El Noroeste: Latine Communities of Washington, Past & Present

Years ago, I remember flipping through my daughter’s history book. Like all fourth graders in Washington, she was learning about the history of our state and its peoples. Having been a social studies teacher myself I was curious what I would find. But, it was what I didn’t find that struck me. Our community – the Latino community – was almost completely absent from the framing of our state’s history. I felt a sense of disconnect as I recalled the notable contributions that were nowhere to be found.

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As a parent, an educator and musical artist, this omission sat with me for over a decade. Now, thanks to a partnership between the ensemble I’m part of - Trío Guadalevín – and the Washington State Parks Folk & Traditional Arts Program, we are thrilled to offer a collection of songs, videos and concerts that fill the gap.

With a network of arts, culture, history and grassroots partners around the state, the trio and park staff have teamed up to conduct historical research and create original music and videos which tell the 200+ year history of Latinos in what is now Washington State:

 

El Noroeste A Musical Portrait of Washington's Latine Communities Past & Present

 

Over the past several years, we (Antonio Gómez, Abel Rocha, and Gus Denhard of Trío Guadalevín) worked in studio and on location around the state – to serve all Washingtonians with a more complete picture of our shared history. As an ensemble, our goal is to explore historical intersections through music. We each bring a different skillset: Abel Rocha is a gifted folklorist originally from Mexico City, steeped in traditional Latin American styles. Gus Denhard specializes in early music with an interest in the baroque and the many instruments of the guitar and lute family. Antonio Gómez is a percussionist and educator on a quest to trace the dots between cultures.

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We are honored to share these songs and videos widely. Each of the three songs connects to the larger story of Latinos in what is now Washington state. As we studied historical sources, wrote lyrics, composed melodies, selected locations to record video footage, and chose archival photos and maps, we sought to uplift lesser-known chapters of latinidad in Washington. To share the inspiration and musical influences that guided us, we’ve written a bit more about each of the three songs.

 

Día en Diah

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Long before this region became a state, the Makah Nation were already the stewards of the lands and seas where the far end of the Olympic Peninsula meets the Pacific Ocean. In the 1700s several outside influences converged with great interest in the region that they sometimes referred to as New Albion. Even as the hope of a Northwest Passage faded, Spain, Britain and the newly formed U.S. vied for influence in the region. The Northwest coast was not unknown to massive Spanish sailing ships called naos de china which ferried trade between Manila and Acapulco. On the return from the Philippines, they would catch currents across the North Pacific then follow the coastline south. Indeed, the Spanish continued to claim this region as the northernmost reaches of its New World territories, though settlements reached only as far as northern California. Until 1792, when an expedition left the coast of Narayit (now western Mexico) and established the first permanent non-native settlement in what would become Washington State. They arrived to Neah Bay, which was the longtime home of the Makah people, and built a settlement called Nuñez-Gaona. While it did not last as long as anticipated, it symbolized the first sustained interactions between the Makah and outsiders – and forever change life on the Salish Sea. Remnants of the Spanish presence echo in place names like the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Port (Puerto) Angeles and the San Juan Islands.

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As we studied 234-year-old sketches of the encounter, we wondered what it would have been like as Chief Tetaku, the head of the ancient whaling culture of the Makah, managed the encroachment of the Spanish. We contemplated what it would have been like for a crew of mestizos and Nayarit Indians led by Spanish officers into the land of another native people.

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We chose to address this historical chapter with a song – not to celebrate this difficult moment – but to acknowledge that it happened, and to honor elders past and present. Musically, Gus suggested we work from a transcribed melody of a “canarios” by Gaspar Sanz (1640 – 1710). The canarios itself is an embodiment of musical ideas carried across seas with influences from the various cultures that touch it. The baroque guitar, an ancestor of the modern guitar, carries the melody. To reference the various peoples that are part of this story, we added Mexican and Indigenous strings and percussion, from the quinta huapanguera to frame drums and rainsticks. Central to the story is the place itself, represented by ocean drum and bird calls. The title means “Day in Neah” (Diah is an old spelling of Neah). The music video honors the majesty of the Olympic Peninsula. It was filmed at Fort Worden State Park, Salt Creek, and with the permission of the Makah Tribe at Neah Bay and Cape Flattery.

