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This
Threads of My Life: The Story of Hilaria Supa Huaman A Rural Quechua
Woman
By
Hilaria Supa Huaman
Translated by Mauricio Carlos Quintana
Published by Theytus Books
In 2005, Peruvian activist Hilaria Supa Huamán was one of 1000
women from around the world nominated in the 1000 Women for the Nobel
Peace Prize campaign. She was elected Congresswoman in Peru for 2006-11.
"She loves life in spite of everything. Conceived as the result
of a rape, she herself was raped at the age of 14. Her name is Hilaria
Supa Huamán. She is 47 years old and self-educated. She has
lived in Lima, the capital of Peru. She now lives in Huallaccocha,
in Cuzco. She campaigns for agriculture and for the women of the countryside.
For more than 20 years, she has been dedicated to organizing women
and preserving the ancient wisdom and culture of the Andes. For the
last six years, she has also been working in search of justice for
women who were forcibly sterilized." - 1000 Women for the Nobel
Peace Prize
"This book is a loom, assembled with threads woven by Hilaria
Supa Huamán, a Quechua woman. For nine years I followed her
in her task of weaving threads out of the wool of the Quechua people,
uniting the threads of different women, tying together threads broken
by ignorance and violence, rescuing lost threads of a repressed culture
and, in her tireless search for equilibrium, putting together a loom
where to weave the Sun with the Moon and the past with the future.
"Hilaria tells us, in her own words, her thoughts and experiences
as an indigenous person, a peasant, a woman and a leader, framed in
the drawing of her two long braids. The last page in each chapter
contains 'questions for reflection,' developed to help the reader
relate Hilaria's story with their own situation. At the back of the
book, we find annexes containing ideas for deepening or bringing into
practice some of the topics discussed in the book. This structure
is intended to facilitate the use of this book in schools and training
sessions." - Book Excerpt by Waltraut StolbenHilaria Supa Huamán:
Unstoppable in Her Defence of the Rights of Women and Indigenous Peoples
"The Indigenous voice and Quechua heart of Hilaria Supa led her,
after the writing of this book, to continue to stand for the poor
and Indigenous women affected by the forced sterilization campaign
(1996-2000) in Peru. Elected to the Peruvian Congress in 2006, Hilaria
Supa works intensively to further
the causes she has dedicated her life to: changing the living conditions
of women, in particular Indigenous women, through active participation
in civil society; fighting for human rights; conserving the environment
and natural resources; and achieving recognition for the languages
and cultures of Indigenous peoples throughout the world." - Maria
Esther Mogollon Ch, Peruvian Journalist
"Threads of My Life is an important story told by an incredible
and courageous woman. Hers is the voice of Indigenous women, the voice
of the silenced and the dispossessed, struggling for survival. It
is a document calling all to conscience for immediate action in the
support and implementation of the U.N. Declaration of the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples. I am privileged to know this beautiful person."-
Jeannette C. Armstrong, Ph.D. candidate, author of Slash, Whispering
in Shadows and The Native Creative Process
Special kudos goes to Mauricio Carlos Quintana for his translations
and keeping as true as possible to Hilaria's voice. We know it was
a tough job for him as he wrote in his introduction, "You see,
Hilaria and I come from opposing camps. As the son of an upper-middle
class Mexican family, I am the typical example of the urban 'mestizo'
she describes in her book........At times her book was interesting,
at times mildly annoying and at some, crucial moments, downright unbearable.....It
was very hard to read about it. Many occasions, I simply neglected
to continue translating, sometimes for weeks at a time. I just didn't
want to accept my part of the responsibility for what has been done
to Hilaria's people, and to all Indigenous people of the world in
some form or other. Goaded by teachers and close friends across two
countries, and unable to forget Hilaria, I persisted in my efforts,
until it became clear to me how important this message was."
A Congresswoman from Cusco (Peru), Hilaria Supa has devoted over 20
years to the defence and promotion of human rights, women's rights,
and the rights of indigenous peoples, as well as the strengthening
of indigenous and peasant women's associations. She also commits her
effort to the cause of environmental protection and the strengthening
of the multicultural and multilingual identity of the people of Peru.
Before becoming a member of Congress in her country, Hilaria Supa
supported the creation of women's organizations such as the Micaela
Bastidas Committee of Anta and several Mother's Clubs, followed by
the Federation of Peasant Women of Anta, through which she supported
literacy amongst peasant women and the transmission of traditional
medicine.
Hilaria's Quechua and indigenous words have taken her to other countries,
such as China, Canada, Argentina, Germany, Bolivia, and others. In
2001, she published her book "Hilos de Mi Vida" (Threads
of my Life), which has been translated into both German and English.
In 2003, Hilaria inaugurated the "Casa del Despertar" (House
of Awakening), whose purpose is to further knowledge of history, ancient
wisdom, medicinal plants, and environmental awareness. In 2005, she
was one of the eight Peruvian women to be nominated to the Thousand
Women Prize by the Nobel Peace Rize, at the recommendation of MAM
Fundacional. In the year 2006, Congresswoman Hilaria supa supported
the creation of the Association of Women affected by the Forced Sterilizations
in Anta.
In the current Legislature (2007-2008), Congresswoman Hilaria Supa
is director of the Commission of Andean, Amazonian, and Afro-Peruvian
peoples, Environment and Ecology, as well as accessory of the energy
and Mining Commission. She is also the director of the Women's Issues
and social Development Commission, under which banner she leads the
Workgroup on Application and Follow-up on the Law of Equal Opportunity.
She is the President of the Indigenous Parliamentary Group, and a
member of Parliamentary Women. She is convinced that, as more women
enter politics, this contributes to the democratization of government,
and that joint efforts lead to more proposals in favour of women.
This in turn strengthens the civic awareness of women through knowledge
and application of their rights, as well as their capacity to participate
and become organized.
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Crushing
Soft Rubies
By Janet Stickmon
Published by Broken Shackle
Janet Stickmon's Crushing Soft Rubies
is a place where spirit, culture, and survival meet. It is the story
of a Filipino-African-American who is caught between the death of her
parents and the desperate need to define herself - not as an orphan,
but as a strong woman who is willing to do whatever is necessary to
ensure that her past does not become a barrier to her future. Janet,
now a teacher and a married woman, leads us through the intense details
of her story. From her childhood home being burned to the ground, to
the joys and conflicts with her Filipino family, to seeking a connection
to her African-American heritage, and then to the beautiful moment of
her marriage, Janet navigates the rough waters of love, spirit, identity,
and survival, maintaining a life filled with faith and wonder.
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website: Copyright © 2008 Dream World Media, LLC. / Urban Mozaik
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in part, may not be reproduced without written permission from the publisher
or the previous publisher of original republished materials.
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