NI CHAPOLI: UN CUENTO NAHUA DE LA HUASTECA DE HIDALGO, MÉXICO

The cricket tale was told in the summer of 2016 by a seasoned storyteller: Mr. José Vélez San Juan. Mr. San Juan was born and raised in the Nahua community of the Huasteca region of Hidalgo, San Isidro Atlapexco. The central topic of the story is a conflict where insects and mammals play the central roles. The narrative focuses on how the cricket and the lion fight each other because the latter stepped on the former’s foot. In the end, the little cricket wins the fight even if he is much smaller than the lion. With the help of other powerful insects such as ants, bees and wasps, the cricket defeats the lion. One of the messages transmitted in this tale is how the cooperation and solidarity between many insects can result in a won battle. Such values are central to the cultural resistance that Nahua people have shown against western conquest. This tale is part of the daily negotiations of identity in the face of cultural differences.