{"id":1330,"date":"2021-11-30T11:51:32","date_gmt":"2021-11-30T11:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/?p=1330"},"modified":"2021-11-30T13:52:42","modified_gmt":"2021-11-30T13:52:42","slug":"totem-latamat-has-retired","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.open.ac.uk\/blogs\/religious-studies\/?p=1330","title":{"rendered":"Totem Latamat has retired\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Graham Harvey<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In a\u00a0<\/span>previous blog<\/span><\/a>\u00a0I celebrated the journey of Totem Latamat across the UK. The Totem was carved from a single cedar tree, felled with appropriate ceremonies, in the forest\u00a0of the municipality of\u00a0Chumatl\u00e1n near the east coast of Mexico, and travelled to the COP26 Climate Change talks in Glasgow.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The artist, Jun Tiburcio, had been commission to carve Totem Latamat by\u00a0<\/span>Border Crossings<\/span><\/a>, a UK company which organises the ORIGINS Festival of First Nations. Covid necessitated changes in the way the festival usually works. Rather than bringing Indigenous performers,\u00a0speakers, chefs, films and art installations to the UK, Border Crossings presented \u2013 and continues to present throughout 2021 and into 2022 \u2013 online and onscreen events. But Totem Latamat was commissioned to deliver a message to the COP26.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having visited seven locations across England, and having been welcomed in a remarkable range of events involving local communities and national media, Totem Latamat arrived at\u00a0<\/span>The Hidden Gardens<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in Glasgow. This was also the base for the\u00a0<\/span>Minga Indigena<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u2013 a Latin American Indigenous collective which has sent delegations and activists to many previous COPs. A ceremony to light a fire that burnt throughout the COP26 weeks included greetings to Totem Latamat.\u00a0Latamat and the Minga Indigena were among the many works of art (working art) and communities\u00a0presenting Indigenous experiences, expectations, encouragements and educative messages to the COP26 negotiators and the larger world.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Latamat is in some ways a complex work of art. It includes a carving of an eagle, a woman, a snake, plants, cosmic beings, hummingbirds and more. Each element carries more than one meaning. You can hear\u00a0<\/span>Jun Tiburcio\u2019s summary<\/span><\/a>\u00a0here.\u00a0However,\u00a0people who encountered\u00a0Latamat\u00a0have been\u00a0encouraged to reflect on their\u00a0own\u00a0responses and interpretations. Border Crossings have posted some of these on social media. Without diminishing the complexity of Totem Latamat or precluding people from responding in their own ways, it might be suggested that the Totem\u2019s message is simple. It can be summed up in three statements:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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