August 2015 PDF Edition

Transcription

News & Views
from the
S u s t ai n ab l e S o u t h w e s t
Native American Green
I ndigenous S olutions
August 2015
Northern New Mexico’s Largest Distribution Newspaper
Vol. 7 No. 8
2
Green Fire Times • August 2015
www.GreenFireTimes.com
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Call for Free Solar Advice: 505.992.3044
[email protected]•www.santafecountynm.gov
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Vol. 7, No. 8 • August 2015
Issue No. 76
Publisher
Green Fire Publishing, LLC
Skip Whitson
Associate Publisher
Barbara E. Brown
Editor-in-chief
Seth Roffman
Art Director
Anna C. Hansen, Dakini Design
Copy Editors
Stephen Klinger
Susan Clair
Webmaster: Karen Shepherd
Contributing Writers
Dave Castillo, Aliyah Chavez, Carnell Chosa,
Tracey Cordero, Scott Davis, Susan Guyette,
Alejandro López, Rita Martinez, Mara
Matteson, Harlan McKosato, Ada Pecos
Melton, David J. Melton, Trisha Moquino,
Raquel Redshirt, Seth Roffman, Delores E.
Roybal, Kenneth T. Romero, Brian Vallo,
Stephen Wall, Christian White
Contributing Photographers
Tailinh Agoyo, Anna C. Hansen, Alejandro
López, Seth Roffman, Kenneth T. Romero
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News & Views
from the
Sustainable Southwest
Winner of the Sustainable Santa Fe Award for Outstanding Educational Project
Contents
Indigenous as a Way of Life. . .. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 7
Leadership Institute at the Santa Fe Indian School . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . . 8
Summer Policy Academy: Voices of our Indigenous Youth . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 9
Tribal Infrastructure Solutions in New Mexico . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 12
Red Power 3.0. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 13
Update: The Santo Domingo Heritage Trail Arts Project . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 15
Everyday Green: Paths of Beauty – An Exhibit at the Poeh Center. . .. . .. . .. . 17
Keres Children’s Learning Center at Cochiti Pueblo . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 18
The Cochiti Youth Experience: Project Laughing Corn . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . 19
The Chamiza Foundation . . .. . . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 20
Nambé Pueblo Receives Community Agriculture Grant . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .21
A ‘People’s Garden’ at Zuni Pueblo. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .21
The Journey of Becoming a Man. . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 22
Tribal Green Reentry Youth Programs Incorporate Culture . . .. . .. . .. . .. . 22
Homemade Solar Ovens in Navajo Country . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . ..24
Navajo Newsbites. . .. . .. . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 24
The Warrior Project . . .. . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 31
Native Newsbites . . .. . .. . .. .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 7, 16, 19, 20, 21, 23, 28
Newsbites . . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 31, 37
What’s Going On:. . .. . .. . ... . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. . .. 38
Niki Nicholson 505.490.6265
[email protected]
Albuquerque: Shelley Shilvock 505-492-5869,
[email protected]
Distribution
Barbara Brown, Susan Clair, Co-op Dist. Services,
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(Creative Couriers), Daniel Rapatz, Tony Rapatz,
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Circulation: 30,000 copies
Printed locally with 100% soy ink on
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Green Fire Times
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P.O. Box 5588, SF, NM 87502-5588
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© 2015 Green Fire Publishing, LLC
Green Fire Times provides useful information for
community members, business people, students and
visitors—anyone interested in discovering the wealth
of opportunities and resources in the Southwest. In
support of a more sustainable planet, topics covered
range from green businesses, jobs, products, services,
entrepreneurship, investing, design, building and
energy—to native perspectives on history, arts &
culture, ecotourism, education, sustainable agriculture,
regional cuisine, water issues and the healing arts. To
our publisher, a more sustainable planet also means
maximizing environmental as well as personal health
by minimizing consumption of meat and alcohol.
Green Fire Times is widely distributed throughout
north-central New Mexico. Feedback, announcements,
event listings, advertising and article submissions to be
considered for publication are welcome.
Some of the 2015 Project Hii Hii’ Kah (Laughing Corn) mentors and mentees at Cochiti Youth Experience’s
tool distribution at the beginning of the season. (See story, pg. 19) © Jayson Romero
COVER: D
ragonfly Altar, gouache on paper, 1991. Painting by Douglas Johnson
5
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Indigenous as a Way of Life
Stephen Wall
“I think that when we talk about re-indigenization
we need a much larger, bigger umbrella to understand it.
It’s not necessarily about the Indigenous people of a specific place;
it’s about re-indigenizing the peoples of the planet to the planet.”
– John Mohawk, Original Instructions
pg. 259. (Emphasis in original article)
The Jemez River near Zia Pueblo, New Mexico
Defining “Indigenous”
T
he word indigenous is defined as “originating in and characteristic of a particular
region or country” (Dictionary.com). While this definition applies to almost anything,
in today’s world the word indigenous is often used to describe a people; that is, the people
who originally lived and still live in a particular region or area and who have had to adjust
to outsiders coming into their land. In today’s world, with a history of colonialism and
economic migration, indigenous has political and cultural overtones. However, this article is
not about the rights of indigenous people vis-à-vis colonial powers and settler communities.
This article is based on the above-stated sentiments of John Mohawk, a Seneca scholar, and
the need for humans to see themselves as indigenous to planet Earth.
and Hispanic—and set the stage for the changes we saw in the 20th century. Policies and
programs set in Washington, D.C., over 2,000 miles away, took land-use prerogatives away
from the indigenous people. Resource extraction and development were designed for the
benefit of outside investors rather than those who lived on and drew sustenance from the
land. The population of New Mexico grew from 360,000 in 1920 to a bit more than two
million today. While a small portion of that population growth is the natural growth of
the indigenous populations, most have been newcomers, spurred on to New Mexico by the
growth of the defense industry and other business opportunities. These newcomers brought
land-use ideas, water-use practices and environmental ethics that are not born of this land
and not part of the reciprocal relationship with the Río Grande Valley.
We become more indigenized as we understand
the land, sky and other natural phenomena as
metaphor within our lives and psyches.
© Seth Roffman (2)
Thus, indigeneity in New Mexico is not defined solely through a racial or ethnic lens but is
based on the practices and ethics that flow from the land itself and ensure the sustainability
of life. Those who act in a manner attuned to that flow might be considered indigenous.
Neither those who see this place as a way station on the road to bigger and better things
nor those who place the creation of personal wealth at the expense of community and future
generations will have the insight and perception to interact with the land in a manner that
generates indigeneity.
John Mohawk interviewed Hopi elders David Monongye (next to cane) and Nelson H. in
Hotevilla, Arizona. Interpreter Thomas Banyacya, sitting between them, translated. 1983.
For the purpose of this article, the particular region or area in focus is the Río Grande
Valley, including the watersheds and tributaries that contribute to the Río Grande. This
would include Río Abajo (below La Bajada), Río Arriba (above La Bajada), the San Luís
Valley, ríos Jémez, Puerco, Galisteo and Chama, and the creeks and canyons that make up
the headwaters of all these rivers. Ecologically, the Río Grande Valley contains much of the
same animal and plant life found in surrounding bioregions, such as west to the Colorado
Plateau or east towards the Llano Estacado. However, the presence of the Río Grande riparian
environment provides some plant and animal diversity and food security.
For the past several hundred years, the indigenous peoples of the Río Grande Valley included
the Pueblo, Navajo, Apache and Utes. These people came to the Río Grande Valley for similar
reasons that bring people today: economic forces, changing weather conditions and the search
for a safer, more secure place to live. These peoples brought with them an ethic that recognized
the reciprocity and relationship necessary for sustainable living within the ecosystem.
The arrival of Juan de Oñate, in the late 1500s, brought new animals and a new people to the
Río Grande Valley, and over the next 400 years those people indigenized into the rhythms
and spirituality of the land. Generations of Hispanic settlers have grown to be a part of the
land because they understood that the Earth was the Mother that provided food, clothing,
shelter and all that they needed.
