Texts

Kiunij panuk miak shiwit, wan kwak nikpiatuya 47 shiwit nitekitik tik ne Kalpuli. Né ninemik ume shiwit, wan ka tesu nechtashtawat yek, nikiski wan ninakak nitekiti tik ne kojtan.

Many years passed, and when I was 47 years old I worked for the Town Council. I was there for two years, but as it didn’t pay well, I left and went to work in the fields.

Achtu nitekitik iwan ne Asociación Coordinadora de Comunidades Indígenas de El Salvador (ACCIES). Wan tik ne shiwit 1993, nipejki nitekiti iwan CONCULTURA. Ashta tik ini shiwit nitekitiuk iwan.

First I worked for the Asociación Coordinadora de Comunidades Indigenas de El Salvador (ACCIES). And in 1993, I started working for CONCULTURA. I am still working for them now.

Né nipanuk nitekiti iwan ne Kulalmumachtiani. Nemanha, tik ne shiwit 1987, nitekitik wan ASID ne nitekitik yey shiwit. Wan kwak nipejki nitekiti ka né, pejket ajsit ne ipal CONCULTURA pal nechilwiat su nikneki niaw tik se muputzuat miak tamachtianit ka kinekit mumachtiat Nawat.

I went on working for the Students’ Circle. Then, in 1987, I worked for ASID for three years. And when I started working there, the people from CONCULTURA came and invited me to a meeting of a number of professors who wanted to study Nawat.

Padiush, Nan Tal, ka taja tikitak kwak ninesik, tikitak kwak nipejki niweya, kwak nimuchiwki takat. Mupanpa naja niwelik nikchiwa muchi tay niwelik tik ne tunal, ninemik wejwey takapiltzin, nechmunekiket pal nitekitik iwanmet. Panu sujsul tunal wan nimuchiwki chulet, kunij teya akaj nechneki kwak nikukuya, maya nuiknuwan, kenhayuk nechnekit pero ajsi keman teya akaj nechneki, nan nuiknuwan, ajsi se tunal ka naja nimiki, kunij nan nusiwaw nan nupilawan nechnekit, yawit nechmimat ken kimimat ne kupajsul tik ne kupajsultal, maya taja, Tunan Tal, ashta kwak timikit titechneki ka kunij tiktapua mumajmajkul pal titechnamiki. Yajika timetzilwitiat padiush, Tunan Tal!

Thank you, Mother Earth, because you saw when I was born, you saw when I began to grow, when I became an adult. Thanks to you I was able to do everything I did today, I had a long youth, I was needed for work. After many days I grew old, then nobody wants me when I am ill, only my brothers, they still love me but the day will come when nobody wants me, not even my brothers, the day will come when I die, then not even my wife and my children will want me, they will throw me out as they throw out rubbish, only you, Mother Earth, want us even when we die, for then you open your arms to receive us. For that I thank you, Mother Earth!

Teku wan na tekitik saya pal techma' tey timunekit. Iwan tejemet tinemit pal tikpalewiat; pal muchi tey kichat kanar tupal tejemet nusan.

Papá y mamá trabajan mucho para darnos lo que necesitamos. Y nosotros tenemos la obligación de ayudarles; porque todo lo que ellos tienen es también para nosotros.