The Council originated in the Poptun region of Peten, Guatemala, after the request of Tata[1] Hector Cab due to the need to organize ourselves in hopes of a better future in the defense of Maya spirituality and nature. It was also due to the persecution of spiritual guides that practiced the ritual ceremonies, and police detentions for carrying our traditional clothes and sacred pouch. After this hard period that our spiritual guides had to face, we had a first encounter among the Tatas Hermelindo Maaz, Domingo Che and Hector Cab, the latter being part of an indigenous justice program in Poptun, Peten. In this meeting it was decided that it was fundamental to establish a Regional Council, for which several visits to the towns were the elders practiced Maya spirituality were necessary.
The visits were carried out to several communities and townships in Peten with the help of the program for indigenous justice, which allowed us to establish the first great meeting of spiritual guides in 2003, where over 250 Nanas and Tatas joined. Later on we invited several representatives of the Peten townships to analyze an agenda for the second encounter, where we were to form the Regional Council of Maya spiritual guides. In this meeting we had the support of the technicians from the indigenous justice project, Salvador Buenafe, Lazaro Cucul and Rosa Caal, who helped sistematize results.
Early in 2004 the second encounter was held in Santa Elena Peten, where the Great Council Releb’al Saq’e was established with the participation of 90 Tatas and Nanas Q’eqchi’ from the Peten and Puerto Barrios regions of Guatemala and others from Belize.
At this time the first Council was elected, having 13 members, in which tata Vicente Cucul, from the community of La Compuerta in Poptun, was elected as High Elder. .here it was decided that the areas in which the Council would focus its work would be:
- Maya spirituality
- Protection of ancestral medicine
- Protection of flora and fauna
- Schools for Maya soirituality
- Strengthening of the Maya language
- Defense of natural resources
- Strengthening of Maya medicine specialists
- Development of Maya women
- Education with cultural pertinence
After the conformation of the Council we conducted several visits to townships were the tatas and nanas were doing community service. For two years the indigenous justice project of Peten walked by our side.
In the following years we participated at the national level in various seminars and activities related to Maya spirituality. In 2005 several other elders from the region of Alta Verapaz joined the Council. The second High Elder appointed was tata Domingo Bolon from the Actela community in the township of San Luis Peten, to be followed later by the third and current High Elder of the Council, tata Pablo Ax Canti.
After nine years of work we have shared positive experiences in the defense of Maya spirituality. We have had problems that we have overcome. In this process a good communication with the tatas and nanas has been fundamental for the Council to remain united and strong.
Today our Council is formed by 1,500 tatas y nanas, and has many schools for spiritual guides under operation in the regions of Peten, Alta Verapaz and Belice. This process is yielding many fruits. We thank tata Hector Cab for having had a clear vision in the actions needed to be taken for revaluing our Maya culture in this region, for which we will be eternally grateful.
CONSEJO RELEB`AAL SAQ`E (ENTRADA DEL SAGRADO SOL).
[1] Tata and Nana are traditional respect nouns preceding the name of an elder. Tata is used for a male and Nana for a female.