El Corazón de la Montaña
The Tepēyōllōtl Project is an organization that brings Salvadoran adoptees home to reunite and connect with their land, culture, and people.
Connection
In many cases, transracial, transnational adoptees struggle with a loss of culture, identity, language, and religion.When adoptees are given the opportunity to rematriate, they can find community and culture- pieces of themselves that were lost through the adoption processes and systemic colonization.
Rematriation
The Tepēyōllōtl Project is located in two major areas on three plots of land. Simeon’s Homestead in Ahuachapan, and two tribal farms in El Carrizal.
Here, adoptees can find a sense of belonging and connection by engaging in ceremony, learning how to cook traditional Salvadoran dishes, learning how to work with indigo from local artisans, and traveling to to open markets to support indigenous growers and gather local products for food shares.
Adoptees will learn about indigenous food sovereignty, agroecology, crop diversity, and water and irrigation systems alongside Pipil and Tacuba people who have been caring for the land for thousands of years.
Rematriate means to return people, culture, land, or sacred artifacts to their rightful place of origin or to their original cultural context. Unlike the legal term "repatriate," which often implies a simple transfer of state ownership, "rematriate" carries a profound, restorative meaning focused on healing cultural bonds, honoring indigenous traditions, and restoring a reciprocal relationship with the earth.
Based in the United States and El Salvador, meet the people that keep the Tepēyōllōtl Project running.
Our Partners:
The Asociación Pro-Búsqueda for Missing Children (APB)
An association with national and regional recognition that promotes the search and location of people who suffered forced disappearance during the civil war in El Salvador, defending the right to the truth, access to justice and repair of the victims, now adults and their families.
Contributors:
Eastern Woodland Rematriation Collective (EWR)
A grassroots, Indigenous-led organization rooted in the Northeastern U.S. working to restore the spiritual, food, and economic foundations of tribal people. The group is led by Indigenous womxn, two-spirits, and tribal families from nations such as Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Nipmuc, Massachusett, Wampanoag, Narragansett, and Mohegan, as well as urban, mobile, and displaced Indigenous communities.
Why Hunger, Inc.
Develops sustainable solutions and tackles root causes of hunger. The organization funds, connects and resources grassroots organizations to build healthier food systems for all people and the environment.
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