Cumbia is a dance that came out of Black and Indigenous communities in Central and South America. Now, the Las Vegas Indian Center is hosting workshops so that dancers can master their skills.
Across Indian country, tradition is held in high regard. This isn’t a secret; powwows, public gatherings, even press events often have an element of traditional ways incorporated in the proceedings. But as with all things, tradition evolves. This happens for many reasons, but some are as simple as circumstance.
That’s the story with cumbia.
Cumbia is the result of interactions between Indigenous Columbians and the African people who were kidnapped from their homelands and brought the region. The dance was born out of a desire to communicate, rooted in both Indigenous and African traditions.
Now, the Las Vegas Indian Center and the Fifth Sun Project are hosting regular cumbia workshops, where Indigenous people from around the community can come and take part in a tradition that began nearly 500 years ago.
Yesenia Moya is the instructor of the workshop. She sat down with KNPR's Indigenous Affairs reporter Miles Brady to delve deeper into the origins of cumbia, and to see why keeping with traditions is important to the community today.
Moya said cumbia has deep roots in Colombia, and started with African drum and Indigenous flute.
“Because Indigenous folks and African folks weren't allowed to be inside the dancehall. It was outside,” she said. “It was just a way to express joy when there was not a lot of joy to be had. It just really comes from struggle.”
That struggle was colonization, communities plagued by kidnapping, violence they were suffering.
“I think about restriction and violence and fear for folks to find joy, in those moments of fear, to come up with art that is beautiful and transcendent, for centuries, that moves through literal space, right?” Moya said.
Moya is from Chihuahua, and said communities throughout Central and South America can relate to cumbia through shared struggles.
“The music always got us up, and it always made everything better. I really do think about how music and art and joy can help you live through the dark s—t,” she said.
Cumbia music requires a lot of people – singers, backup singers, orchestral ensembles.
“I really do think cumbia belongs to the people,” Moya said. “It's impossible to make the music without the community behind you without the weira and the thumbor and the accordion and the saxophone. … Cumbia is not something that the rich hoity-toity people are dancing.”
Brady also spoke to Eztli Amaya, the executive assistant for the Las Vegas Indian Center, who helped to organize the workshop and provide a community space for it to take place.
At the last workshop, a lot of really integral conversations happened. Conversation about the origin of cumbia, conversations about the family, the cultural role of Colombia, also the political resistance role of Colombia and that sort of thing.
Amaya said just having that space to talk freely is important.
“We try to bring that in, what the conversations and ideas that we have, within social media, we want them to happen in person, and we want us all to come together and, and make that happen.”
The most recent cumbia workshop was on Oct. 11. For updates on the next event, visit the Las Vegas Indian Center's website.
Yesenia Moya, instructor, Las Vegas Indian Center; Eztli Amaya, executive assistant, Las Vegas Indian Cente