However, change came to the Río Grande Valley. The 20 century brought dramatic
transformations for the people and the land. Americans came after 1848 in search of wealth
and fortune. They changed the traditional land-use patterns of the indigenous people—Indian
th
A Short History of Deindigenizing
Regardless of ancient astronaut theories, humans are indigenous to planet Earth and have,
over thousands of years, developed ways of life that existed in relative balance with the
places of their habitation. While examples of overuse of resources, forced migrations and
population die-offs exist, when we consider the extent of human habitation, these occurrences,
continued on page 26
First Nations L.E.A.D. Institute Conference
santa fe, nm • sept. 22–24
For 35 years, First Nations Development Institute has
worked with Native nations and organizations to strengthen
American Indian economies and support healthy Native
communities. As an extension of that mission, First Nations’
L.E.A.D. conference is designed to help emerging and
existing leaders in Indian Country grow professionally, share
ideas and learn new asset-building skills.
The 20th annual L.E.A.D. conference will be held at the Hilton Buffalo Thunder Resort,
near Santa Fe, Sept. 22 - 24. It is geared for Native American nonprofit professionals,
Native Americans interested in launching or expanding nonprofit or philanthropic
organizations, tribal leaders and those in tribal organizations, tribal economicdevelopment professionals and those interested in Native American food sovereignty.
Attendance at the event is required for many of First Nations’ grantees, but a limited
number of seats are open to the general public.
This year’s conference will include three training tracks: Empowering Native Youth
through Asset-Building, Strengthening Tribal and Community Institutions,
and Nourishing Native Foods and Health. Conference registration fee is $475.
Registration, conference logistics and agenda and opportunities for sponsors and
vendors can be found at www.FirstNations.org/2015LEAD
7
Leadership Institute at the
Santa Fe Indian School
T
he Leadership Institute at the
Santa Fe Indian School (LI) was
established in 1997 to create opportunities
for discourse on a wide range of public
policy and tribal community issues
that were challenging the vitality and
spirit of New Mexico’s tribal nations.
Through 15 programs designed and
implemented by LI cofounders Regis
Pecos, Carnell Chosa and staff, the LI
uses a Pueblo community core valuesbased lens to strengthen four themes that
run throughout the institute’s programs:
community service, leadership, public
policy and critical thinking.
issues from diverse perspectives; and
the Summer Policy Academy, a Pueblo
youth summer intensive that introduces
the youth to tribal, state, national and
international policy issues and requires
them to implement community service
projects in their respective communities.
Community Institute participants serve
as faculty to the Summer Policy Academy
and mentor its students.The two projects
have served more than 4,000 participants,
including 200 Summer Policy Academy
graduates.
One of the more recent programs the LI
conceived is the Pueblo Indian Doctoral
From the beginning, two programs
Cohort. In 2012, through support
have provided a foundation for the
from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation,
LI: Community Institutes, a convener
the LI partnered with Arizona
think tank designed to bring community
State University’s School of Social
members together to address pressing
Transformation to design and implement
a doctoral training program
focused on the LI’s work in
Pueblo communities. Ten
inaugural cohort members,
each with more than 15
years of professional work
experience, graduated in
May 2015.Cohort members
included attorneys,
educators, nonprofit leaders,
health professionals and
business leaders. The
curriculum design allowed
L-R: June Lorenzo, Richard Luarkie, Anthony Dorame, each student to explore and
Carnell Chosa, Michele Suina, Shawn Abeita, Ken research the intersections
Lucero, Corrine Sanchez, Jose Vince Lujan, Mark Ericson
© Seth Roffman
Carnell Chosa
2015 Summer Policy Academy students participating in a unit on advocacy
with PNM’s Cathy Newby
of their academic interests, professional
careers, Indigenous Knowledge Systems
(IKS), and justice, as they related to 10
critical issue areas related to Pueblos,
identified by LI participants over the
course of 15 years.
The institute’s four
themes: community
service, leadership,
public policy and
critical thinking
What made the Pueblo Indian Doctoral
Cohort successful was the special
attention to design and delivery. All
scholars remained in New Mexico and
maintained their professional careers
during their course of study. Courses were
delivered in four ways: students traveling
to Tempe, professors traveling to New
Mexico, video conferencing and course
travel modules in which the cohort took
classes with other indigenous doctoral
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students throughout the world, including
the Saami in Norway and the Maori in
New Zealand.
Another innovative element to the
program was the dissertation. It was
designed so that each individual’s
dissertation served to contribute to
collective products in the form of a
Pueblo Doctoral Cohort book, edited
by project principals, Drs. Bryan Brayboy
and Elizabeth Sumida Huaman, and an
article in a special edition of the Journal
of American Indian Education, edited
by Drs. Terri McCarty and Tsianina
Lomawaima. The final piece to the
dissertation required development of
a policy position paper focused on
each scholar’s area of research. Each of
these policy papers is currently being
implemented.
“Our people’s contributions in the areas
of science, architecture and philosophy
have kept our communities strong for
many generations. This opportunity
provided each of us to contribute another
layer in maintaining and building upon
the Pueblo way of life,” said Dr. Corrine
Sanchez, executive director of Tewa
Women United.
Eurocentric academic research in
indigenous communities has often had
destructive effects. The graduates were
motivated in part by the belief that
research conducted by Native American
scholars in their homelands will likely be
more ethical and culturally responsive.
A second cohort of doctoral and masters
students will begin in late fall 2015. i
Carnell Chosa, Ph.D.
( Jemez Pueblo) is codirector of the Leadership
Institute at Santa Fe
Indian School. CTChosa@
sfis.k12.nm.us
Summer Policy Academy
Voices of our Indigenous Youth
The SPA gave me a new outlook and
perspective on policies and brought
multiple indigenous representatives
together, giving me a sense of how many
of us have similarities in government
and in the traditional ways of life.
– Tyrell Westika (Zuni Pueblo,
SPA Fellow)
My experience at SPA was great! It helped
me broaden my mind and gain knowledge
I can use to help my community. It was also
fun meeting new people and learning why
they were here. – Sunny Rose Eaton
(Tesuque Pueblo, SPA Fellow)
There has been a lot said about the
sacredness of our land, which is our body;
and the values of our culture, which is our
soul; but water is the blood of our tribes,
and if its life-giving flow is stopped or
it is polluted, all else will die, and the
many thousands of years of our communal
existence will come to an end. – Frank
Tenorio (San Felipe Pueblo), 1978
T
yrell Westika and SunnyRose
Eaton are two of the 17
exceptional student fellows who have
positioned themselves as young tribal
leaders at the Santa Fe Indian School’s
2015 Summer Policy Academy (SPA).
These individuals originate from the
19 pueblos of New Mexico and other
Southwest tribes. Together, they are
learning about policy and how it
affects them on personal, family and
community levels.
New Mexico
pueblos rely on
their governmental
administrations,
along with traditional
leadership.
Their goal is to explore the many ways
they can contribute and help their
native communities. Although most are
still just completing high school, they
have been discussing issues that concern
tribal governments today, such as
blood quantum, land and water rights,
cultural preservation, environmental
protection and language loss. Another
fellow, Eddie Humetewa, a SFIS senior,
quoted his grandfather, Frank Tenorio,
in a discussion about environmental
sustainability. His concerns about the
environment motivate his research for
his Senior Honors Project. Drawing on
their own knowledge and upbringing,
tough issues are never left off the
table and, in fact, are dissected to
understand underlying causes such as
discrimination and historical trauma.
The Leadership Institute (LI) hosts
the SPA every year, along with several
other institutes, to focus and guide the
development of potential tribal leaders
as they talk about important issues.
SPA is a three-year fellowship for
high school students to engage in the
policy-making process, shifting from
local, state and national perspectives.
