovision, Fullness of Life."
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In addition to being a Healer and Therapist, to my great joy, I am a Mother to three beautiful daughters, Ixkaj, Ixulew, Chomija’. They are my strength to continue my healing journey because when I heal, they heal as well. We heal our lineages, heal the family, the past, the present, and the future. We heal collectively. We all heal. And above all, we heal with Mother Earth.
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The healing methodology is based on the Mayan calendar and the worldview of the Mayan People; with the heart of the cosmos, the heart of Mother Earth, the heart of the Grandmother Waters, the heart of Grandfather Wind, the strength of Grandfather Fire, the Grandmothers of the Plants, the Grandfather Sun, the Grandmother Moon, the Grandmothers of the Stars, with the entire Universe, Pluriverse.
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Paxil, Kayala, Ka’i’ Tz’i’, Guatemala, October 16, 2023.