celebrations of the summer solstice as a resistance

Another mention of the Wixárika in the article about struggles related to summer solstice celebrations. The festival is called Namawita Neixa, marking the beginning of their planting season. The tribe members are farmers who primarily grow corn, beans, and squash. They make annual pilgrimages to the Wirikuta desert, which they view as the birthplace of the sun. The increased industrial farming in the desert has led to accelerated groundwater extraction and a reduction in biodiversity. Around the summer solstice of 2023, a special pilgrimage was made by members of a regional council of the tribe to pray for rain, protection of their sacred lands, and the “renewal of the world.” The region has recently experienced heat waves and droughts. After the ceremony, the council released a public statement requesting protections from the Mexican government for their way of life and the environment.

A parallel struggle exists for the Sioux tribe in the United States. The tribe has a traditional dance called the “Sun Dance,” performed on the solstice. In 1883, the U.S. government began a campaign to suppress the dance, designating it as a crime punishable by imprisonment. Only in 1934 did the U.S. government partially reverse its policy and allow the dance to be performed again, though still prohibiting some ritual aspects. In both cases, this was a violation of religious freedom, although from the perspective of the U.S., these ceremonies were not considered protected under the First Amendment. It was not until 1972 that the tribe returned to performing the Sun Dance in its full, original form. However, hippies saw this as exotic and began organizing parallel ceremonies for entertainment purposes, despite having no connection to Native American religion and culture. In 1993, a conference was held where the Sioux demanded the protection of the purity of the ceremony and an end to the misuse of their traditions, similar to the struggle against the use of peyote.