On October 10, 11 and 12, 2015 as part of the Cultural Survival Bazaar on the Amherst Common, Cultural Survival features a special guest musician hailing from what the Mayans consider the Bellybutton of the Universe -- Lake Atitlan in the central Guatemala highlands.
Tz'utu Kan is a hip hop artist who lays down rhymes in the ancient Mayan language of Tz'utujil, as well as Cakchiquel and Quiche. He is part of a group of musicians called Balam Ajpu, which means "Jaguar Warrior" or "Warrior of Light." Balam Ajpu represents duality, the balance of light and dark, male and female energy, and the return to a relationship to the cycles of nature while imbuing modern culture with depth of meaning through relationship to ancestral wisdom in the arts and music.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Tz'utu Kan said, "“Since the time of the (Spanish) invasion, the Mayan worldview was persecuted, even snuffed out, but now it’s returning to life, relying on music and sustaining itself in art. Our commitment as artists is to rescue ancient art.”
In an interview with the Associated Press, Tz'utu Kan said, "“Since the time of the (Spanish) invasion, the Mayan worldview was persecuted, even snuffed out, but now it’s returning to life, relying on music and sustaining itself in art. Our commitment as artists is to rescue ancient art.”
The four members of Balam Ajpu originally were solo artists, but were brought together by a Mayan priest, who tasked them with spreading the Mayan Cosmovision to the world through hip hop. They recently released their first album, "Tribute to the 20 Nahuales [Spirits]", which contains twenty songs that rescue and reinterpret ancient calendrical knowledge, based on the Mayan Cholq’ij calendar (also known as the Tzolk’in calendar), with its frequency of 20 days and 13 energies. To capture the essence of each nahual, Balam Ajpu turn to Mayan rhythms as well as to universal sounds, exploring a variety of Andean and even Caribbean rhythms, along with African, Arab, and Asian influences. The group experiments with jazz, reggae, rap, hip-hop, R&B, and cumbia, without losing its indigenous essence.
Over the past five years, the group has worked with children through the Caza Ajaw school of hip-hop cosmovision. In a country plagued by gang activity and high homicide rates, Balam Ajpu sees its music as an instrument to teach young people to live in harmony with others and nature by returning to the principles of the Mayan calendar.
The performances by Tz'utu Kan are offered as part of the Cultural Survival Bazaar, a cultural festival which brings indigenous artisans and cooperatives and from around the world for a chance to sell their work directly to the public.
For more information, check out the following links. And don't miss this rare opportunity to experience an ancient and beautiful language in modern form.