Throughout the program, students
have heard from guest speakers such
as Kelly Zunie (Secretary of Indian
Affairs), Ken Lucero (tribal liaison for
Martin Heinrich), Phoebe Suina (High
Water Mark, LLC), Carmen López
(College Horizons), Mark Erickson,
Ph.D. (SFIS), Robert Tenorio (Kewa
potter) and many others. SPA partners
with organizations such as the Native
American Voting Alliance (NAVA),
Tewa Women United, IMPACT
Personal Safety, American Indian Law
Center (AILC) and the University
of New Mexico’s Center for Native
American Health. These partnerships
allow the fellows to travel to experience
different learning environments. They
have also visited the state capitol,
Taos and the Indian Pueblo Cultural
Center in Albuquerque. The activities
and workshops have uniquely touched
upon the LI’s issue areas of governance,
law, health, art, economy, language
and education, as represented within
Pueblo communities.
The fellows are immersed in discourse
around what constitutes policy, what
kinds there are, and effective ways policy
can be changed. Regis Pecos, codirector
of the LI, has shared his knowledge
and incorporated “The 100 Years of
Federal Indian Policy” in his teaching.
This history has provided the backbone
for the program, with such topics as the
Pueblo Revolt, treaty-making, Indian
© Dr. Corrine Sanchez
Christian White
2015 Summer Policy Academy students at the New Mexico State Capitol
removal, the Reservation Period, Indian
Reorganization, and self-determination.
Although it is initially not a welcoming
history for young student fellows to
be introduced to, Pecos focuses on the
strengths of the surviving communities.
Even though federal and state agencies
have made great efforts to eliminate
Native peoples, the fact that Native
communities still exist and thrive
reflects their fortitude. Throughout
Pecos’s presentations, he emphasizes
Native people’s history of cultivating
young tribal leaders, such as the fellows.
This reinforces the necessity for wellinformed tribal youth and their potential
for contributing to their communities.
For Native people, leadership is pivotal
to their community’s survival. The
New Mexico pueblos rely on their
governmental administrations, along
with traditional leadership, to maintain a
balance between external political factors
and the need to preserve the cultures
passed down from their ancestors since
time immemorial.
At the end of the SPA program, each
student works on a community-based
project that allows him or her to put
newly found knowledge into practice.
Students have worked on creating
programs, researching Native history,
building parks and bridging gaps in
their communities. Each fellow chooses
a challenge within his or her community
and creates a project to raise awareness
or help fix issues such as language loss,
drug abuse, water and land issues, just
to name just a few.
Caitlyn Tafoya, who currently lives in
Albuquerque, wanted to learn more
about her language and her community,
so she lived with her family in Taos,
made a video of her experiences and
presented it to an audience of more
than 300 community members. Tafoya
describes the project as, “one of the
most intense two weeks…I learned a lot
about my community and also myself.
It was fun and definitely one of my best
experiences.”
A three-year fellowship
for high school students
to engage in the policymaking process
With the completion of the student
fellows’ projects, the students received
certificates and a gift of a laptop for their
dedication. It was another successful
year for the SPA. The graduating
students now move on to SPA II, where
they will travel to Washington, D.C., to
propose bills to U.S. senators. Having
graduated more than 200 fellows,
the SPA is approaching its 10-year
anniversary. Through its longevity, the
SPA and the LI have demonstrated their
importance to the Native communities
of New Mexico. i
Christian White is currently an intern at the
Leadership Institute at SFIS. He graduated
from Columbia
University this
spring with a
double major
in political
science and in
race and ethnic
studies. White
cofounded a
nonprofit organization called AlterNATIVE
Education and is active in social-justice issues.
He will be attending UNM in the fall to
pursue his master’s degree.
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Taos, New Mexico
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Tribal Infrastructure
Solutions in New Mexico
Harlan McKosato
S
ome of the poorer tribal communities in New Mexico have been compared
to Third World countries because of their economic struggles and their lack
of modern water and energy systems. Most of the state’s Pueblo villages, Navajo
chapter houses and Apache tribal communities are isolated and have little or no
access to the already poor infrastructure in the Land of Enchantment.
A decade into the 21st century, the White Rock chapter of the Navajo Nation in
the western part of the state was in desperate need of basic electrical power lines.
The Pueblo of Santa Clara in northern New Mexico still had no running water
and no reliable water supply. Zia Pueblo had never had indoor plumbing because
it had no wastewater treatment facilities.
“Each tribe or pueblo in New Mexico is at a different level of progress in terms
of economic development and community development,” said Kelly Zunie, a
member of the Pueblo of Zuni and secretary of the New Mexico Indian Affairs
Department. “Some are still trying to get the basics—water and power.”
Poorer tribal communities in New Mexico have
been compared to Third World countries.
In response to these poor living conditions and after much collaboration with
tribal leaders, in 2005, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson signed into law
the Tribal Infrastructure Act. The law requires that the state allocate 5 percent of
its estimated oil and gas severance tax—from $9 million to $16 million dollars
annually—for use by the Tribal Infrastructure Fund (TIF) to award qualified
critical tribal infrastructure projects.
Tribes are eligible to apply in three areas: planning, design and construction. This
year’s TIF cycle awarded $12.3 million to 25 different tribal communities. Since its
inception, TIF has awarded more than $83 million to tribal infrastructure projects
across the state. The TIF is overseen by the Tribal Infrastructure Board, which
evaluates and decides on the awardees, and both are administratively attached to
the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department.
“One of the (Navajo) chapters did not have running water,” said Zunie, the first
woman to lead the nation’s only Indian Affairs Department given state cabinet
level authority. “They were able to get TIF funding for water. The community
was so excited. Just to hear the elders so excited to have indoor plumbing —their
quality of life has improved greatly.
“I was thinking, this is America. This is like having Third World countries in
America,” said Zunie. “I think the state of New Mexico has taken that into account.
Other states don’t have this kind of funding for tribes.”
12
The Pueblo of Ohkay
Owingeh (formerly San
Juan Pueblo) has had great
success leveraging TIF
funds. It was awarded
$150,000 for planning of
a wastewater treatment
facility in 2014. This
The Navajo Nation’s To’hajiilee chapter received $2
year they were awarded million over two funding cycles (2013/2014) from New
$155,000 for design of Mexico’s TIF for its Emergency Management Field
a community wellness Office Planning/Design and Construction. The chapter
c e n t e r. D i a b e t e s h a s completed planning and design and recently broke
increased by 5 percent at ground for construction on the facility.
Ohkay Owingeh during the past five years, largely due to lack of physical exercise,
and 24 percent of the youth in the community are overweight or obese by the
time they enter high school. “We have a very high rate of childhood obesity. We have no physical education (program)
in our tribal school or our Head Start,” said Christy Mermejo, planning manager for
Ohkay Owingeh.“We just built a brand new school with tribal funds. Next to our school
there’s an old BIA building that needs to come down so we can build a gymnasium.”
This year Ohkay Owingeh also received $476,500 for construction for waterline
improvements. The waterlines in the pueblo were installed in the early 1960s. Tribal
officials explain that should the existing waterlines fail they are not repairable—
which would cause hundreds of people in the pueblo to be without water for a long
period. A reliable water-delivery system is critical to the safety of the residents.
“It will bring us safe drinking water and fire suppression. If we had a fire right now
we don’t have waterlines that have the capacity to put out a fire,” said Mermejo. “The
basic human need of water, most people don’t think about it when they live in the city.
If we don’t start replacing these lines, our members won’t even have access to water.”
“I recently met with Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye,” said Zunie, who also
serves as chair of the Tribal Infrastructure Board. “He said
the state of Arizona (where most of the Navajo Nation
is located) doesn’t have anything like this for the tribes. I
think that speaks volumes. Even with budget crunches we
still keep rolling because it helps to change lives.”
Harlan McKosato is the director of NDN Productions, a multimedia
company based in Albuquerque. He is a citizen of the Sac and Fox
Nation of Oklahoma.
Courtesy Northern Pueblos’ Housing Authority
Red Power 3.0
Dave Castillo
D
uring colonial times, Native warriors—men and women—defended and advocated
for their peoples and homelands. Although today the number of American Indians
and homelands to defend are much smaller, we are, nonetheless, visible and potent. From
the 1950s through the Civil Rights era, intrepid and inspired Native people coined the
term Red Power and fought to remind Washington, D.C., policymakers that we were
still here and that a seat at the table was an inherent right for Native peoples and Native
nations. Today, recognition of the rights of indigenous peoples informs global policy along
with popular notions of our shared obligations to the planet we all call home. The United
States has seemingly reached some zenith of technological innovation and economic
prosperity and, yet, Native nations lack access to critical public infrastructure, and many
remain the most impoverished communities, even by global standards. Today, tribal nations
are offering solutions and setting examples for tribes in the quest for equitable access to
resources needed for the health and well-being of their communities.
