nahuas and outsiders

[John Sullivan]

Mark,
Based on my very limited experience with nahuatl speakers, I have the
following things to say regarding the discussion on field work.  First of
all, the nahuas I work with divide the world into two groups of people:
macelhualme, or Indians, which are characterized by language, skin color,
poverty, lack of education, rural residence, etc.; and coyome, a category
transcending national boundaries which includes people with the opposite
characteristics. I'm not defending the logical integrity of this system from
a Western point of view (For example there are non-Indians who are poor and
non-white). Rather I believe this is the system used within nahua culture,
and its internal logic needs to be researched.
    All coyome, be they Mexican or from other countries, are potential
exploiters and racial discriminators of Indians, and are treated as such on
initial contact. I have never met a nahua who upon initial acquaintance has
admitted to knowing how to speak nahuatl. Racial discrimination of Indians
in Mexico is terrible (as it is in the U.S., and most other New World
countries), and this denial is a logical response based on the need to
function within a larger society which penalizes difference. An outsider who
wants to interact with nahuas needs to slowly demonstrate (with deeds, not
words) their interest in integrating themself into the community/family and
taking on permanent responsabilities which contribute materially to its
wellbeing. The worst thing a researcher can do (and I know of a few who have
done this) is get into the system, and then after publishing their book,
abandon all responsability to the community.
    John Sullivan
    Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas