The Huya Aniwa Institute will serve as a meeting ground for cultural exchange, fostering connections between Indigenous nations and an integral bridge to the Western world.

Exchange is at the heart of Indigenous cultures. For Indigenous peoples, all spheres of life are unified by relationships of exchange: whether in the exchanges of people and nature, in social life, or in the unique relationships one holds with the spiritual world, one cannot take without giving. 

Throughout the years of hosting our annual Aniwa Gathering, most of the Indigenous elders who have attended expressed that it was their biggest dream to meet other Indigenous peoples from around the world and learn from their cultures, often finding similarities with each others’ stories. Huya Aniwa’s objective is not only to cultivate experiences for Westerners to learn from and support Indigenous collectives but, most especially, to create opportunities for Indigenous peoples from across Mexico and worldwide to come together for cultural exchange, reclamation, and healing. 

Huya Aniwa aims to co-create spaces for Indigenous peoples who have lost their culture's traditional ways and spirituality to learn from Indigenous collectives who have retained theirs. This includes education on how to plant sacred crops, giving them seeds to take home, and much more. 

In this modern age, it is crucial that Indigenous collectives are given the space and opportunities to collaborate and mutually support one another's survivance. 

Historically, exchange relationships were the basis of the first federations conceived by Indigenous peoples. Intertribal rituals were important in marking events such as the forgoing of violence. Still, they also serve as an array of exchange practices that drive each community closer to one another. Cultural exchange opens the opportunity to set principles for a collaborative, compassionate, loving, and tender philosophy of thriving in relationships to one another and our shared world. 

If you are interested in investing in this mission's legacy, please contact our team at info@huyaaniwa.org.