 

La Pizca del Oeste

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For many, Washington is synonymous with the bounty of its fields and orchards. From apples to cherries, stone fruits, asparagus, potatoes and hops. But, neither the flavors nor the economic vitality they bring us would be possible without the hands that harvest the bountiful crops. Immigrant and migrant Latinos have played a major role in the sustenance and growth of Washington’s agricultural economy. During the 1940s, Mexican braceros helped sustain the agricultural industries of central Washington. Successive waves of Mexican and Tejano laborers provided the muscle to harvest countless crops as Washington became a major stop on the migrant trail. A circuit of place and time that followed crops from Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, to Montana and Idaho, California and Oregon, and Washington. As the community grew, Mexican Americans would constitute more and more of the population in Central and Eastern Washington, but often with discrepancies in political and economic power. Culturally, ties were established with Texas through music and migration as well as internationally. For example, Yakima is home to a large community from Michoacan and is now a sister city with Morelia.

 

This song honors the story of the farmworkers that migrated to the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys, to Mount Vernon, and to agricultural areas throughout Washington to contribute to the economic wellbeing of the state, often sharing little in the plentiful bounty. While our state’s agricultural economy has ascended to become a major player in global trade across continents, we must acknowledge those who have done the hardest of this work. To this day, these workers endure hardships – both physical and social – not befitting of people who put food on our tables.

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To us, farmworkers are the heroes of an epic tale that involves physical endurance, economic difficulty, social injustices and more. As befitting to the heroes they are, we chose the musical form of a corrido. The corrido is reserved for telling epic deeds and cautionary tales. It is also associated with the Mexican north and the American Southwest (which was part of Mexico until 1848 and continues to be culturally connected). Corridos are synonymous with the same culture that birthed Americans cowboys from the template of Mexican vaqueros. The oldest documented corrido in the U.S. is the Balada de Kiansis, told by cowhands running herds from Texas to Kansas. While the topics of a corrido are larger than life, the musical structure is simple, optimized for life on the road or trail. Ours starts out simply with a lone voice and guitar, eventually joined by vihuela, brass and percussion. Sifting through the piles of historical sources Tony piled on him, Abel wrote the lyrics with bittersweet reverence. We were privileged to enjoy the participation of La Cantina, a Yakima-based trio of women including Sandra Aguilar, Gema Aguilar Nunez and Stephanie Hsu. Sandra and Gema worked the fields themselves as children when first arriving to the Yakima Valley. We filmed the video at two state parks, Gingko Petrified Forest State Park and Yakima Sportsman State Park as well as in the fields and orchards of Toppenish, Wapato and Mattawa. The Hunter family, including Dr. Yesenia Navarrete who also grew up doing migrant labor also joined us and La Cantina for concerts and filming.

 

Presente Estoy

 

“I am here”. The last piece addresses the 21st century challenges and promises of Latine communities in Washington. We live in and contribute to the economic and social well-being of every county in the state. In some counties of Central and Eastern Washington Latinos comprise the majority of residents. While our percentages are lower on the Westside, our raw numbers are larger. Latino Washingtonians today are a vibrant mosaic of cultures, races and languages. The historic Mexican population has been joined by others with heritage from Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Panama, Argentina and beyond. In our midst are Afro-Caribbeans, Japanese Peruvians, indigenous Purépecha from Michoacán and Zapotec from Oaxaca, Afro-Honduran Garifuna and many more. Despite its contributions, this community continues to face discrepancies in education, employment, housing, and health. The population also endures persistent stereotypes, enflamed by an increase in dehumanizing anti-immigrant and anti-Latino rhetoric in popular media.

 

Yet, we are still here. Estamos presentes! This anthemic song centers on the dignity of peoples whose stories connect hard work, family, cultural tradition and social innovation. The lyrics tell of work in construction and classrooms, kitchens and crop fields, hospitals and homes. In the music video, you will see many facets of our community, from various community leaders to important organizations like El Centro de la Raza, Sea Mar Health Centers, Movimiento Afrolatino Seattle, Latinx Unidos del South Sound, Seattle Fandango Project, Somos Mujeres Latinas, Mt. Vernon High School Mariachi, Bailadores de Bronce, Caña Dulce, Orquesta Northwest and others. You’ll also see important events like Fiestas Patrias, Guelaguetza and Festival Herencia Latina. Musically, you will hear the widening diversity of Latin American heritage in the Northwest as the song starts in an Andean style and then opens up into a danceable cumbia. It dips into an Afro-Cuban son with guest artist Sandra Aguilar rapping over the top, before heading to Colombia and settling into the driving bass of reggaetón. At one point, Abel’s Mexican requinto enters a conversation with its ancestor, the middle eastern oud, while Antonio’s percussion combines instruments and rhythms that reflect the blend of Indigenous, African and European heritage of Latin America. Like the community itself, the music reflects a complex tapestry of stories.

