Buscando mi tierra natal

(Looking for my homeland)

In my journey to reconnect with my family, I visited my ancestors. The Ñuu Savi, "People of the Rain", have passed down their culture and traditions through oral history for generations. Poverty, drought, and a lack of work opportunities have caused many to migrate. Family history and traditions start to fade away and our native tongue will soon be extinct. I walked the land that they have cultivated for years. I hiked the path in the mountains that were shaped by my ancestors. I am reunited with my grandparents, who have not seen their own child for twenty years. I have become a bridge of communication between my family in Milwaukee and my family in Oaxaca. I visited my grandmother who passed away before I even had the chance to step foot in our village. I walk this journey alone due to the disconnect between me and my native land. I have gone on this journey multiple times and each year I leave, fear consumes me. My greatest fear is going back home and finding no one. Each year I travel back home our village becomes unrecognizable.