Saberes and the development of indigenous cultural practices in diaspora : a case study of a Zapotec-origin intergenerational philharmonic band
Keywords: Education.

Abstract Historically, research on development and learning has focused on singular factors and processes like motivation and cognition. These mainstream approaches in education and psychology have not paid enough attention to the sociocultural context of development and often overlook communities of color, including Indigenous Latinxs. However, recent scholarship pushes researchers to understand human engagement in cultural practices as core to the scientific study of learning (Bang, 2015; Nasir et al., 2020). Specifically, a sociocultural approach to development and learning that views culture as dynamic repertoires of practices (Nasir et al., 2006) is significant to research because it encompasses the evolution of participation in and sense-making of social practices (Bang, 2015; Cole, 1998; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Nasir & Hand, 2006; Rogoff, 2003). While scholars are expanding our understanding of learning and development, there is still a need to study underrepresented communities as they are often missing from the contexts and frameworks that are valued in academia. Indigenous Latinxs are under-researched and underserved in research, despite their rich, dynamic linguistic and cultural repertoires of practice that provide learning communities and experiences to their youth (Casanova, 2019; Casanova et al., 2021; Mesinas & Perez, 2016; Urrieta, 2016; Rogoff, 2014). I argue that as scholars, we need to expand our Western and Eurocentric perspectives on development and learning by considering the various settings that cultivate learning across an array of activities throughout the lifespan. These contexts are important to consider because oftentimes youth and adults use the knowledge systems, skills, values, and other ways of being that are not always welcomed in formalized institutions like schools (Gutiérrez & Rogoff, 2003; Moll et al., 2006; Urrieta & Martinez, 2011). Importantly, such learning communities should be examined using appropriate frameworks for development and research methodologies that are generated by the respective philosophies, perspectives, and values of such communities. In this dissertation, I use the theoretical framework of Indigenous Heritage Saberes (Urrieta, 2013) and diasporic community knowledge (Urrieta & Martínez, 2011) to explore the theoretical and practical implications of diasporic Indigenous Latinx experiences as they relate to development and learning. Limited research exists on the cultural socialization, including Indigenous Heritage Saberes, that takes place in the diaspora of Indigenous people from Latin America. Additionally, many of the research studies on Mexican Indigenous communities like Zapotec Zoochileños are often found in anthropology, sociology, Latino studies, and other interdisciplinary fields. I address a gap in psychology and education research by centering diasporic Indigenous saberes and their influence on learning and development on Indigenous youth. I partnered with Banda Nueva Dinastía de Zoochila (BNDZ), a Oaxacan philharmonic band, to examine how first-generation Zapotec migrants from Santiago Zoochila, their children, and subsequent generations recreate and sustain their Indigeneity through their participation and contribution to the band. My study considers the following questions: (1) How do intergenerationally linked Indigenous Mexicans sustain and remake their indigeneity through participation in a philharmonic band? and (2) How do second generation Indigenous Mexican youth understand and interpret their participation in this philharmonic band? I used ethnographic methods to answer my research questions on understanding Indigeneity and participation of philharmonic band members in a learning community. Data sources include participant observations, field notes, video recordings, and semi-structured interviews (Emerson et al., 2011). At the start of my data collection, BNDZ consisted of 27 youth members between the ages of 8 and 17, 11 adults between the ages of 18 and 65, and two directors who were middle-aged. Over the course of two summers, I observed 24 rehearsal sessions, 9 performances, and 2 parent meetings. I also conducted semi-structured interviews (N=36) with youth, adults, parents, and directors. My analysis examines the cultural practices used by adults and the understanding and interpretation of these practices by second generation Indigenous Mexican youth, as well as how youth's participation in BNDZ contributed to their sociocultural development. Using Indigenous heritage saberes and ethnographic methods allowed for an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of how BNDZ inculcates traditions, practices, values, and ways of living to its youth via cultural socialization. By using Indigenous focused frameworks to examine BNDZ, the results of this study offer important contributions to the fields of education and psychology including nuancing existing and new frameworks that conceptualize Indigenous ways of living, being, and learning, and how it impacts all generations involved. BNDZ is a multilingual community that encourages directors and youth to use flexible linguistic repertoires of practice, including translanguaging pedagogy (García et al., 2012; Palmer & Martínez, 2013), to communicate during rehearsals and performances. This study provides a look into the multilingualism of BNDZ's participants, most notably the linguistic practices of Maestros Moises and Jay. Youth in the band receive and participate in an organic communicative style that allows them to use all of their linguistic assets, which can vary based on which director or individuals they are communicating with while at rehearsals and performances. The importance of these linguistic features is that they help youth and directors make meaning and adapt to the linguistic needs of their fellow bandmates (García & Wei, 2014). By using everyone's linguistic repertoires, BNDZ and its leaders created an important entryway for youth to access music and culture, including their Zoochileño ways of living and belonging. Spanish, English, and Zapotec are the three languages primarily used among BNDZ members and its flexible use was established as a pedagogical approach since its inception in 2001. For over two decades, BNDZ has readily used these languages as critical mediators to teach music and inculcate traditions, values, and celebrations via their banda saberes. While Indigenous Heritage Saberes (Urrieta, 2013) were conceptualized within the context of Indigenous pueblos, I argue that BNDZ recreates saberes native to Zoochila while also adapted into new forms that allow them to best adapt to their diaspora. For instance, banda saberes are created by BNDZ and passed on to the youth by teaching them the role and importance of the band as they teach music, such as sones y jarabes, native to Zoochila. Further, BNDZ welcomes youth to become active contributors in their diaspora and in Zoochila through their band trips to the pueblo to celebrate their patron saint and traditional celebrations held in the United States. Through these findings, I expand the idea of Indigenous Heritage Saberes as they look different in a diaspora community, thus also resulting in diasporic community knowledge (Urrieta & Martínez, 2011). In the Zoochileño diaspora, similar to other Indigenous pueblos, BNDZ is an important entity that reinforces the traditions, celebrations, and values through the coexistence of fellow Zoochileños. The banda saberes does not just lead to the inculcation of Zoochileño culture, but it allows youth and adults to embody the Indigenous saber of emotion while also developing dynamic Indigenous identities. Indigenous philosophies of belonging and comunalidad encompass traditions and values, while also inculcating emotional ties within individuals that connect them to their native communities and instill Indigenous identities as well (Casanova, 2019; Urrieta, 2019) and across borders (Blackwell, 2017). The sociocultural development experienced by youth through their contributions to BNDZ is made possible through the recreation and sustainment of Indigenous Heritage Saberes, ways of living, and knowledge bases initiated by their communities' elders and relatives through flexible linguistic repertoires of practice. Not only is it important for scholars to consider Indigeneity in their conceptualization of development and education frameworks, but we must also educate ourselves in the existing epistemological philosophies and knowledge bases that Indigenous communities have lived by for centuries. This study offers a step toward the decolonization of institutions, including the academy, and the possibility to learn the existing frameworks that conceptualize development and learning within Indigenous communities