Native people have always adapted to their surroundings. Current-day adaptations require
modifying tools designed for poverty-stricken inner cities, not tribal communities. These
tools have been in use for at least 30 years and are a far cry from federal grant- and
entitlement programs of decades past. These tools treat public-sector grant funds as seed
capital and magnify the funds’ impact by leveraging nonfederal financing. These programs
include a broad range of tax credits and federal loan guarantees, as well as equity capital
and other investment opportunities. Native organizations and individuals responsible for
such accomplishments take pride in the projects built and say things such as, “This isn’t
your typical government project; it’s high-quality materials and construction—the same
as one might find in any off-reservation development.”
If a grandma from a stark desert landscape and
outgunned rainforest dwellers are willing to take
up arms, shouldn’t we be willing to pick up a
travel itinerary, a pen and a laptop?
Picuris Pueblo built a net-zero-energy fire station for its remote community. A
combination of grants and loans with government guarantees, as well as support from
the Southwest Native Green Loan Fund, were key elements for assembling the funds
necessary for this state-of-the-art green building.
it’s helpful to remind ourselves of the battles of the past, some of which Indian people
continue to fight.
The last armed conflict between an Indian Nation and a foreign power was in 1917 on
what is now the Crow Reservation in Montana. Yet, the potential for armed conflict
remains. Most recently, in the Southwest, disputed political boundaries imposed by the
United States have escalated conflicts between the Navajo and Hopi tribes. Not long ago,
an elderly Native American grandmother clutched a hunting rifle—in questionable shape
but in use nevertheless—to defy removal from the land of her ancestors to satisfy the
solutions arrived at by politicians. The situation remains much worse for our relatives in
other parts of the Americas. I was in Perú not a year after a confrontation between tribal
men, women, children and elders from the Amazon region, who were defying petroleum
exploration by multinational corporations in the last remaining vestiges of traditional
hunting and fishing grounds of multiple South American tribes. To quell that uprising,
For political or practical reasons, some still dismiss the idea of using private-sector
resources and debt capital to impact economically distressed communities. Although the
political argument for maintaining the federal government’s liability, owing to its Trust
responsibility and treaty obligations, is worth noting, the idea of not using such tools
because of their complexity must be dismissed. Over the almost 20 years I’ve worked
in tribal community and economic development, the difficulty associated with applying
market solutions to communities that lack formal (capitalist) market economies has been
raised many times. Elected tribal leaders, practitioners and professionals working on tribal
economic development continue to have to deal with federal, state and local issues that
make rebuilding Indian Nations a complex endeavor. These range from restrictive, federal
land-use regulations—stemming from the Trust status of reservation lands across most
of Indian Country—to blatantly hostile state governments and reluctant private-sector
financial institutions. When the battle against such obstacles seems the most daunting,
13
ICF Warehouse Inc.
(Formerly Reward Wall Systems of NM)
• NUDURA stocking distributor
• Scaffold Bracing & Ancillary products
• Same great service as always
• Phone (505) 474-4389
• Visit: ICFWarehouseNM.com
14
UPDATE: The Santo Domingo
Heritage Trail Arts Project
The First ArtPlace America/NEA Grant in Indian Country
Aliyah Chavez
S
anto Domingo Pueblo, sometimes known by its traditional name, Kewa, will,
by the spring of 2016, be home to a 1.5-mile “Kewa Art Trail” connecting
two new affordable-housing developments to the Rail Runner station. That will
allow pedestrians to safely walk to commute on the train to surrounding cities such
as Albuquerque, Bernalillo and Santa Fe for employment, education, groceries,
medical appointments, etc.
© Seth Roffman
On eight nodes along the trail, Santo Domingo Pueblo artists such as Thomas
Tenorio will showcase their work in the form of larger-than-life sculptures of
traditional jewelry and pottery. Tenorio, a potter, said, “Nobody has really done
anything like this. It’s a learning experience for me.”
Greta Armijo, Director, Santo Domingo Tribal Housing Authority
The Art Trail and the new housing developments are particularly unique,
considering that the historically conservative tribal council is known to make
decisions with little community input. However, ideas and feedback from tribal
members were included in the conceptual and design phases. One thing they
wanted was to create a way to safely access the Rail Runner.
The Art Walk is being created thanks to collaboration among the Santo
Domingo Tribal Housing Authority (SDTHA), ArtPlace America and the
National Endowment for the Arts. For the first ArtPlace America/NEA grant
in Indian Country, ArtPlace has awarded the SDTHA $478,000 for the Art
Walk’s construction. ArtPlace America seeks “to advance creative placemaking
to emphasize the importance of art and culture in a community’s well being.”
The new Domingo Housing Project has been sited in proximity to the restored
Santo Domingo Trading Post, 2.5 miles from the historic main village.
Community members were interested in a return to traditional-style housing.
Thus, buildings and landscape plans reflect historic design and planning patterns
with interconnected walking and bike trails. A large, centrally located orchard will
provide food and a gathering place for family activities. Rainfall will be carefully
captured and directed to reduce irrigation demands. Housing units of varied sizes
will be passive solar, with individual garden plots. The project includes a multipurpose indoor-outdoor space for community meetings, childcare, tutoring and
job training, as well as a community kitchen.
For more information on the trail project, visit www.
artplaceamerica.org/grantee/santo-domingo-heritage-trailarts-project or http://arts.gov/exploring-our-town/santodomingo-cultural-district
Aliyah Chavez (Santo Domingo) is an undergraduate at Stanford
University, double-majoring in the comparative studies of race and
ethnicity and in communication.
15
Madelena Rediscovers Ancient
Jemez Pueblo Pottery Process
© Seth Roffman (2)
Joshua Madelena,
an award-winning
potter, self-taught
archaeologist and
recent governor of
Jemez Pueblo, has
recaptured an art
form dating back
300 years: Jemez
Pueblo’s distinctive
b l ac k - o n - w h i t e
p o t t e r y, w h i c h
thrived from 1300
to 1700 but vanished with the Spanish reconquest.
During 10 years of painstaking research and experimentation, Madelena analyzed
broken shards to figure out the original recipe. In the process, he was able to track
the Jemez peoples’ history to before 200 A.D., when the tribe was part of Utah’s
Fremont culture. Through analyzing the pottery, along with clues in the Towa
language, Madelena says a direct connection has been established between the
Jemez people and early Puebloans at Mesa Verde.
exposition
July through September
Featuring an art tower of Italian Landscapes
by European artist, Raquel Sarangello
2874 HWY 14 N
MADRID, NM
The Jemez people originally lived on top of the mesas that overlook their village.
Conquistadors drove them to the valley below as part of efforts to convert them
to Catholicism. On one of his treks up a mesa as part of his research, Madelena
discovered an original mine from which he accessed clay to use in his attempts to
recreate the coiled pottery. Paint formulas came from his grandmother. Through
trial and error, and many cracked pots, he figured out traditional pit firing. Madelena
exhibits his work each year at the Santa Fe Indian Market.
New Mexico Women in the Arts To Honor
Filmmaker Jill Momaday
Too often in American culture, the stories of great
men and women aren’t told until long after they’re
gone. Filmmaker Jill Scott Momaday believes that
the tradition of passing stories among generations
is “the thread that connects all humanity.”
On Sept. 10, the New Mexico Committee of
Women in the Arts (NMCWA) will celebrate Jill
Momaday at a gala entitled “Weaving Legend,
Legacy and Landscape through Filmmaking.”
Momaday is the director, producer and writer
of Return to Rainy Mountain, a documentary
about her father, Pulitzer Prize-winner N. Scott
Momaday, and their Kiowa heritage as told from a woman’s perspective. The film
(http://returntorainymountain.com) will air on PBS in 2016.
