Seeds of Life, Seeds of Change: Visionary Practices of Maya Women
Norma Maldonado, founder of Asociacion Raxch' och Oxlaju Aj, AROAJ, an organization of 12 communities Maya Q'eqchi' of northern Guatemala
Amid megaprojects, extractive industries, introduction of commercial and transgenic seeds, and corporatization of intellectual property rights, the viability and health of rural peoples of the world are under increasing threat. Indigenous communities and women are especially affected by lack of access to natural resources, education, and opportunities to participate in decisions that affect the lives of their families and communities. Maya women of Rabinal, Guatemala, are developing far-sighted strategies to counter such adversities through planting native seeds, using native foods as sustenance and in ceremony, and incorporating nutritional and wellbeing monitoring as intrinsic elements of a healthy environment for their children. Their work is exemplary of local potential for re-aligning priorities along principles of equality, democracy, and sustainability.
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Speaker Bio
Norma Maldonado is the founder of Asociacion Raxch' och Oxlaju Aj, AROAJ, an organization of 12 communities Maya Q'eqchi' of northern Guatemala. Maldonado has been an activist all her life, and was also founder of the Integration of Indigenous Mayas IXIM in Los Angeles. She is an environmentalist and a native of Guatemala with a specialty in food sovereignty and indigenous territories. She studied at the University of California in Los Angeles and graduated with a BA in Latin American Studies and Public Health Studies and lives in the United States as a refugee. Maldonado also has an ABD in history from the University of Havana and studied Permaculture (Permacultora) in Brazil and Guatemala. She has engaged in resisting neo-liberal policies and creating alternatives since 2000.