Ollin Cafetzin: A Framework for Decolonizing & Re-indigenizing Community

Indigenous wisdom and knowledge are vital to understanding a sustainable and equitable way forward. When people speak of terms like “decolonizing” and “re-indigenizing,” they are in reference to not just the physical aspects of undoing colonialism, but the mental and spiritual aspects that come when reintroducing different ways of thinking when indigenous communities are uprooted and assimilated. Alternate worldviews are not only necessary for decolonizing ourselves but also for fixing the global climate crisis. At a recent event held by the Climate Justice Leadership Alliance (CLJA), we were joined by guests Jasón Romero and Cynthia Moreno. Romero founded CU Boulder’s Aquetza Summer Youth Program for high school Latine/Chicanx students, students of color, and allies, where they met as facilitators. The now-married couple co-founded Ollin Cafetzin, an ethnic studies library and Mesoamerican coffee shop in Aurora, Colorado, and spoke about the importance of solidarity economics with colonized people.

At Ollin Cafetzin, Romero and Moreno use coffee beans sourced from Chiapas, Mexico which have been grown and harvested with care by the Mayan Zapatistas. The Zapatistas, whose story of establishing autonomy free from the Mexican government is worthy of its own article, are a group of Indigenous peoples who rose against the oppressive Mexican government in 1994 and have since established areas known as “Caracoles” (snail in Spanish) where they live and govern themselves. 

Being Indigenous themselves, Romero and Moreno look to uplift the Zapatistas in ways that also benefit the community they live in. The pair make drinks and coffee using Zapatista-grown coffee, oftentimes giving out leftovers to the community while housing resources for a furthering of ethnic studies knowledge, while using the profits to give back to the Zapatistas whose economy is reliant upon their coffee. When these relationships are created that don’t focus on a growth of self, but a growth of international and local community, alternate forms of development are created, separate from the exploitative capitalism forced on Indigenous peoples. 

Indigenous people have held these worldviews for centuries, surviving colonization and making them vital for future sustainability. Bison, almost hunted to extinction by settlers, are being brought back by Native peoples, almost half of the Amazon Forest has been protected thanks to the traditions of Native peoples, and forests in Chile and Argentina are protected from logging companies by Native peoples with their lives. The only way forward for climate justice is with the presence of Indigenous peoples in every conversation.

In a poem written by Chicano playwright Luis Valdez inspired by Mayan philosophy, Valdez writes,

In Lak’ech

Tú eres mi otro yo.

You are my other me.

Si te hago daño a ti,

If I do harm to you,

Me hago daño a mi mismo.

I do harm to myself.

Si te amo y respeto,

If I love and respect you,

Me amo y respeto yo.

I love and respect myself

If we learn from Indigenous peoples, we learn to see the world not as something to be used and exploited, but as part of ourselves and others, necessary for each other’s survival.