Citation:
Mondragón, Delores. 2023.“Drumming as the Oppressed of the Oppressed: Two Spirit Survivance In the Time of Native American Ceremonial Resurgence”. in Uses and Abuses of Power in Alternative Spiritualities. Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Abstract:
Abstract: The return towards recovery of spiritual practices by ceremonial drum-keepers has allowed a cadre of Native American languages to be heard and learned around drum circles as have protocols of sacred protocols. As we move to be a more inclusive society where gender pronouns are Indigenous lands are acknowledged new negotiations and conversations are being had about Two Spirit communities.Considering the prevalence of testimonial injustice, I chose to challenge this unjust condition and bringing to light some of the negotiations and injustices around "traditional" sacred protocols. In examining these particular issues, I hope we begin to understand how superficial acknowledgment is not enough and, in pushing against testimonial injustice, we can begin to hear the voices of those speaking in ways that need a further developed and adjusted form of listening and learning--a more inclusive way towards epistemic justice.
Presenter bio: Delores (Lola) Mondragón is practitioner of Native American Religious Traditions and a graduate student at UC Santa Barbara. As a Chickasaw Chicana drummer, veteran, and Two Spirit grandmother, Lola uses an Indigenous Two Spirit Feminist lens to reinterpret the world for herself, her grandchildren, and various shared communities fighting against continued genocide.
Presenter affiliation: University of California Santa Barbara