Thursday, June 27, 2013

HUNAB KU - GALACTIC BUTTERFLY

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming to this event. I would like to thank Friendship Bridge for the invitation.

I also would like to thank Casey Driver from AV Media, Sergio Hernandez, Ramon Ramirez, Steven Carranza and Warren Scherich for all they do for the Antelope Valley community.  Last but not least, I would like to thank Jean and Doug Monte for hosting the event at their residence.

In Guatemala, due to political and social issues the poorest communities are affected the most. The worst part is that most of those communities are made of indigenous people and women who have to take care of their families while their men go to work away from home. Sometimes, they have to go to bed hungry because the few tortillas they have for the day go to their children, not knowing if the next day they are going to have anything to eat.

When I was asked by my friend Dr. Ricky Perkins to be part of tonight’s activities several months ago, I gladly accepted because this is very important to me. I was born in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala and I know firsthand of the problems affecting the Mayan communities.

I was asked to donate a couple paintings for the silent auction. The challenged was to find a subject, in some ways abstract but with deep meaning. I had to paint something that not only represented the Guatemalan women, but also to connect with the ideals and goals to the Friendship Bridge.

I chose the Mayan hieroglyph “HUNAB KU”, also known as the “GALACTIC BUTTERFLY”.  To describe or interpret the meaning of this symbol would require an expert. While doing some research, I found on the internet that “HUNAB KU” represents a new beginning.

Before Friendship Bridge came into the life of many indigenous women in the rural communities of Guatemala, those women felt trapped, destined to live a life of suffering, which they accepted with dignity as many of their ancestors did for hundreds of years.

After Friendship Bridge, those traps became more like a cocoon and they started changing, feeling the support and understanding of the people who helped them with the metamorphosis of their lives. They went through to the same process as the Monarch butterfly goes through before expanding their wings. Those women, as the butterflies, once they are free from their prison begin flying high and go beyond what they could have ever imagined.

Proud of their hard labor and accomplishments,  they start reaching other flowers in their communities spreading the pollen of their success, making their communities self-sufficient, their families become stronger, and their children start smiling more often and they don’t have go to bed hungry.

In conclusion, as I see you all here, what I see is hope. You may not realize how important your presence here in this house is to somebody you may never meet, but for them you are “HUNAB KU”, the Galactic Butterfly, the light at the end of the tunnel, the wind that will lift their spirit and give them the opportunities denied to them by their countrymen.

Through Friendship Bridge, you will empower indigenous Guatemalan women and your contribution will give them a better perspective of life for themselves and their entire families.

Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.