Segments from the film-in-progress will be screened at the gala. In addition, N.
Scott Momaday will read a poem he has composed in honor of his daughter Jill.
The gala will also feature music and poetry performed by Jill Momaday’s husband
and daughters.
The NMCWA was established in 1997 to support the museum’s mission to bring
recognition to achievements of women artists in New Mexico. The gala fundraising
dinner will take place on Sept. 10 at Four Seasons Rancho Encantado, in Santa Fe.
Proceeds will benefit the NMCWA scholarship
program. Tickets ($125) can be purchased online
at www.NewMexicoWomenintheArts.org
Nakotah LaRance
Nakotah LaRance (Hopi/Tewa/Assiniboine),
7-time World Hoop Dance Champion, recently
returned from Toronto, Canada, where he was
the star performer for the Cirque du Soleil–
produced segment of the opening ceremony for
the 2015 Pan American Games. LaRance was
the principal dancer for the Cirque du Soleil
show “Totem” and is the master instructor for
the Pueblo of Pojoaque Youth Hoop Dancers.
He resides in Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico.
16
© Darren Vigil Gray
“Under the Tuscan Sun”
EV ERY DA Y GREEN
Paths of Beauty:
Mountains, Water and Clouds
An Exhibit at the Poeh Center – Aug. 20 – Nov. 14
Susan Guyette
B
i’po-wa-ve. You are invited to an
exceptional, interpretive glimpse
of nature symbolism, as reflected in
Pueblo ritual embroidery. A new
exhibit opening at the Poeh Cultural
Center and Museum this month,
“Paths of Beauty,” honors the work of
two renowned artists: Shawn Tafoya
(Santa Clara and Pojoaque pueblos)
and Isabel Gonzales ( Jemez Pueblo).
Isabel Gonzales lives in San Ildefonso
Pueblo (through marriage). Her
Jemez Pueblo designs emphasize
red, green and black associated with
the seasons, cardinal directions and
cosmos. Gonzales receives embroidered
textile orders from pueblo members
throughout the villages. Shawn Tafoya
has received several awards for his
embroidery and is also a renowned
potter. In Pueblo custom, men often
weave and embroider. Tafoya creates
ritual dance attire for his family and
community members.
Cultural Connections
Wo v e n e x p r e s s i o n s o f p l a c e ,
prayer, sacred animals and cosmos
transform and engage Pueblo people
in relationships with the world
around them. The interplay between
embroidery, native cosmology and
the continuity of Pueblo symbolism
renews cultural practice—as traditional
embroidery designs reflect connections
in nature and an expression of Pueblo
identity. It is said that each stitch is like
the breath of life itself. Pueblo people
consider textiles “clothes of the spirits.”
“Paths of Beauty”
honors two renowned
artists: Shawn Tafoya
and Isabel Gonzales.
Pueblo cloth is used for ceremonial
attire in many Pueblo dances and to
create a sanctuary for patron saints
during feast days. Embroidered
garments used for ceremonial
purposes include the manta,
a shoulder blanket or wraparound dress; the dance kilt,
either embroidered on the
bottom edge or along the
two vertical edges; and dance
sashes or belts, often woven on
a table loom and embroidered.
Embroidery classes are offered
to pueblo members at the
Poeh Arts Center. Textile
traditions date back more than
2,000 years, with yarn made of
indigenous cotton, handspun
and woven on upright looms
into a balanced plain weave.
Over the centuries, both men
and women were weavers and
embroiderers.
Isabel Gonzales
The cotton textile used today
as a base for an embroidered
dance kilt or manta is monk’s
cloth, a commercial cotton
cloth woven in either a plain or
“balanced” weave. Pueblo embroiderers
often process commercially produced
yarn—wool or acrylic—by re-spinning
to tighten it, then soaking the yarn in
water to set it.
One unique aspect of Pueblo
embroidery is the stitch. Embroidery
designs are in a negative pattern, with
large areas in dark colors forming
the background, and the white
unembroidered areas forming the
design. The unique stitch shown below
enables the embroiderer to cover a
large area with the background color.
Shawn Tafoya embroidery
sarweb.org/embroidery
Spirituality
and Nature
Songs, dances and prayer connect to the
larger Pueblo cosmos. The foundation
of Pueblo religious life is maintenance
of harmony, or balance, within the
context of nature. Symbolism, reflected
by embroidered designs, honors
relationships with mountains, rain,
plants, butterflies, clouds, flowers and
corn, as well as the dance plazas. In the
words of Shawn Tafoya:
They are the clothing of the
gods and dancers,
They are the clothing of our
sacred spaces,
our holy places, our homes, and us.
They are powerful and sacred,
and yes,
They are beautiful.
P at h s o f B e a u t y : I s a b e l
Gonzales and Shawn Tafoya:
N ature C onnections in P ueblo
Embroidery. Opening Reception:
Aug. 20, 5 to 8 p.m. Free.
The exhibit’s curators are Lucy Fowler
Williams (University of Pennsylvania)
and Antonio Chavarria (Museum of
Indian Arts and Culture, Santa Fe).
To learn more, see “The Language
of Contemporary Eastern Pueblo
Embroidery,” www.museum.upenn.
edu; and the School for Advanced
Research’s website: http://sarweb.org/
embroidery
The Poeh Center has extended an open
invitation for people to come explore
the meaningful contexts of Pueblo
embroidery and pottery, eat Pueblo
food and celebrate with the Pueblo
communities. The Poeh Cultural Center
and Museum is located at Pojoaque
Pueblo, 15 miles north of Santa Fe, just
off Highway 285/84, 78 Cities of Gold
Road (www.poehcenter.org). i
Susan Guyette, Ph.D., is of Métis heritage
(Micmac Indian/Acadian French) and a
planner specializing in cultural tourism,
cultural centers, museums and native foods.
She is the author
of Sustainable
Cultural Tourism:
Small-Scale
Solutions; Planning
for Balanced
Development;
and the co-author
of Zen Birding:
Connect in Nature.
susanguyette@nets.
com
17
Keres Children’s Learning Center
at Cochiti Pueblo
Trisha Moquino, Tracey Cordero, Mara Matteson
O
n July 14, St. Bonaventure Day,
Cochiti Pueblo celebrated its annual
feast day, dancing in the ancient tradition
to songs sung in the Keres language. This
annual celebration supports the Cochiti
people and strengthens humanity’s
cultural and linguistic diversity, which, like
biodiversity, is important for sustaining
life on this planet.
Located in northern New Mexico
along the Río Grande, Cochiti Pueblo
is home to a tribe of more than 900
indigenous Americans. Full participation
in community life requires knowledge of
Cochiti’s original language, Keres. Future
leaders of the tribe must know Keres in
order to continue Cochiti traditions. In
spite of over 20 years of tribal efforts to
preserve the language, today there are
fewer than 10 fluent speakers under the
age of 20.
One reason for this is that formal,
public, English-oriented education for
Cochiti people has historically worked
against bilingualism and biculturalism.
Federal and state policies have been
philosophically incompatible with
traditional child-rearing approaches
of the tribe, which value participating
in community life, hands-on learning,
competence, respectful and responsible
citizenship and inner discipline.
The Keres Children’s Learning Center
(KCLC) opened in 2012 as a preschool,
using Montessori child-centered
pedagogy in a Keres-language immersion
setting, serving 10 Cochiti children
between the ages of 2.5 and 6. The
center provides students with rigorous,
high-quality education while supporting
them in learning their language during
the developmental period best suited
to language acquisition. Since opening,
KCLC has served 25 children in its
primary (preschool) classroom and
is preparing to open an elementary
classroom for students ages 6 to 9 who
will be starting their fourth year at KCLC.