 

What a privilege and responsibility it is to tell and listen to each other’s stories and songs. In them we find each other’s humanity. And music is so moving because it can simultaneously hold our similarities and differences.  But, when our stories and songs are withheld or omitted we can slip too easily into erasing or misrepresenting each other – or worse, begin to dehumanize one another.

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Music, like food, is to be shared! It is a powerful teacher that helps us learn about each other and ourselves. We look forward to sharing these songs and videos with all our fellow Washingtonians and beyond. In addition to watching the music videos on YouTube you can listen anytime on major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon. This summer we’re also taking the program to communities around the state with live concerts in beautiful Washington State Parks. In the future, we hope to use this collection to spark learning in K12 schools and meaningful civic conversations in our communities.

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Washington’s peoples and places have so many stories to tell and it is a joy for us to contribute to sharing them. When we give and receive music, we share and receive a little bit of our hearts. Enjoy!

 

-Antonio M. Gómez with Abel Rocha and Gus Denhard

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Credits, Acknowledgements and Appreciations

Audio Production:

Tom Stiles, Audio Engineer; Recorded, mixed and mastered at Jack Straw Cultural Center

Guest Vocals on La Pizca del Oeste and Presente Estoy:

La Cantina (Sandra Aguilar, Gema Aguilar Nunez, Stephanie Hsu)

 

Video Production:

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Latino Northwest Communications

Martha Sanchez: Producer

Mario Zavaleta: Videographer

Mauricio Téllez: Drone Pilot

Monserrat Domínguez, Production Support

 

Scribe Studios

Markdavin Obenza, Videographer

Willimark Obenza, Drone Pilot

 

Graphic Design: Diego Gómez

 

Washington State Parks staff, including:

Makaela Kroin, Kuen Kuen Spichiger, Carmen Lorena Medina Dirksen, Mark Alvarez, Brian Hageman, John Ernster, Meryl Lassen, Emily Jacobs, Sarah Fronk

 

Funders

Washington State Parks, Folk and Traditional Arts Program

National Endowment for the Arts

Washington State Parks Specialty License Plate Fund

Jack Straw Artist Support Program

City of Tacoma Office of Arts & Cultural Vitality

Trío Guadalevín

 

Special Thanks

 

For Día en Diah:

• The Makah Tribe

• The Makah Tribal Council

• Patty Manuel, General Secretary

• Rose Taylor, Sr. Executive Assistant

• Rosella Johnson, Tribal Secretary

• Janine Ledford, Executive Director, Makah Cultural and Research Center

• Sr. Luis Fernando Esteban Bernáldez, Honorary Consul of Spain in Washington

• Sr. Antonio Sánchez, Cultural Consultant & Historian

• Ministerio de Cultura, España

• Catálogo Digital de Museos de España

• Ana Mª Palacio Sánchez, Departamento de Documentación

 

For La Pizca del Oeste:

• Sergio Marquez, Marquez Farms, Wapato

• Flor Alarcón Avendaño, Florecita’s Orchard, Mattawa

• Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park

• Yakima Sportsman State Park

• Irwin Nash Migrant Labor Collection, Washington State University

• La Familia Hunter

• Jacinto Nunez & Gema Aguilar Nunez

 

For Presente Estoy:

• The Sea Mar Museum of Chicano/a/Latino/a Culture

• El Centro de la Raza

• Seattle Fandango Project

• La Familia Hunter

• Movimiento Afrolatino Seattle (MÁS)

• Simposio de Somos Mujeres Latinas

• Yakima Sportsman State Park

• Latinx Unidos del South Sound

• Tacoma Arts Live

• Orquesta Northwest

• Bailadores de Bronce

• Mariachi de Mt. Vernon High School

• Consulado de México en Seattle

• Town Hall Seattle

• Karina San Juan, Gabriela Davidson-Gómez, Al Hymas

• Numerous community members and leaders who participated

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​Project Mascots: Mabel, Lolo & Kiko