In an effort to keep the language of the Aztecs alive in Minnesota, a book series written in Nahuatl, Spanish and English debuts in St. Paul this Saturday. 

Twin Cities artists are also celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month this weekend at a south Minneapolis music and arts festival, while Hmong musicians head to Union Depot for the fifth annual Qeej and Hmong Arts Festival. 

If you’re feeling inspired, head to the Somali Museum to learn traditional Somali arts. 

A trilingual book launch

For Minnesota’s Mexica-Nahua (Aztec) community, finding resources to learn their ancestral language can be challenging.

Alma Lora, a dancer with the Mexica-Nahua group Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli, is bridging that gap with a new children’s book series designed to introduce young readers to Nahuatl, an Indigenous language spoken by more than 1.5 million people in Mexico today. 

“Unfortunately, I can’t go to a local book store and get a Nahuatl book and learn,” Lora said. Instead, she pieced the language together through songs and the philosophical teachings of her mentors and Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli’s co-founders Mary Anne Quiroz and Sergio Quiroz.

Though Lora’s lineage traces back to the Otomí people of Hidalgo, Mexico, she felt disconnected from that part of her heritage while growing up on St. Paul’s West Side — a gap that only began to close when she joined the dance group at age 11. 

“I go to danza when I know I’m having a really hard day and I just want to take everything out,” Lora said. “That’s where I dug into my Indigeneity, reclaiming where my family’s from and the culture that I kind of missed out on growing up.”

It was through this rediscovery that she took on her Nahautl name, Tlahuitekpatcihuatzin, which translates to “honorable woman who carries the light within the obsidian knife.”

After Lora had her daughter in 2023, she knew she wanted things to be different for the next generation. She wanted Tlahuilli — whose name means “little light” in Nahuatl — to grow up knowing her ancestral language instead of having to search for it. 

Her first book, “Tlahuilli, Mi Nosiwapil” (Tlahuili, My Daughter), recounts Lora’s birth story and a vivid dream she had while pregnant. 

“Tlahuilli’s name actually came to me in a dream,” she said. “I was giving birth but I couldn’t see what the child looked like. It was just this huge beam of light, and they kept telling me: ‘push Tlahuilli out.’”

Now that her daughter is nearly 3 years old, Lora is looking ahead to the rest of their story. The series will explore motherhood, Indigenous culture and the important conversations parents have with their children.

“Everyone’s journey is completely different. Every birth story and every kid is unique,” Lora said. “I’m hoping my book sparks interest in kids learning more about themselves, where they come from and their history.”

The community is coming together at Indigenous Roots on Saturday to celebrate the book and Mother’s Day with performances from Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli, hip-hop artist Cuauhtli Day, and singers Maria Cervantes and Tearra Oso. 

AAPI artistry on tap

The Asian American-owned south Minneapolis-based brewery Arbeiter Brewing will host its third annual Asian Phoenix Festival this Saturday. 

The event spotlights local Japanese taiko drummers, hip-hop breakdancers, and seven craft makers, including Hmong textile artist Tshab Her and poster-maker Sean Lim. 

A variety of local food and drink vendors will also set up shop at the brewery.

Somali art workshops

Two workshops on Saturday will offer a closer look at traditional Somali art practices. At Mawadah Cafe, learn weaving techniques done without looms or frames. At the Somali Museum, learn the rhythms and movements of Somali cultural dances. 

A stage for the Hmong qeej

A bamboo pipe instrument, traditionally played in Hmong funeral ceremonies, will echo throughout Union Depot on Sunday for the Hmong Cultural Center’s fifth annual Qeej and Hmong Arts Festival. 

Master qeej (pronounced “geng”) players will perform throughout the day, alongside hip-hop breakdancing from Cypher Side, contemporary Hmong dance from Iny Asian Dance Theater, singing and more. Vendors will offer Hmong food and crafts. 

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