#nepantlera

[thetendertongue]

nepantla — from Chicano and Latino anthropology, social commentary, criticism, literature, and art: in-betweenness; a space between worlds, cultures, identities, languages, belief systems; a condition of spiritual, emotional, or cultural border-crossing; the space between two figurative or literal bodies of water; being between two cultures, particularly one's original culture and the dominant one; a site of struggle, but also creativity and potential rebirth

[adrianainla]

[holamapi-blog]

Hola Mapi,

Priscilla Luera, they/them, 24, aries/pisces

Edinburg, TX

Gender & Sexuality:

two-spirit, lesbian, cactus man, non-binary

before any attachments to gender, i believe we’re all initially non-binary. then we get the privilege to choose and express our truest forms; forming our own fluid constructs as we evolve. it’s only a matter of courage and authenticity.

Aesthetic trademark:

a lot of my inspo draws from meditation and nature. i love neutral/earthy colors matched with black denim and boots. very urban vaquerx/curanderx style. orrr if i am feeling more femme then i love to wear purple and gold to channel my inner goddess. it all depends on how i am feeling or what cycles i am going through, but simplicity is everything for me.

What does it mean to be Latinx:

to me, being latinx means reclaiming your culture/roots/ancestry just to transcend it all in the end. studying the works of Gloria Anzaldua has definitely helped me embrace my roots and be proud of who i really am. every time i reflect on Gloria’s life, i always question what it means to come up from la tierra, rise to the top, just to be buried in la misma tierra otra vez?

both of my parents are from edinburg but they left the valley for 20 years because of my dad’s military career. 2 years ago, they retired back home to their ranchito. and even though i wasn’t raised down here, i’ve always felt connected to the land. a nepantlera in every identity, still confiding in childhood memories that validate mySelf. my favorite memory was when my dad would turn on the radio on our drive back home, and we would jam out to the best Tejano music. it didn’t matter where i was at in the world because these canciones always reminded me of my parents’ home. with their hands intertwined to Intocable, i dreamt as a kid about how i would return to their home. one day as valedictorian. another with a diploma from UT Austin. maybe one day with a motorcycle. but as of a year ago, i’ve returned as an artist with short hair and hairy legs; a “sin” that was never allowed in my home. but here i am taking up space. i am not visiting, i am not running away, but embracing my roots and finding healing in a new home: mySelf. i don’t know how long i’ll stay but now that i am grounded in la tierra, i am ready to rise from the ashes, just to be buried in la misma tierra otra vez.

Hobbies & Passions:

i love everything encompassing art, music, and writing. any outlet where i can express these feeeels. whenever i am in a good cycle, i begin my day with meditation/yoga then enjoy gardening and taking care of my farm animals. im rly passionate about alternative medicine/healing through food as well as other occult topics.

What do you love most about yourself:

i love how i am able to remember. to be real and raw with mySelf + others with a compassionate heart full of grace, catalyzing difficult emotions in order to transform ourSelves into light. a lightening fire that fulfils all of our dreams and desires.  

Current Obsessions:

i am currently obsessed with the show Vida. there is so much queer, Latinx representation, it is soooo good. also, i’ve been super into Vedic astrology and comparing it to Western/Mayan astrology. if you haven’t read your charts go to vedicastrology.us.com and astrodreamadvisor.com.

If you could say something to your younger self, what would you tell them?

I would tell my younger self that they are enough and any validation they seek comes from within.

[perfectbark]

Nepantla, where the outer boundaries of the mind’s inner life meet the outer world of reality, is a zone of possibility. You experience reality as fluid, expanding and contracting. In nepantla you are exposed, open to other perspectives, more readily able to access knowledge derived from inner feelings, imaginal states, and outer events, and to ‘see through’ them with a mindful, holistic awareness (544).

Gloria Anzaldúa, from “now let us shift… the path of conocimiento… inner work, public acts” in This Bridge We Call Home: Radical Visions for Transformation

[la-diosadeoro]

Nepantla…torn between way

“Living between cultures results in “seeing” double, first from the perspective of one culture, then from the perspective of another.”

-Gloria Anzaldúa

Soy neplantera, a shapeshifter navigating between mundos, with different mascaras puestas. 

[cualania]

Movement. Body. Ideas.

I want to create something that will represent my struggles and identity through dance. I am a belly dancer, chicana, muxerista and a nepantlera. I believe in transformative healing and love. My consciousness is defined by acknowledging different kinds of oppression and privilege to work towards a safer space for queer, undocumented, migrant and people of color. I want to express this through artforms that make my body move: cumbia and belly dance. I am trying to figure out a way to mesh my spirituality and consciousness into a performance. 

An artform/dance that helps empower mujeres and men to appreciate their bodies (whatever size), heals, transforms and expresses our own struggles. 

Any ideas?

I would like to work with somebody who has experience doing body work and movement to help create an amazing project that embodies all of these aspects.I have a vision that will hopefully be created equally and collectively with another person who is willing to share their energia, vision and ideas.  

I am also interested in live music with the performance.

Diganme que piensan,

Maribel Hermosillo