5 Books Translated from Indigenous American Languages
Honor Native American Heritage Month this November by reading these works of literature by Indigenous authors, translated from their native languages into English.
Honor Native American Heritage Month this November by reading these works of literature by contemporary Indigenous authors, translated from various Native languages into English. While translation makes these short stories and poems accessible to wider audiences, their source texts simultaneously resist linguistic erasure, making each book a layered exercise in straddling historically hierachized linguistic boundaries. Ultimately, however, the publication (and translation) of Indigenous works of literature is a vibrant testament to the ongoing lives of Indigenous languages long after colonization. These books remind us to advocate for their preservation and continued use in literature this month and year-round.
Written and translated by Ofelia Zepeda
“The annual seasons and rhythms of the desert are a dance of clouds, wind, rain, and flood—water in it roles from bringer of food to destroyer of life. The critical importance of weather and climate to native desert peoples is reflected with grace and power in this personal collection of poems, the first written creative work by an individual in O’odham and a landmark in Native American literature.”
Written and translated by Luci Tapahonso
“In this cycle of poetry and stories, Navajo writer Luci Tapahonso shares memories of her home in Shiprock, New Mexico, and of the places and people there. Through these celebrations of birth, partings, and reunions, this gifted writer displays both her love of the Navajo world and her resonant use of language. Blending memoir and fiction in the storytelling style common to many Indian traditions, Tapahonso’s writing shows that life and death are intertwined, and that the Navajo people live with the knowledge that identity is formed by knowing about the people to whom one belongs. The use of both English and Navajo in her work creates an interplay that may also give readers a new way of understanding their connectedness to their own inner lives and to other people.”
By Miguelangel Meza
Translated by Elisa Taber
“Miguelángel Meza’s words are signifiers without hierarchy within the lyric structure that reference the cosmological Mbyá Guaraní narratives. Thus, the origin of earth is traced to the utterance of the first ñe’ë, or word-soul. Meza’s authorial style and references to a millenary Amerindian culture jointly point to another way of conceiving the world. The counterintuitive way that he renders the individual out of the communal is reminiscent of the Paraguayan embroidery technique, ñandutí, which means spider’s web. Threads extracted from, rather than woven into, a fabric trace a geometric pattern. He imitates this practice by claiming authorship through his lyric synthesis of a communal narrative. The poet seems to say through those that came before him: identity lies in erasure, not mark-making.”
By Pergentino Jose
Translated by Thomas Bunstead
“A literary triumph by a member of the Mexico20 (the list that boasts Valeria Luiselli and Carlos Velasquez, among others), Red Ants is the first-ever literary translation from the Sierra Zapotec. This vibrant collection of short stories by one of Mexico’s most promising young authors paints a candid picture of indigenous Mexican life—an essential counterpoint to cultural products of the colonial gaze. José’s fantastical stories tackle themes of family, love, and independence in his signature style: unapologetically personal, coolly emotional, and always surprising.”
“Like A New Sun showcases the vibrant contemporary poetry being written in indigenous Mexican languages. Featuring poets writing in Huasteca, Nahuatl, Isthmus Zapotec, Mazatec, Tsotsil, Yucatec Maya, and Zoque, this groundbreaking anthology introduces readers to six of the most dynamic indigenous Mexican poets writing today. Co-edited by Isthmus Zapotec poet Víctor Terán and translator David Shook, this groundbreaking anthology introduces six indigenous Mexican poets—three women and three men—each writing in a different language. Well-established names like Juan Gregorio Regino (Mazatec) appear alongside exciting new voices like Mikeas Sánchez (Zoque). Each poet’s work is contextualized and introduced by its translator.
Poets include Víctor Terán (Isthmus Zapotec), Mikeas Sánchez (Zoque), Juan Gregorio Regino (Mazatec), Juan Hernández (Huastecan Nahuatl), Briceida Cuevas Cob (Yucatec Maya), and Enriqueta Lunez (Tsotsil). Translators include Adam Coon, Jonathan Harrington, Jerome Rothenberg, David Shook, Clare Sullivan, and Eliot Weinberger.”
