Podcast with Mrs. Judith Gomez and Mr. Andres Martinez: Episode 3

Hi Everyone,

We hope that you’re all doing well and that 2023 is proving to be a good year!

We also hope that you’ve enjoyed the first two episodes of the podcast with Mr. Andres Martinez and Ms. Judith Gomez and have found their perspectives to be helpful in understanding the experiences of individuals with indigenous backgrounds in our society. In the previous two episodes, we addressed female and male perspectives on matrilineal and patrilineal origins, the importance of identity, the exploration of heritage, the preservation of traditions, the role of women in households, and the spiritual meaning embedded within family activities. In this third episode, we continue our dialogue on the preservation of matrilineal roots through naming, the natural independence of women in their households, as well as the importance of identity in connecting back to ancestral heritage.

In this segment, Ms. Gomez talks about how a lot of her mother’s practices were formalized in the Catholic structure and how it was hard for Ms. Gomez to relate to the religious aspects of these traditions. However, she tried very hard to connect to the indigenous aspects of her family’s practices. She especially shares how practices like connecting to curanderas and other such indigenous ways were a major influence on her development and in holding on to her cultural identity. As with many indigenous families, names in Ms. Gomez’s family played a significant role in identity formation and established a strong connection with their heritage. Even though religion was a major part of the family’s constitution, it did not interfere with the independence of women in the household. There was a healthy focus on women’s education and careers to provide stability to the family. Practices such as the preservation of surnames was also less of a feminist independence phenomenon but rather a means of maintaining a women’s identity, which was so closely tied to heritage.

Ms. Gomez shares some very endearing stories about her family that I will leave for the podcast. Mr. Martinez also sheds light on certain experiences from his family such as naming, its cultural significance, and the passing on of this legacy to his daughters. If you’ve enjoyed this personal perspective into an indigenous household’s journey, I’d encourage you to watch this episode as well as the final one, which will be uploaded later this month.

As always, thank you for your viewership and I’ll be writing again soon!

Gabby