School - clip from "The Tree of Knowledge" at www.docfilm.com

http://www.docfilm.com - Set in Huehuetla, Puebla, a Totonac Indian community in East Central Mexico, The Tree of Knowledge contrasts two systems of education. The public school system uses patriotic symbols to "integrate" Indian pupils into the national culture while teaching them to reject their own identity. In contrast, the Danza de los Huehues urges young Totonacs to learn from the mestizos ("whites"), yet warns them not to abandon their own culture.

But there is also a deeper, older level to the ritual: it is not the mestizos, but the living spirits of trees, who are the real spirits of the Danza, and who teach the Totonacs how to live in harmony with nature. That is where the Dance began...

"Throughout the film we see the divided nature of the town: a close-up of a caged dove - the Indian locked into a Spanish world. The remarks of the school principal (of course a mestizo): 'Our main interest is that the children learn Spanish . . . If we speak to a sixth grade pupil in Totonac, he is insulted. He says, 'I speak Spanish now. Why do you talk to me in Totonac?'' . . . Lane's approach is indirect and symbolic; he avoids interpretive narration in favor of allowing visual and spoken symbolism to carry the message . . . Lane has made a useful contribution both to peasant studies and to the methodology of ethnographic film as well."

—Dr. Michael Logan, The American Anthropologist

http://www.docfilm.com -
Ethnoscope Film & Video

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Totonac
• Puebla
• Indian
• Education
• ritual
• school
• Huehues
• dance
• discrimination

[BlutGirl]

adoro la cultura totonaco.. por favor suban mas videos,,, acabo de regresar de Espinal, donde tome unas clases de totonaco.... es asombroso. Soy mexicana y me da pena que poca gente tenga interés esn esto. pero mientras haya alguien que siga promoviendo la cultura, ésta no deberá morir!

[alucardleon9999]

mister pacho soy leonardo de huehuetla hijo de Blanca

por que no habia comentado que hay videos de docfilm en youtube? me agrada mucho que nos visite peor tenga la bondad de subir mas videos o de mandar mas del arbol de la vida , despues de la muerte de Clementina no hemos escuchado nada de usted esperamos su visita para fin de año junto con albert

[oo00Epidemic00oo]

hahora ya entiendo porque hay danzas de hombres que se visten de mujer porque estan aciendo el ridiculo de la ropa europea. hahaha. el sistema me cambio pero no lo realize hasta ahora. hahaha.como son las cosas pues asi es la vida pero una pregunta para el mestizo, porque nos odian.porque llo tanbien odio al guey que me odia a mi. a la verga el mestizo. pinche mezclado perro ijo de mujer cojida por perros como tu.A la verga el castellano a la verga con espana. hahaha

[coxquihui]

this other video is excellent. i hope your answer soon.

bye

miguel angel b s.