Reinforcing cultural
identity and language
while advancing
academic success
KCLC’s underlying goal is to provide
Cochiti children with the foundational
cultural and academic tools needed to
become loving, responsible, thriving
adults. KCLC strives to provide an
environment for children that will
naturally allow them to both discover and
practice self-discipline, critical-thinking
skills and peer relationships while always
using the Keres language and traditional
core values. KCLC board member
Tracey Cordero explained, “KCLC
is the best of both worlds for Cochiti
children—reinforcing their cultural
identity and language while advancing
their academic success. Fundamental to
KCLC’s teaching methods are the ways
in which our own elders have taught us
and sustained our people. KCLC includes
elders’ guidance and input in all areas
of learning, from the language to the
curriculum. It is KCLC’s belief that the
use of intergenerational life skills, love
Tortilla lesson
18
Good friends at end-of-year trip to Tent Rocks
and support will be key to our children
retaining a worldview that centers on the
importance of a communal perspective
rather than an individualistic one.”
KCLC provides weekly seminars,
materials and techniques to assist in
the intergenerational transmission of
Cochiti Keres. The seminars support
parents in strengthening or acquiring
Keres language skills themselves, so they
can support their children in learning the
language. Helping parents take a leading
role in their children’s education also helps
perpetuate Cochiti’s child-rearing beliefs.
After three complete years at KCLC,
parents see their 5-year-old “graduates”
not only speaking Keres among peers
and family but also reading and writing in
English and solving addition, subtraction
and multiplication problems.
The tribal government of Cochiti Pueblo
recognizes KCLC’s efforts in assisting
young children to become bilingual and
supporting their families’ bilingualism.
KCLC operates with the tribal council’s
blessing, as an independent nonprofit
governed by a board comprising an equal
number of tribal and nontribal educators
and professionals. To avoid English
language requirements embedded in
federal and state funding for preschools,
KCLC is primarily funded by private
foundations, which include Brindle,
Chamiza, Lannan, McCune and the W.K.
Kellogg Foundation, as well as private
donations and $40 per child in monthly
tuition from families. Additionally, in
2014, KCLC received a three-year Esther
Martínez Language Immersion grant
from the Health and Human Services’
Administration for Native Americans
(ANA).
There is a deeply held Pueblo belief that
caring for the children makes the whole
community stronger and sustains the
community’s individual and collective
well-being. “Helping sustain our Keres
language gives Cochiti children a chance
to retain a world view that is thousands of
years old and that still has a place in our
world today,” said teacher and cofounder
Trisha Moquino. “The teachings and
values passed on through our language
are worth our efforts because they help
us to be critical thinkers and responsible
people. These children represent Cochiti
reclaiming control of the education of our
children and, in doing so, determining
our future.”
For more information, contact Trisha
Moquino at 505.465.2185 or trisha@
kclcmontessori.org
Trisha Moquino (Cochiti/Ohkay Owhingeh/
Kewa) has taught in local public, private
and BIA schools. Moquino realized that she
wanted to provide a different educational
opportunity for her own daughters and other
Pueblo children, one that would support Keres
language learning and cultural, as well as
academic development. With those goals in
mind, she cofounded the KCLC.
Tracey Cordero (Cochiti Pueblo) is a KCLC
board member. She has worked in Cochiti
tribal government and was recently named a
Fellow in the Native American Community
Academy’s Inspired Schools Network (NISN).
Mara Matteson taught at Cochiti School for
many years and joined KCLC in 2014 to
manage KCLC’s Esther Martinez Initiative
ANA Grant.
The Cochiti Youth Experience
Hii Hii’ Kah • Project Laughing Corn
Article and Photos by Kenneth T. Romero
T
he Cochiti Youth Experience
(CYE) incorporated as a nonprofit
in 2008 and reorganized in 2010
as a way to promote healthy eating
habits and lifestyle choices, create
opportunities for youth and address
health-related issues at the Pueblo of
Cochiti. Diets high in refined sugars
and processed and fast foods have
taken their toll. As in many Native
communities, obesity, diabetes and
other problems are common, due in
part to the lack of local fresh fruits
and vegetables and consumption
patterns that have diverged f rom
traditional ways. Over 50 percent of
tribal members living at Cochiti make a
daily commute—20 to 60 minutes each
way—to jobs off the reservation. Most
households make the same commute at
least once a week to purchase groceries.
CYE’s main initiative, Project Hii Hii’
Kah (Laughing Corn), is organized
around two objectives that support
the goal of creating a local, sustainable
food economy for the pueblo: revitalize
traditional cultural practices of
agriculture and food production; and
bring elders and youth together in
meaningful mentoring relationships.
The project is in homage to Hii Hii’ Kah,
a historically significant symbol in the
Cochiti tradition of joy and abundance,
which includes cultural and personal
well-being. The preservation and
revitalization of community knowledge
and practices in growing, producing and
consuming local and traditional foods
are necessary for ensuring the pueblo’s
cultural survival, physical and spiritual
well-being and for increasing economic
self-sufficiency.
Acoma and Santa Clara Pueblos
Seek More Control of Their Schools
Acoma and Santa Clara pueblos want to be able to design classes that support
the teaching of their Native languages. The two pueblos have been considering
taking on self-governance and having their schools become tribally—rather than
federally—operated. The federal Bureau of Indian Education (BIE—part of the
BIA) would still pay for operational costs.
The two pueblos, along with five other tribes across the country, received BIE funds
last month to develop their own curricula and school boards. The move reflects
the Obama administration’s desire to help make tribes self-reliant. In recent and
current years, the BIE has provided an unprecedented amount of funding to build
the capacity of tribal education departments.
The Santa Clara Tribal Council has voted for the pueblo’s schools to be independent.
Acoma is still deliberating. As part of the process of asserting sovereignty in Indian
education, the pueblos—Acoma, home to 5,000 tribal members, with two schools;
and Santa Clara, with 1,000 tribal members and two schools—would be able to
choose how much to spend on particular expenses in line with their priorities.
The Pueblo of Jemez has implemented a Towa language-immersion approach in its
Head Start programs. The University of New Mexico’s American Indian Language
Policy Research and Teacher Training Center is providing Native language
curriculum design, development and implementation assistance to support Pueblo
tribes’ vision for culturally based early-childhood development.
This year, the project has 10 adult
farmer-mentors, four elder mentors
and more than 24 youth participants.
Some previous youth participants have
become mentors themselves. All attend
monthly classes to learn hands-on
farming methods and to be introduced
to scientific data. In partnership with a
local beekeeper, beekeeping training is
also offered. The honey produced has
been given to our elders.
We also hope to provide
surrounding areas with
traditionally grown
Pueblo fruits and
vegetables.
Our plans are to increase not only our
participant base but also the percentage
of acreage within our ancestral homeland
that produces fresh fruits and vegetables.
Crops grown have included white and
blue corn, red and green chile, squash,
watermelon and Indian melons, pinto
beans, radishes and tomatoes. At the
end of the season, harvests have been
sold at the Youth Farmers’ Market in
the pueblo. The majority of the money
generated goes to the youth farmers. A
portion—decided by the participant—is
given to CYE to support the following
year’s program.
We intend to help enable our program
participants to travel to farmers’ markets
in surrounding urban areas, so that the
produce they grow can be a sustainable
economic opportunity. We also hope
that a permanent farmers’ market can
be created and maintained on the
reservation, providing surrounding
areas with traditionally grown Pueblo
fruits and vegetables.
Other Cochiti Youth
Experience Initiatives
CYE has partnered with the Pueblo of
Cochiti Governor’s Office and Education
Department and the New Mexico
Children,Youth and Families Department
(CYFD) to provide a free nutritious lunch
to all children in the community during
the summer. The Summer Food Service
Program is administered by CYFD and
funded through the U. S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA). CYE has also
assisted the pueblo’s Administration
Department in supporting youth and
their parents in the preparation of
traditional foods for ceremonial use and
in having a Cochiti youth participate in
the Native Youth Leader Conference,
“Revitalizing Wellness Through Food,”
at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.
Plans include the creation of an Elder
Garden close to the senior center to
help bolster the physical and emotional
well-being of our elders, who may not be
physically able to work in tribal fields.This
will also provide opportunities to partner
younger children with elders. Creation
of a Children’s Garden at the Keres
Children’s Learning Center could be a
foundation for planting seeds of interest
in traditional agriculture in younger
children. Proposed plans also include a
centrally located orchard to grow apricots,
apples, cherries, plums and peaches.There
was once an orchard on the eastern edge
of the village; however, due to drought, it
has been lost.
