Date of Defense

6-17-2026

Date of Graduation

6-2026

Department

Accountancy

First Advisor

Matthew Nielsen

Second Advisor

Cari Burke Kolehmainen

Abstract

This literature and cultural study highlights the generation of children of indigenous immigrants and the relationship with their indigenous identity and culture. This unique experience is complex and encapsulates issues such as indigenous cultural survival, homogeneity, globalization, and lack of cultural identity. Exploring the Totonac community in La Chaca, Veracruz in Mexico, allows for a deeper explanation of this experience. Speakers of Totonac and other indigenous languages often migrate to countries such as the United States and carry such cultural ties with them. What happens to these ties after moving to a Western-dominated country where globalization favors English and Western culture? Do the generations that follow have access to the cultural knowledge of their ancestors? This focus on Totonac aims to highlight the global resistance of indigenous cultures in a modern world where immigration occurs so often and societal norms favor non-indigenous values and practices. The environment that created these biases is analyzed by looking into the historical definition of culture and by following the anthropological research trends on indigenous communities. This created a foundation to how future indigenous generations view their identity and interact with their culture. Resistance is alive and well for people indigenous families and families with distant ties. The opportunities to interact with such communities are much more accessible. Through digital media such as movies and music and social media such as TikTok and Facebook, the network of indigenous communities extends internationally. To conclude this study, it asks: Why is indigenous cultural survival important? Why should we care? There is a lot of value in indigenous cultures from all throughout the world. For personal identity reasons but also in environmental aspects.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

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