"Xinachtli (She-nash-tli) Blossoming Seed

Xinachtli (Nahuatl for germinating/ blossoming seed) is a gender-responsive, culturally-based rites of passage philosophy, process and curriculum that promotes healing, resilience and leadership capacity of Indigenous, Chicana, and Latina cis and trans girls and non-binary youth."

This past week I participated in the Xinachtli Rite of Passage Training, a curriculum developed by Sara Haskie-Mendoza for Chicana, Indigenous, Latinx girls and non-binary youth. “It is a bicultural youth development process designed to provide female youth the guidance for a healthy development into adulthood.” Dr. Patty Ramirez was the main facilitator along with a few other women, all also belong to a supporting organization, the Los Angeles Indigenous People’s Alliance (LAIPA). 

The training was so personally impactful and culturally reaffirming and comprised much more than I had expected. I felt a deep sense of “home” as we moved through cultural practices, songs, body stretches and self-care. We took time to create a safe environment that would allow for deep reflection and sharing, listening to each other's stories and experiences with respect and support. We were learning how to “facilitate” by the facilitators using the Xinachtli practices and ancestral cultural principles with us. We practiced grace and patience and honoring our personal needs as many of us recognized how our younger selves would have really benefited from a cultural and personally affirming and program like this in our youth. A salient quote which led us into the self work was “You can’t take your community anywhere you haven’t been yourself.” This was the “plot twist” -we would not be going through the manual on how to facilitate, but rather learn by doing the projects and activities and discussions and going through the program ourselves. 

The “manualidades” (purposeful crafts) we created were all elements of the Mexica (meh-shi-ca) and Mayan traditions. These projects, like creating our personal codex of the past, present and future of our healing journey, were self- reflective and impactful but also because they help bring to the forefront cultural traditions that have been lost or broken throughout this continent's colonization. 

My goals with this training:

The creators of this curriculum use an indigenous cultural framework but also give guidance to use this for the many different cultures and lived experiences that your facilitated group may have. I would love to use many of the practices and activities in a classroom, especially in the development of learning around principles and actions of Equity, Inclusion and Belonging. I am thinking I would benefit from knowing what other activities and curriculum is used in the other components of the HEART curriculum. 

I would be very excited to lead a “circulo” for the Latinx Affinity group and I feel it would provide the students with a culturally rich experience in which to develop their sense of self and strengthen bonds within their cultural affinity space peers.

Many of the exercises and approaches would also be healing and appropriate for adults. I can imagine sharing and leading some of these activities when appropriate.

Dr. Ramirez has shared all the materials and resources and there will be a follow up meeting on zoom in a month. Women who have not received this training, may not facilitate any youth training although the facilitator may have other adults supporting the work.