Keeping the Deer Dance and the Maya Culture Alive
Based on current historical data, the Mayas are the earliest inhabitants of this hemisphere, preceding the time when Jesus walked the Earth. But there is a determined need among them now to preserve their culture before it is lost forever. The Ministry of Human Development and Indiginous People’s Affairs invested over fifty thousand dollars in costumes and marimba instruments towards the cause. Towards that end, the Institute of Social and Cultural Research played a major part in helping to acquire cultural attire and the traditional marimba instrument for the Mayas of southern Belize. News Five’s Marion Ali traveled to Toledo District to the Lubaantun Archaeological Site in San Pedro Colombia, where the traditional Deer Dance was on full display. It was part of a bigger effort to preserve what they say is a dying culture and, with the help of the Institute of Social and Cultural Research, the first steps towards doing that have been taken. Here’s that report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The colourful regalia worn, the burning of copal incense, and the cultural marimba performed at the Lubaantun Archaeological Reserve in Toledo represents a conscious effort to preserve what is thought among the Mayas to be a dying tradition. The Institute of Social and Cultural Research and its Director, Rolando Cocom, played a key part in the event.
Rolando Cocom
Rolando Cocom, Director of the Institute of Social and Cultural Research, NICH
“The idea of acquiring the Deer Dance attire and marimba originates from the interest of Maya leaders and communities’ desire to conduct the Deer Dance as part of their traditional festivities and celebrations. Here too, like CEO Santos Neal, I must acknowledge the role of the past interim president of NICH, Ms. Merilyn Young, who along with Honorable Balderamos-Garcia, readily agreed, that whatever the cost, it was important that the Deer Dance attire and marimba be jointly acquired as a national asset for the benefit of our Maya communities and people of Belize. At the Institute for Social and Cultural Research, part of our responsibility is to document and promote Belize’s history and living heritage. We are confident that the 25 sets of Deer Dance attire and the marimba presented today will help us to fulfill this mandate.”
The folkloric Deer Dance holds deep significance for these people who live in southern Belize. Today’s display was organized by Basilio Teul.
Basilio Teul
Basilio Teul, Organizer, Deer Dance
“When we started this Deer Dance, we started to borrow the costume from Guatemala in the year 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003. We all continue to. Now it’s 23 years. We started this culture within our community. So that is why I’m very proud to share that it’s not only Santa Cruz committed, but everybody.”
Ernesto Saqui
Ernesto Saqui, Mayan Elder
“If you look at the different people or the dancers, you have ones that look like the Europeans, yes – look like pirates and once you look at the other set, it’s mostly animals that we are familiar with. So what we observe here is that there are these people that came many years ago to the new world and look at all of this beauty. In my opinion, in some other people’s opinion, it’s an invasion that’s taken over. So this is going to be a new homeland for them. And so when they came here, they conquer us. And now we have to assimilate and inherit some of the values that they bring.”
For Ernesto Saqui, an elder of Santa Cruz Village, the Deer Dance represents part of his culture that has slowly been fading away.
Ernesto Saqui
“I can recall when I was growing up, this dance was performed usually in the month of August and highlights the day or the event on the 25th of August.”
Marion Ali
“What’s the significance of that day?”
Ernesto Saqui
“The significance of the day, I believe, or the event, I believe, is the fact that the village of San Antonio, where it came from, believes that there should be a yearly event to recognize and to display our cultural heritage.”
Now there is an effort by the Institute of Social and Cultural Research to help in that preservation. The initial investment exceeded fifty thousand dollars.
Basilio Teul
“We want to keep this culture alive within our Maya communities in southern Belize, not in just in Santa Cruz, but everywhere where the Mayas, the Ket’chi speakers and the Mopan speakers. So we are the Mayas, we want this culture to be alive within our community and within our country Belize. That is very important for us, and it is not only for us as the Maya people, but this is for every ethnic group that we have in this country.”
Ernesto Saqui
“As I understand it, there is more emphasis now, okay, if you think your culture is very important, bring it out. Make it come forward. We will help you. So NICH is one of the organizations that I believe is saying, look, if you’re serious and you want to do it, get it together. We will look at it and maybe we’ll help you to safeguard. And I’m proud because as a Maya person, I know we can lose all of it. But the fact that there is that assistance coming in helping and assisting us, I believe that we can continue to promote it.”
Teul says it is now for other Maya communities to follow suit and hold more traditional events towards self-preservation. Marion Ali for News Five.
