The Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim are members of the Q’anjob’al Maya of Guatemala living in diaspora in Nebraska. After years of living in Nebraska, the traditional ancestral government of the Q’anjob’al, which also includes the Akateko, Chuj, and Popti Maya Peoples, has developed a bilateral relationship with the American Indian Omaha Nation. This Nation to Nation relationship is grounded in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Article 36 which states, ''Indigenous Peoples, in particular those divided by international borders, have the right to maintain and develop contacts, relations and cooperation, including activities for spiritual, cultural, political, economic and social purposes, with their own members as well as other peoples across borders."
On September 21-28, 2018, leaders of the Omaha Nation travelled to Guatemala for an historic summit between the two traditional governments. The objectives of the summit are to commemorate and spread awareness of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, witness the ceremonial visits of elders of the Q’anjob’al Maya government to sacred sites and continue to mark Maya territory by visiting, praying-consulting sacred sites on the future of the Q’anjob’al Maya Nation, and to further inter-governmental dialogue on how to implement Indigenous Peoples' human rights for the benefit of the Q’anjob’al Maya on Omaha Nations Territory, with emphasis on immigration and economic development programs. Cultural Survival is honored to provide funding through the Keepers of the Earth Fund for transportation costs, and will be producing radio programs covering the event through our Indigenous Rights Radio program.
