Huitzilin (Colibrí Cósmico)

BAAITS Drummers and supporters: Phoenix Lara, Ruth Villaseñor, Diane PFile, Amanda Bloom, Xtal Azul, LarrenzØ, Carmen Jovel, Sen Mendez, Gur Keer and  Posadas

Huitzilin (Colibrí Cósmico)
The Hummingbird's Visit: Dia De Los Muertos, SOMArts 2023

The hummingbird is known in several Native languages—that is  how sacred and important she is to the indigenous peoples of Turtle Island. Our cosmic huitzilin (Nahuatl for hummingbird) represents the two-spirit, queer, and femme energies that have always existed beyond our human understanding of time and space. They are a reminder of the love felt especially when navigating the emotional landscape of grief. Huitzilin connects us to our ancestors, to our dreams, and back to our cosmic self. The colors on the base of the sculpture represent the Four Directions: white is North, red is East, yellow is South, turquoise is West. The colors also represent the four seasons and the four sacred medicines: sweetgrass, tobacco, cedar, and sage. 

Thank you for being here today. Thank you for showing up as fully as you are able. We honor you and your lineages. You are a gift, un milagro, and your ancestors sing and dance through you. Thank you for honoring us and our ancestors by being here today, to pray and sing, to laugh and cry, and to release that which ails your spirit. We pray through the drum, through our songs, and we ask that the medicine of these songs reaches all the hearts that need it. 

The Bay Area American Indian Two Spirit drum group is a space for 2SLGBTQ+ indigenous people to learn and share intertribal songs and heal through the medicine of the drum. We are a community of Native, Indigenous, and non-native supporters who come together to cultivate welcoming spaces of art and ceremony. 

You can follow us on IG @baaitsdrum