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The elusive tecolote with the gift of nocturnal vision, protecting evil spirits from entering into our dreams while sitting on a broken branch at midnight, making mysterious noises, is being put to sleep. Bless Me Ultima is on the chopping block again. A special kind of velorio has been planned; one that we are very familiar with, one that does not deal with the death of another human being but brings destruction a una cultura unwilling to die at the hands of the oppressor. Modern day witch hunts conducted by anachronistic and culturally incompetent leaders unwilling to navigate unknown waters continue. It seems that the real brujos have been exposed.
Whether it’s the religious right or the political right, this shouldn’t come as a surprise, especially at a time when the right has lost its power and is groping to regain status in any way possible. Voodoo economics and the invisible hand of the marketplace, acceptable metaphors in an Anglo society in juxtaposition to witchcraft; something that induces magical fright is expected to destroy its competitors. Perhaps, capitalism needs a long nap as Americans dig themselves out of the Republican mess that has destroyed many lives. What does this have to do with Bless Me Ultima?
As famous philosopher Octavio Paz (1985) stated, “Death is a mirror which reflects the vain gesticulations of the living…The opposition between life and death was not as absolute to the ancient Mexicans as it is to [Americans]. Life, death and resurrection were stages of cosmic process which repeated itself continuously.” According to Kiev, “Mexicanos believe that “a man’s soul may live on in the form of a spirit of a ghost”. These eerie thoughts go against the grain of western psychology. Why not obliterate them and those holding onto “mystifying” beliefs about lost souls?
The reality is that curanderas have always been living repositories of ancient spiritual medicine and healing practices keeping our communities healthy. Bless Me Ultima eloquently tells that story.
This is this not the first time the book has been discussed in América’s kitchen cabinets and then banned. I researched my archives and found an article written in 2005 that I wrote when Superintendent Bob Conder of Norwood Schools in southern Colorado was ready to toss the books into an incinerator. Uneducated educators have always played politics with our children’s education, controlling educational curriculum while simultaneously burying alternative perspectives, aimed at Chicano/a classical literature that exposes children to positive role models, psychological insight, cultural knowledge and the building of positive self-esteems.
When Curandera Diana Velazquez found out about Conder’s shenanigans she stated, “It was very culturally insensitive on the part of the superintendent to do this. Throwing away the books is not going to make curanderas disappear.” Conder would loved to have had a bruja’s magic on this one; however, he ending up eating crow, recanting his insensitive behavior through a community apology. I don’t know if Superintendent Rick Fauss from Newman Crows Landing Unified School District in California will fold under community pressure; but what is apparent is that restricting civil liberties only perpetuates educational hegemony ad infinitum.
As I wrote in 2005 when the book was under attack in Colorado, “one has to hope that educators who reviewed the book with its purported “foul language,” possess the spiritual, cultural and philosophical understanding of Indio/Mexicano Indigenous healing referred to as curanderismo.” Failure to dialogue this issue in community with those who have the conocimiento and those who lack it is bad public policy.
This gaffe was well orchestrated. The book was tossed out under the guise that it used too much fowl language (pardon the pun.) I tell you those birds are powerful animals. Using any other rationale would have violated constitutional rights. Books cannot be purposely omitted from educational curricula in order to proselytize a specific religion which incidentally seems to be the hidden agenda. Freedom of the press and freedom of speech, under severe assault for the last 8 years, are still supreme rights that need guardianship.
The book is a cultural treasure that tells the story about a 7-year old Chicanito caught in cultural conflict between Catholicism and Native American spiritual practices. He struggles about which path follow to fulfill his destiny in life. He experiences consternation about his dilemma; but is given guidance by a powerful curandera.
Inherent in the story is the conflict about who has the right to reign over spiritual power. The church believes because of divine intervention only it’s institution can one have the power to heal others spiritually. When a woman con el don comes into the community and begins to use her powers extraordinaire to perform healing acts, she is cast as a witch.
In reality, the book is perceived by many Catholics as dabbling in black magic and a pot shot against the church. As an institution, the church has not been able to respond to its mistreatment of the Indigenous populations in the 15th century. In the nomenclature of the church, banning the book might be considered a mortal sin. In secular language, the violation of human rights does not seem to matter…mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa.
Dr. Ramón Del Castillo is an Independent Journalist.
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