"My commitment to our struggle recognizes neither boundaries nor limits: only those of us who carry our cause in our hearts are willing to run the risk."
I, Rigoberta Menchú is the personal account, as transcribed from a set of taped interviews, of a Guatemalan woman who speaks not only of her own life as a Quiche Indian, but also the life of all Indians. Menchú's story relays the life and customs of her people, including birth, marriage and end of life rituals, which maintain a tightly knit community and generational continuity, relating the wisdom of ancestral heritage into the present and keeping any outside influence at a distance. Her descriptions provide context for the reader with regard to her devotion to her people, as she also relays the horrific exploitation of her relatives, neighbors, and fellow Guatemalan Indians (the Quiche are actually 1 of 22 separate tribes, each with their own individual languages and customs). Menchú relays how she saw her brothers die from malnutrition and poisoning while working on fincas earning unlivable wages, how her other brother was arrested, tortured, and burned alive in front of her family, how her father, who was a leading activist for the Peasant Union Committee (PUC), was killed in a fire during a protest, and how her mother, also an organizer, was kidnapped, raped, and killed. Rigoberta, also an organizer and leader for the PUC, was forced into exile in Mexico where she became an international spokesperson for the Guatemalan Indians. Based on her activism abroad, Menchú eventually won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 and used the money to found the Rigoberta Menchú Tum foundation for the rights of indigenous people. This book, although controversy surrounds the it regarding its factual portrayal of events, relays the development of Rigoberta as an activist and spokesperson for the indigenous people of Guatemala, giving a voice to those who need it most.
Links:
Rigoberta Menchú Tum foundation
Citation Information:
Menchú, R., & Burgos-Debray, E. (1984). I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian woman in Guatemala. London: Verso.
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