Näwayomo

Saúl Kak with PH Joel, performance: “Alone with Näwayomo” (Water Guardian Goddess) A multimedia artwork addressing the Zoque people and their “self-consultation” regarding life in crisis. On October 31, 2020, Hurricane Eta caused severe destruction in the Zoque territory in Chiapas, displacing hundreds of people due to the natural disaster. What proved unnatural was the lack of response from the state government despite repeated requests for aid submitted to the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation, Civil Protection, and other authorities. Indigenous institutions, such as the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (INPI), were notably absent. The displaced people of Canelar were relocated to a former shelter (declared unfit for housing children), and others found temporary refuge in different municipalities.

The installation consists of a wooden structure shaped like a house, filled with everyday objects found in Zoque homes (hearth, nets, simple furniture). Photographs by Kak hang on the invisible walls, depicting how the earth split along the Rayón-Pantepec route, destroying roads, bridges, and farmland in a place called La Esperanza. Scenes include an act of forgiveness to Mother Earth at the Acambak River and community assemblies of those affected by Hurricane Eta on December 6.

The accompanying video exposes the ongoing struggle of the residents, both against natural adversity in makeshift shelters and the indifference of the government. The sound art piece, “Zaraguato,” is a prayer-based composition dedicated to the reestablishment of peace, including testimonies from Zoque people affected by Hurricane Eta.