Our tribal council and tribal community
recognize the importance of Project Hii
Hii’ Kah and are supportive of CYE’s
work. The Cochiti Youth Experience is
seeking funding. Our programs are solely
funded by foundation grants and private
donations.
Kenneth T. Romero is executive director of the
Cochiti Youth Experience, Inc. 505.220.9100,
[email protected], www.cochitiyouth.org
19
The Chamiza Foundation
26 Years of Support for Pueblo Communities
E
stablished in 1989 by the late Gifford
Phillips and his wife, Joann, the Santa
Fe–based Chamiza Foundation continues
to operate in the spirit in which it was
envisioned; that is, to assist in the continuity
and living preservation of New Mexico’s
Pueblo Indian communities. With a passion
for the evolving arts and cultural traditions
of the (then) 19 pueblos, the Phillips family
enlisted the guidance of their close friend,
Dr. Alfonso Ortiz, a scholar from Ohkay
Owingeh (formerly San Juan Pueblo), who
would help them develop a framework for
long-term engagement with the pueblos.
Support for language
revitalization, cultural
preservation, youth
development and
revitalization of
traditional arts
Seeking to establish a foundation that
was responsive to the real needs of the
tribal communities, and recognizing that
these needs would be best identified and
articulated by Pueblo people themselves,
the Phillipses sought out the assistance of
others to serve as board members, including
Dr. Joe Sando of Jemez Pueblo and Agnes
Dill of Laguna and Isleta pueblos.
After informing the pueblos of the new
financial resource available for tribal
initiatives focused on language
revitalization,
cultural preservation, youth
development and
the revit-alization
of traditional arts,
the foundation
evaluated the
first proposals
and grants were
awarded. By 2014,
the Chamiza
Foundation had
contributed close
to $14 million to
the 19 pueblos
in support of
hundreds of
diverse projects.
Grantees have
also included Native American organizations
that provide direct services to Pueblo people,
partnerships and collaborations among
Pueblo tribes and other special interest
groups engaged with Pueblo communities.
Meaningful involvement of Pueblo people
in the foundation’s development and
grassroots grant making continues to be
an essential part of how Chamiza operates.
Over the years, the foundation and its board
have diligently worked to build relationships
and trust with tribal communities, working
First Nations Development Institute Awards
native agriculture and food systems grants First Nations Development Institute has announced nine tribes and Native
American organizations around the country that will receive grants through the
institute’s Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative (NAFSI). The NAFSI is
intended to help Native communities build sustainable food systems that will help
eliminate food insecurity and enhance economic development in rural areas. The
W.K. Kellogg Foundation makes the funding possible. Three innovative projects
in New Mexico were selected for funding:
Tewa Farms’ Crop Expansion Project, $24,500, Pueblo of Pojoaque – This grant
will support the expansion of the tribe’s farm. It will make possible the purchase
and installation of two hoop houses, a heated greenhouse and a milling machine
that will allow the farm to operate year-round, significantly improving community
health and nutrition.
Red Willow Center, Growing Community Food Systems, $26,000, Taos Pueblo
– This grant will allow the expansion of several projects including a greenhouse, farmers’
market and food-distribution program.This project seeks to increase access to fresh,healthy
foods by implementing two new, tribal food-service programs for tribal youth and elders.
Ramah Navajo School Board, Inc., Wild Food Orchard, $14,192, Pine Hill
– This project is a permaculture model for young entrepreneurs. During the school
year, middle-school students will plant, grow, harvest and sell wild pine nuts. The
project is intended to teach the basics of agriculture and business.
20
© Seth Roffman
Brian Vallo
Chamiza Foundation board members visited Nambé Pueblo in 2014.
closely with grantees during funding
periods, offering technical guidance and
administrative support. On annual field
trips to the pueblos, the board has met with
administrators and tribal leaders, witnessed
projects in progress and interacted with
project participants. The foundation has
also hosted community dialogues to help
evaluate the projects and their impacts.
Robust, candid discussions have provided
useful information about the communities’
challenges and needs, as well as opportunities
and aspirations for growth. After analyzing
this information and incorporating many
suggestions, Chamiza’s grant making has
expanded to support specific needs.
Since then, the foundation has awarded
multiyear project grants, as well as longterm grants for tribal initiatives requiring
planning and development support. The
Keres Children’s Learning Center (KCLC)
in Cochiti Pueblo is one such project that
Chamiza has supported since its inception
(see story, page 18). Ten years later, as a
direct result of support from the Chamiza
Foundation, KCLC has been able to
leverage additional support from significant
philanthropic organizations.
Last year, both the Southern Pueblos
Governors Association and the Eight
Northern Indian Pueblo Council adopted
resolutions acknowledging the significant
contribution made by the Chamiza
Foundation over the past 25 years. This
recognition honored the Phillips family
and their commitment to the Pueblo
people, acknowledged the importance and
success of past and current projects and
the dedication of past and current board
members.
The current Chamiza Foundation Board of
Directors comprises Joann Phillips and her
children, James Phillips, Marjorie Phillips
Elliott and Alice Phillips Swistel, who
work closely with 11 other directors, nine
of whom represent Pueblo communities,
including the newest member, Trisha
Moquino (Cochiti/Ohkay Owingeh/
Kewa), cofounder of the KCLC.
Philanthropy is not a new concept to Pueblo
people. The inherent values associated with
caring for one another, offering and sharing,
and making a contribution towards the general
welfare of the community remain an integral
part of social and cultural cohesion within
the pueblos. This sacred principle, which
helps ensure the vitality and survival of these
communities, is the basis for their engagement
with the Chamiza Foundation. i
Brian Vallo is f rom
Acoma Pueblo and is a
member of the Chamiza
Foundation Board of
Directors. He is the
director of the Indian
Arts Research Center at
the School for Advanced
Research in Santa Fe.
A:ho’ A:wan Doyenkakya Dehwanne
A ‘People’s Garden’ at Zuni Pueblo
Dolores E. Roybal
I
n the northwest area of New Mexico,
Zuni Pueblo residents are gaining more
access to healthy fresh food through the
Zuni Youth Enrichment Project (ZYEP),
which, in combination with existing school
and community garden programs, is helping
revitalize gardening and, in the process,
connecting tribal members to cultural and
spiritual traditions of Zuni agriculture. Zuni
is the largest of 19 pueblos in New Mexico
and home to about 10,000 people in an area
considered a food desert. The closest city is
Gallup, 40 miles away.
Start students,
which was one
of four school
gardens and
two community
gardens in the
p u e b l o. T h e
intention was to
demonstrate that
home gardens
are viable options
for families who
want to improve their health.
Con Alma Health Foundation, New Mexico’s
largest private foundation dedicated solely
to health, is assisting this effort through its
Healthy People, Healthy Places initiative.
Con Alma is focused on supporting locally
grown and culturally significant foods, as well
as increasing support for the preservation of
agricultural traditions and encouraging elders
and indigenous people to share those practices
with children and families. To leverage funds,
the Zuni project is one of 31 mini-grants
(totaling $161,000) Con Alma has provided
to nonprofits that are working to increase
people’s ability to get healthy food and be
physically active in their communities.
“In addition to the clear health benefits of
fresh, local produce in a community where
obesity and diabetes rates are high above
averages, there are important personal and
community benefits to maintaining the
rich agricultural past that allowed Zunis to
thrive in a very difficult environment for so
many generations,” said Dr. Val Wangler,
who works on these initiatives. “We believe
in highlighting the benefits of traditional
lifestyles and diets that were common
long before processed foods and unhealthy
government commodities contributed to
declining health.”
