"Gay" in Nahuatl?

[Tomas Amaya]

Hi Magnus, neic tohuampohuan!

 

The word CUILONI is used in Cuetzalan (pronounced “cuilonh”, plural: “cuilo’meh”) to design men and women with gay sexual preference. 
It can be used pejoratively or in neutral form. 
Examples:
1         Ahmo xicuilon, xe ahmo oncah cihuameh?  (Do not be homosexual, are there no women?)
2         Xe ticuilon? Nehhua no. (Are you homosexual? Me too).
3         Ahmo quinequi monamictiz ýn Pancho, in cuilon ýn cuitazoquit (Pancho does not want to get married, this son of a … is an homosexual!)
4         Yn tocuiloncayouh, ahmo zan cualli in mocelia nican (Our homosexuality is usually not (well) accepted here. 
 
Greetings
Tomas 

 


 

> Date: Sat, 3 May 2014 11:21:29 -0500
> From: magnuspharao at gmail.com
> To: nahuatl at lists.famsi.org
> Subject: [Nahuat-l] "Gay" in Nahuatl?
> 
> Hi Listeros
> 
> I was just reading a brochure in Nahuatl published by CONAPRED Mexicos
> national commission for the prevention of discrimination. In this
> translation it describes the right not to be discriminated for ones
> sexuality with the word "cuiloni" and "cuiloncayotl". According to Molina
> this word meant "puto que padece", likely in reference to the passive,
> receptive or "effeminate" partner in a male/male sexual relation. first of
> all it struck me as an odd choice of word to describe homosexuality in a
> human rights context, and secondly I thought that I have never heard this
> word used in contemporary Nahuatl. (Here is a link to the brochure for
> those interested
> http://www.conapred.org.mx/userfiles/files/Enadis-2010-Nahuatl-Web_INACCSS.pdf)
> 
> For this reason I thought I would ask you about which Nahuatl words you
> know for the different types of non-normative sexual identities, gay,
> homosexual, bisexual, transvestite, transgendered etc. and how they are
> used. I'd be happy to know for each term where it is used (community and
> region), whether it is used pejoratively or neutrally (do anyone
> selfidentify with it) and if you have any examples of how it might be used
> that would be excellent. I am thinking of collating the results into a blog
> post.
> 
> Thanks beforehand!
> 
> Magnus
> 
> 
> -- 
> Magnus Pharao Hansen
> PhD. candidate
> Department of Anthropology
> 
> Brown University
> 128 Hope St.
> Providence, RI 02906
> 
> *magnus_pharao_hansen at brown.edu <magnus_pharao_hansen at brown.edu>*
> US: 001 401 651 8413
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