About

¡Se le salió el indio! is an expression in Spanish that translates, roughly, to “the Indian came out of him!” It is usually employed to describe when one loses their cool/control of themselves and acts in a fit of rage or emotion. It is a metaphor that relies on the the so-called”Indian” as its life-source and in this way, reinforces the idea that Indigenous people are wild, barbaric, ignorant, etc. (by contrast European or ‘whiteness’ connotes civilization, orderliness, refined, etc.)

It is a curious phrase that if applied to and by Indigenous people, in the present. Does it mean that they have not fully abandoned their pre-contact selves? With a little more civilizing – maybe a touch of the conquistador’s sword or additional sermons from the priest – they may be saved from themselves?

When employed by people of European descent, does it refer to that pre-modern part of themselves that remains untamed, wild, savage; that is released ever so often, that rears its ugly head, until they regain their composure, return to their civilized self?

I rely on this expression as a starting point to reflect on identity and memory. How our sense of self and relationship to others is mediated through time, space, gaze and the tensions between ourselves and others as we attempt to make meaning out of the various moments of life.

The Spanish arrived in the Americas in 1492, believing they had arrived in India based on beliefs they had nurtured and developed back on the Iberian peninsula.

I will use this space to work backwards, from the present, and try to grasp at what “this” place is and “who” I am based on my families history from central america to the Great Lakes Basin.

Thank you for joining me along this journey.