TY  - GEN
AB  - Gripped by painful memories of the civil war in Chiapas, Mexico, twenty-four women members of a Tzotzil family cooperative gather for a festival to display their work in order to market it. Income from the work of these women is essential to the maintenance of their families. Musicians led by a rezador (prayer maker), accompany them to a "safe place" in town. The prayer, the music and the weavings intertwine in homage to Mayan traditions and to those who have suffered and died resisting oppression. A year ago, 45 members of a progressive Catholic group known as Las Abejas ("The Bees") were brutally murdered in Acteal by a government paramilitary organization. The husband of one of the weavers, a leader of the Abejas, explains the purpose of his nonviolent organization and of its solidarity with the social programs of the Zapatistas. The leader of the weavers group, who also works with women in a Zapitista support base, describes women's suffering under military occupation. And finally, we hear a firsthand account of the massacre by one who survived. Here is a film that gives a close and moving portrait of the people most affected by the "low intensity war" which to this day has not been responsibly addressed by the federal government. The oppression continues, tacitly supported by global intentions to exploit the natural resources in the area. Meanwhile, the Mayan inhabitants of the land fight poverty and disease, without a promised voice in local government. These deeply pious weavers and their kinfolk survive with charm and dignity.
AU  - Gleason, Judith.
CY  - New York, NY :
DA  - 1999.
ID  - 1356101
KW  - Weaving
KW  - Women's issues
LA  - This edition in English.
LK  - http://www.aspresolver.com/aspresolver.asp?FLON;1650427
N1  - Originally released as DVD.
N1  - Title from resource description page (viewed May 24, 2011).
N2  - Gripped by painful memories of the civil war in Chiapas, Mexico, twenty-four women members of a Tzotzil family cooperative gather for a festival to display their work in order to market it. Income from the work of these women is essential to the maintenance of their families. Musicians led by a rezador (prayer maker), accompany them to a "safe place" in town. The prayer, the music and the weavings intertwine in homage to Mayan traditions and to those who have suffered and died resisting oppression. A year ago, 45 members of a progressive Catholic group known as Las Abejas ("The Bees") were brutally murdered in Acteal by a government paramilitary organization. The husband of one of the weavers, a leader of the Abejas, explains the purpose of his nonviolent organization and of its solidarity with the social programs of the Zapatistas. The leader of the weavers group, who also works with women in a Zapitista support base, describes women's suffering under military occupation. And finally, we hear a firsthand account of the massacre by one who survived. Here is a film that gives a close and moving portrait of the people most affected by the "low intensity war" which to this day has not been responsibly addressed by the federal government. The oppression continues, tacitly supported by global intentions to exploit the natural resources in the area. Meanwhile, the Mayan inhabitants of the land fight poverty and disease, without a promised voice in local government. These deeply pious weavers and their kinfolk survive with charm and dignity.
PB  - Filmakers Library,
PP  - New York, NY :
PY  - 1999.
T1  - Chiapasprayer for the weavers /
TI  - Chiapasprayer for the weavers /
UR  - http://www.aspresolver.com/aspresolver.asp?FLON;1650427
ER  -