El Nacimiento

“El Nacimiento” (the Birth) is the sacred place of the Kikapoo, where they take their dead to bury them and perform their ceremonies. But it is not only the place of celebrations; it is also the space they need to feel free, outside of all the regulations of the reservation system in Texas. It is the place where they can rest and follow their traditions. The Kikapoo have always been a very independent group, jealous of their traditions and customs. In the north of the state of Coahuila, the Kikapoo have lived since 1850, it is an indigenous people from Wisconsin who emigrated to the south fleeing the wars that afflicted the area due to European colonizing expeditions. The Kikapoo, along with a group of Seminole and Mascogo indians, under the command of the Seminole chief Wild Cat, petitioned the Mexican government in 1850 to obtain land in this country in exchange for defending its northern border against attacks by “barbarian Indians”, that is, of Comanches and Apaches. In July 1850, 800 Black Seminoles and Kikapoo crossed the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, with their chiefs Wild Cat, John Horse, and Papequah, hoping for 70,000 acres of land in Mexico.

La tribu kikapú tiene asentamientos en regiones de Estados Unidos (Oklahoma y Kansas), pero consideran a su bastión de Coahuila como un santuario especial, donde practican sus rituales. Al tener las dos nacionalidades, van de un lado a otro de la frontera y tienen negocios de cierta estima. Son celosos de su religión, realizan ritos de cacería, purificación y Año Nuevo. Sus rezos son a Kitzihaiata, el dios Gran Fuego que los enseñó a construir sus casas, y que cuando los kikapús mueren los lleva a cazar venados con él por la eternidad. La tribu Kikapú no se considera un atractivo turístico, por lo tanto, sus miembros no gustan de visitas. En ocasiones pueden encontrarlos en el mercado artesanal que se instala en la Plaza Principal.