A violent history: Taos-based filmmaker's 'Genízaro Experience: Shadows in Light' tackles a deep-rooted NM narrative

Nov. 12—Genízaro.

These are a people who continue to fight — as they were trained to do — despite the odds not being in their favor.

For a few years, Gary Medina Cook has followed the guidance of spirits into giving a voice to Genízaros in the documentary, "The Genízaro Experience: Shadows In Light."

"Genízaros embody duality in the human condition," Medina Cook says. "This story is one of ethnogenesis and cultural hybridity. A blending of spirits."

The documentary tells the stories of Genízaros, who are descendants of Native American slaves, as they share their inspiring story of captivity and redemption.

Long before African slaves were brought to America, European ships that traversed the Atlantic were already stained with the blood of Indigenous people.

Medina Cook says he wanted to explore the origins of Indigenous slavery, Genízaros in New Mexico, and a variety of related themes including cultural hybridity, equality, genetic genealogy, and tribal recognition.

Medina Cook says Genízaros were the 10-year-old boys taken from their families during the war.

"Indigenous slavery was illegal," Medina Cook says. "They were put in Spanish households. These boys were fearless and they would have them fight along with the Spaniards. Then when (Diego) De Vargas came to the territory, he wanted to get Natives on his side and found purpose in the little warriors. He knew they were trainable. These are children of war and were taken by Comanches as well. They would be sold along with women for goods at the trade fairs."

"The Genízaro Experience: Shadows in Light" debuts at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, on New Mexico PBS, channel 5.1. It will then rebroadcast at 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17, on World, channel 5.4.

A history lessonIn the documentary, it is said that if your family has been in New Mexico for 20 generations, you will have 472,000 Native grandmothers.

"That number blew my mind because a lot of that was due to slavery and rape," Medina Cook says. "We're the sum of all that's come before us. This film is a way to give a voice to the voiceless."

It features music from multi-Grammy Award-winning recording artists Bill Miller (Mohican), Rita Coolidge (Cherokee), Michael Martin Murphey, Tyrone Wells, Felix Peralta, as well as poetry from Joy Harjo and special appearances by "Apocalypto" actor Raoul Max Trujillo and the late Native activist John Trudell.

The film also features artists, best-selling authors, scholars, professors, genetic genealogists and descendants that still live in the Genízaro communities who carry on their Indigenous/mixed blood traditions.

Rob Martinez, state historian, is featured in the documentary.

"History is supposed to teach us," Martinez says. "It's not supposed to make us feel good about ourselves. We have to look into those darker corners of our history. When you are doing research on a family history, you have to be brave because you'll never know what you're going to find."

Martinez says going into the research phase, one must look honestly at the history with open eyes.

"Our history is fascinating and brilliant," he says. "It's also a history of warfare, slavery and servitude. All in the mixing of bloodlines."

When it comes to Genízaro history, Martinez says it's like peeling the layers of an onion.

"Understand that the 1700s in New Mexico was a very violent time," he says. "The Pueblo people, the mestizos and others were all vying for land and power."

Martinez says this is where cautiva culture came into play.

Captive culture is when captives would bring novel ideas and technologies to the societies of their captors.

"Everyone would raid each other," Martinez says. "They would steal the women and children, who would later be sold for goods. Everyone was doing it to everyone. No one was too distant from this. This is where Genízaros would get brought into Hispanic families and given Hispanic surnames."

By the late-1700s, a third of the area was Genízaro.

"These are conquered people," Martinez says. "Yet, you can't keep them down. They find a way to thrive and survive, all while being enslaved."

Getting started

Medina Cook was a professional musician up until a decade ago in Los Angeles.

He grew up in Santa Fe, yet his roots go back generations.

His mother's family is from the Taos/Questa area.

"We have Genízaro ancestry," Medina Cook explains. "When it was time for me to come back home, I moved to Taos and began to make myself better."

After just moving, Medina Cook's friend told him to go back to school.

"I dropped out of school to become a musician," Medina Cook says. "When I got back to Taos, I was encouraged to get my GED (General Educational Development). Within 15 weeks, I passed."

Enrolling at University of New Mexico-Taos, he got his collegiate start. Then he transferred to the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe.

"This is where I focused on the film aspect of my degree," Medina Cook says. "It was a great place for me because I was around Indigenous students from around the world. It was eye opening to see all these cultures."

Yearning to find out more, he picked up "Nación Genízara: Ethnogenesis, Place, and Identity in New Mexico" by Moises Gonzales and Enrique R. Lamadrid.

It was then he realized that he is from Genízaro blood.

For his senior thesis, he wrote about his grandmother's life in Questa.

"I learned the word and felt the connection," he says. "I consider myself an Indigenous New Mexican. I say that because I wasn't raised on the reservation or identify with a pueblo."

During the pandemic, Medina Cook started his journey with the film — traveling across the state to get interviews and capture stories.

"It was just me and my camera," Medina Cook says. "Most of the interviews didn't take place because of COVID. Some people didn't feel comfortable doing interviews at the time."

On the road

Medina Cook traveled to Taos, Questa, Abiquiú, Carnuel, Belen, Las Trampas, Tomé and more to capture these stories.

Martinez has roots in Abiquiú on both his mother's and father's side.

"On my mother's side, I have a Juan Espinosa who marries Rosalia Saiz," Martinez says. "Rosalia has roots in Mexico and Spain and she marries Juan, who is Indio. That's the story of New Mexico right there. Women with roots in Mexico and Spain marrying a Native people and mixing the bloodlines."

Martinez says people can get nervous and anxious about talking about our past.

"Native American past doesn't negate our Hispanic past," Martinez says. "It enhances them. Our roots run deep and add plenty of flavor to who we are today."

Medina Cook hopes that audiences will not only find a connection but start a conversation regarding Genízaros.

"The key to meaningful storytelling is to remember who you are, where you come from, and to honor the gifts the creator has given in order to inspire and shape the collective human experience in a positive and profound manner," Medina Cook says.