British Museum Explores Wixárika Gender History Unraveling Colonialism's Impact
The digital exhibition How the Intimate Lives of Wixárika People Were Changed Forever, hosted by the British Museum's Santo Domingo Centre of Excellence for Latin American Research (SDCELAR), delves into the gendered cultural history of the Wixárika people. Using archival records, photographs, community testimonies, and a curated bibliography, it provides insights into how colonialism profoundly altered the lives of the Wixárika, an Indigenous group of approximately 48,000 people living in the southern Sierra Madre Occidental of north-west Mexico.
This presentation illustrates the deeply gendered process of colonization, revealing how it disrupted the community-organized structures of Indigenous peoples. Colonialism, as portrayed here, represents not only the loss of lands and identity but also the destruction of entire ways of life. The exhibition seeks to rebuild and reconnect pre-colonial memories while challenging conventional historical narratives.
Gender, Spirituality, and Colonial Ruptures
Through a combination of art, personal narratives, and historical contexts, the exhibition highlights the Wixárika's profound connection to their spirituality and pre-Hispanic societal structures, which were fundamentally rooted in gender equality. At the same time, it sheds light on the historical and contemporary challenges the Wixárika community continues to face as a result of colonialism.
Coloniality of Gender: A Lasting Legacy
The concept of the “coloniality of gender” refers to the enduring effects of imposing European gender structures on indigenous peoples. These effects include woman’s subordination to man, the normalization of sexualized violence and the erasure of third genders. As the exhibition notes: “Coloniality is an enduring process that did not end with state independence. Today, globalized ideas of masculinity and femininity, based on Western stereotypes and driven by commercial interests, have replaced previous colonial structures of domination.”
Historical Contact Zones: A Framework for Understanding Change
To fully explore how colonialism and state-building influenced gender and sexuality, the exhibition divides this historical transformation into three distinct contact zones:
- The Evangelisation of Intimate Life
- Patriarchy and Ethnocide in the New Republic
- Nation, Revolution, and the Modernisation of Patriarchy
These sections are focusing on gender dynamics in different historical periods and in living memory, illustrating how gender relations and the lives of women have been shaped by colonial influences over time.
Art as Resistance: Preserving Wixárika Culture
One of the most compelling features of this digital showcase is its focus on the Wixárika people’s resistance and self-determination. Despite centuries of colonial oppression and ongoing efforts to suppress their culture, the Wixárika have preserved key elements of their societal structure and worldview. The displayed artworks, such as the renowned Nierikayarn paintings and intricate beadwork, are not only expressions of their rich cultural heritage but also symbols of resistance against colonial domination.
The presentation also includes a film by textile artist Susie Vickery, which narrates the coloniality of gender through animated embroidery and Wixárika yarn paintings. Vickery’s work has been showcased worldwide and has earned numerous accolades, including the Christine Risely Award and the People's Choice Favorite Film Award.
An Opportunity for Reflection
For anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of colonial issues, this virtual exhibition offers a valuable opportunity. It invites viewers to explore the history and contemporary realities of the Wixárika people from their own perspective—a viewpoint often obscured by traditional colonial narratives.