9 TikTokers Who Are Shining a Light on the Indigenous Culture
Indigenous content creators are taking over TikTok to raise awareness about issues affecting their communities and culture
Photo: Unsplash/ Drop the Label Movement
Indigenous content creators are taking over TikTok to raise awareness about issues affecting their communities and culture. They are sharing their own personal journeys with their Indigenous identities and cultural history with the world. Creators like Juan Guerreo Maya showcase traditional and sacred clothing while accounts like Jacob Ponce educate followers on Indigenous diets. Read on to learn more about Indigenous culture through these 9 Indigenous content creators dominating TikTok for good reason. If you’re not following them yet, you should be.
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Juan Guerreo Maya
https://www.tiktok.com/@juan.the.mochilero/video/6917668386071694598?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&q=juan.the.mochilero&t=1637603878718
Video: TikTok/@juan.the.mochilero
Juan Guerreo Maya is proudly representing the people of Mexico through his social media channels. He uses his voice to create videos representing Indigenous people and culture including one praising Indigenous beauty as a life lesson for his young daughter. His goal is to help others connect with their native roots and believes that his ancestors are proudly watching him.
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Coyotl
https://www.tiktok.com/@desertndn/video/6923248184898735366?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Video: TikTok/@desertndn
You may have seen Coyotl in the recent Holiday Campaign by Ralph Lauren but he’s using his own platform to raise awareness of Indigenous culture 24/7. Coyotl fights for both Indigenous and environmental rights including a post he recently shared where he wrote: “We must acknowledge and respect the peoples who have taken care of this land (our mother) the recognition is a sign of respect in a society that is continually losing its sense of balance.”
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Conejita Baby
https://www.tiktok.com/@kikix2004/video/6972742792934149382?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Video: TikTok/@kikix2004
Conejita Baby comes from a mixed background and she’s proud of both her roots. Her father is from Mexico (Aztec) and her mother is Puerto Rican and she recently posted a video talking about her heritage and how she’s grateful she is that her family survived the Indigenous genocide.
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Miahuatl
@miahuatl Answer to @mmamixtr links for the articles in the comment section! #nahua #mexica #aztec #spirituality #books #booktok #nativetiktok #fypシ
Video: TikTok/@miahuatl
Miahuatl is Tenochtitlan and her TikTok is full of videos for resources, spirituality, language, plants and nature, and animals. She is currently supporting a fundraiser by Semillas Collective in which clinics are being built in the Indigenous autonomous community of Azqueltan to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Lucy Gutierrez
@luciaecheri cultura en tu vida y en tu ropa. #tiktokfashionmonth #fashiontiktok #slowfashion #nativetiktok #indigenous #purepecha
Video: TikTok/@luciaecheri
Lucy Gutierrez is an Indigenous healer and biochemical engineer who uses her platform to share Indigenous, Mexican, and Purépecha culture. She posts videos about foods that her ancestors used to heal, recipes that provide tremendous health benefits, and guides on Purepecha fashion.
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Jacob Ponce
@jacobponce_ #mexica #aztec #chicano #chicana #native #indigenous #mexicano #mexican #indigenous #xicano #nativeamerican #mexico #nahuatl
Video: TikTok/@pwnsay1111
Jacob Ponce touches on Indigenous diets. In one video he actually makes something by using tlaxcalli (tortilla), etl (beans), and aguacatl (avocado) to show that that we have been eating Indigenous foods for a long time.
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Kolotl Yaocihuatl
https://www.tiktok.com/@kolotl_yaocihuatl/video/7023528194171030789?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Video: TikTok/@kolotl_yaocihuatl
Kolotl Yaocihuatl is reclaiming the power and identity of the Indigenous people and healing and decolonizing through her artistry. She creates these beautiful looks with makeup and war paint. Kolotl says that art and creating these looks are her medicine. She recently hosted a tutorial on Tlacuilo-artistic makeup to celebrate Indigeneity.
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Kuiahuitl
https://www.tiktok.com/@kuiahuitl/video/7030145911799975174?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Video: TikTok/@kuiahuitl
Kuiahuitl uses his platform to educate with videos like “word of the day“, translating the word in both English and Spanish. For example, one of the words was “Nemiliztli” which means “life”.
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Quetzalitztli
https://www.tiktok.com/@xicana.artist/video/7000803964237221125?lang=en&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
Video: TikTok/@xicana.artist
Quetzalitztli lives on Ohlane land and is proud to walk in the footsteps of her ancestors. She uses her platform to heal, decolonize, end generational trauma, and educate future generations. She has various videos that share the process of her healing journey and raises awareness of relevant issues including the trafficking of Indigenous women and the Indigenous movement within the climate crisi.
