Documenting Kaqchikel Ritual Language

Last Sunday, I traveled to Sumpango to launch a very exciting project, in collaboration with Yolanda Estrada and a group of Kaqchikel Ajq’ija’ (Spiritual Guides) led by Delfina Solloy and Valerio Toj. The group is called Waqxaqi’ B’atz’ and is comprised of several guides from Sumpango and Santa María de Jesús, who meet every three weeks for a ceremony. Yolanda, who is a professor of history at Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC), has been working with Waqxaqi’ B’atz’ for over a year, documenting their educational practices and life philosophy. This year, we were awarded a grant from the Firebird Foundation to help the guides record their ceremonies from June-August.

Camera 1 Recording

The primary purpose of the project is to ensure that this special type oral tradition is preserved forever; we will thus provide the guides with a thorough documentation of their ceremonies (audio and video), so they can use the recordings in the future for the training of new guides or for dissemination with their local community. The guides have yet to decide whether the entirety of the material can be made available more generally; that decision will be discussed in private meetings that Yolanda and I cannot attend.

The offering is ready and the fire is about to be lit. 

Yolanda, Yolanda’s son Iván, my brother Andres, sister-in-law Gaby, and I made our way from Guatemala City early in the morning, to avoid the traffic. The rain had not stopped for several days, so we were all very nervous that a downpour would ruin the event. The ceremony took place in a piece of land near Sumpango, where corn and beans are grown by one of the Waqxaqi’ B’atz’ members, Chalo. We arrived and all the guides had already started preparing for the ceremony, unpacking the candles, incense, sugar, liquor, and flower petals that were to be offered. The sky was an ominous gray as we placed the 8 microphones in place (4 ground microphones and 4 lapel microphones), the two cameras, and a waterproof GoPro on a tree. After we were “saturated” (blessed so that we could participate), the ceremony began.

The opening of the ceremony. 

The recording went well until the first drops of rain started to fall, about two thirds in. We removed most of the equipment quietly, since the ceremony had to continue, regardless of the weather. The GoPro and the lapel microphones kept recording, so we captured the event until the very end. It was a bit stressful, but we were happy with the final audio and video! After the ritual ended, the rain began to pour fiercely and the guides and other attendees served a delicious lunch – pulique with beef and tamalitos. It was tricky to eat while holding on to a nylon cover and umbrellas, but we had a very good time.

A newborn being blessed during the event. 

My brother and sister-in-law are in charge of the editing process, piecing together the 8 audio streams and 3 cameras. It will be a complex process, since there were moments when multiple guides spoke at the same time. In a couple of weeks, we will present the guides with the final product; after that, linguist Filiberto Patal will transcribe the material using ELAN, Pedro Mateo Pedro will run a workshop on transcription with the guides, and we will settle on a date for the next ceremony. When the summer is over, all the recording equipment will be given to the guides, so that they can continue with the documentation indefinitely and however they see fit. 

Now, we’re all back together in Patzún, working on our individual projects – it will be a hectic final few days!

-Rodrigo

Photo credits: Andres Ranero & Gabriela Sagastume