© Seth Roffman
The ZYEP, the lead for the gardening project,
has a long history of partnering with agencies
at Zuni. ZYEP’s A:ho’ A:wan Doyenkakya
Dehwanne, or “People’s Garden,” has
involved representatives from at least 10
local organizations. With prior Con Alma
support, ZYEP created a garden with Head
Nambé Pueblo Receives
Community Agriculture Project Grant
T
he Pueblo of Nambé, encompassing nearly 20,000 acres in northern New Mexico,
historically was known for its agriculture, traditional textiles and pottery. The Río
Nambé flows through the pueblo and empties into the Río Grande. In 2011, the Pacheco
Fire burned half of the watershed that feeds the Nambé Falls Reservoir. Runoff from heavy
rains caused further damage. High Water Mark, LLC, a Native American–owned floodplain
and watershed-management company, is leading efforts to restore the reservoir.
Nambé Pueblo recently received $37,000 from First Nations Development Institute in
support of expanding the pueblo’s two-acre Community Farm. Heirloom organic corn, beans,
squash and chile are grown there, and a hoop house extends the growing season for other
vegetables and herbs. A one-acre vineyard has been planted with four varieties of grapes.
These crops, along with buffalo meat from the tribe’s herd, are provided to a senior center
and to individual families at a season-end festival.
Besides supplementing families’ diets with healthy foods and inspiring them to create family
gardens, the goal is to improve the tribe’s food security. Other benefits include opportunities
for pueblo volunteers and youth to learn traditional and modern farming methods and
to have elders impart farming and cultural knowledge, including Tewa language skills, in
working with the youth.
Farm Program Manager George Toya hopes the farm will become self-sustaining. For more
information, call 505.455.4220, email [email protected] or visit nambepueblo.org
The garden project was recently granted tribal
land to expand. These projects have a way
of creating ripples in communities that are
invested in creating a healthier environment
for families. i
Dolores E. Roybal is executive director of Con
Alma Health Foundation. http://conalma.org
UNM Health Sciences Center Helps
Zunis Address Health Problems
Zuni Pueblo, about 150 miles west of Albuquerque, has some of the highest rates of
diabetes and kidney disease in the world. About 400 residents, most 45 and younger,
are in early stages of kidney disease. UNM Health Sciences Center researcher,
Vallabh “Raj” Shah, Ph.D., along with his colleague Dr. Philip Zager, have been
working with the pueblo on the Zuni Health Initiative for 16 years to help tribal
members address these chronic conditions. The researchers say that a sedentary
lifestyle, a diet of mostly processed foods and reluctance to take advantage of
available health care are mostly to blame.
Shah recruited healthcare workers from the
community to provide
testing and coaching, diet
and exercise programs that
can be implemented at
home or at a new, nearby
e xercise center. T he y
monitored compliance and
progress. After six months, all of the disease markers, including blood glucose and
body-mass index, had dropped.
The Center for Native American Health, part of UNM’s Health Sciences Center,
partners with New Mexico’s 22 tribes around health issues, addresses health
disparities and runs a student recruitment and retention program. It also helps
students find ways to pay for medical school. The Health Sciences Center recently
graduated a record 39 American Indians in the health professions.
21
The Journey of Becoming a Man
Scott Davis
F
or 25 years, Tewa Women United (TWU) has been serving all women within
Río Arriba County. Starting as a collective of Tewa women looking to heal their
own lives, families and communities from the traumas of sexual violence, domestic
violence and substance abuse, the group expanded to embrace the larger community
and developed a commitment to serve all families in need.
Learning sustainable life skills within a framework
of traditional Tewa values and lifeways
With TWU’s core values of supporting healthy families as a foundation, Jon Naranjo,
who is from Santa Clara Pueblo, has been working with TWU to establish the
Sengipaa Ing Vi Po (The Journey of Becoming a Man) mentor project. He is dedicated
to establishing an ongoing program of Native men teaching Native boys valuable,
sustainable life skills, from agriculture and hunting to auto maintenance and financial
literacy, all within a framework of traditional Tewa values and lifeways. Native men with
a variety of life skills are being recruited to serve the initial cohort of eight Tewa boys.
Survival skills will be taught as part of the curriculum,from making a friction fire to what to do
if you get lost.These important abilities,once mastered,will result in higher levels of confidence
in the young men. “Teaching our boys how to live in balance between the traditional and
modern worlds is critical for the future of our Tewa communities,” Naranjo said.
However, it’s not all work and no play. The cohort will also be involved in a variety of
fun activities such as fishing, camping, river rafting and enjoying lots of good food. Each
event and activity is fashioned in a way to bring understanding of our interconnectedness,
© Seth Roffman
For many years, the organization struggled with how to reach out to men and boys
in the community. In 2014, an opportunity arose through a grant from First Nations
Development Institute to further the scope of TWU’s engagement by working with
Native men and boys in Río Arriba.
Jon Naranjo harvesting melons at Santa Clara Pueblo
as well as the responsibilities that the boys will be taking on as they journey to become
men: responsibilities to themselves, their families and communities and the women
and girls in their lives. The Sengipaa project is embedded with teachings designed to
educate the boys in how to be instrumental in ending violence against women and girls.
By combining real-life skills with cultural understanding,TWU is embracing both men
and women. Corrine Sanchez, director of TWU, is excited about this development.
“At TWU, we love our Native men and boys,” she said, “and realize that the health and
well-being of all our Native peoples are intimately linked.”
For more information or to provide support for this project, email jon@tewawomen
united.org or visit http://tewawomenunited.org/sengipaa-ing-vi-po-mentor-project
Scott Davis lived and worked in Río Arriba County since 2007. When not managing construction
projects for Avanyu LLC, he can be found helping TWU or vainly attempting to pull every last
goat’s head from the yard where he and his daughter live in San Pedro, New Mexico.
Tribal Green Reentry Youth Programs Incorporate Culture
Ada Pecos Melton, Rita Martínez and David J. Melton
Since October 2009, three tribes—
Hualapai in Arizona, Mississippi Band
of Choctaw and Rosebud Sioux in
South Dakota—have implemented
community-based Green Reentry
initiatives through the Tribal Juvenile
Detention and Reentr y Green
Demonstration Program funded by
the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).
The programs were part of a cross-site
evaluation being conducted by RTI
International and American Indian
Development Associates, LLC.
22
These programs serve youth through
innovative approaches that combine
traditional interventions, such as
individual assessment, education,
counseling and reentry planning, with
activities such as gardening, hydroponics,
beekeeping, raising chickens, equine
therapy and skills development in green
technologies.
Learning specific skills
can make young people
more employable and
self-sufficient.
The outdoor nature of green activities
and the security-focused nature of
juvenile detention facilities needed to
be reconciled. This required a careful
understanding of the specific activities
that were feasible to implement. An
important consideration was the extent
to which youth would be able to continue
their participation in green activities
after their release. This can often be
© Seth Roffman
T
he incorporation of hands-on
“green” activities into traditional,
juvenile-justice rehabilitation programs
is a novel approach that is proving
to have several benefits for tribal
youth. These programs are designed
to help youth successfully reintegrate
into their communities upon release
from confinement, as well as address
problems that have instigated at-risk
youth referrals to the program.
Rita Martínez
Ada Pecos Melton
possible through collaboration
with community-based partners.
Working in a garden and caring for
living things is therapeutic for many
people. Learning specific skills
such as horticultural techniques,
greenhouse construction or solar
panel installation can make young
people more employable and selfsufficient. Most youth interviewed
expressed favorable views about their
participation in the Green Reentry
program, noting
that they learned
new things and
had fun. Not all
enjoyed working
in a garden,
h o w e v e r, w i t h
some expressing
dissatisfaction
with getting dirty
and working in
the heat. A staff
David Melton m e m b e r n o t e d
that, once the greenhouse was in place,
the gardening aspect of the program
became more enjoyable for the youth.
© Alejandro López
McClellan Hall Awarded
the Alec Dickson Servant
Leader Award
In April 2015,
McClellan
Hall, founder
and director of
the National
Indian Youth
Leadership
P r o j e c t
( NY L P ) ,
based in
Gallup, New
Mexico, was
presented
with the Alec Dickson Ser vant
Leader Award at the National
Service Learning Conference, in
Washington, D.C. For over 35
years, Hall, an educator of Cherokee
descent, has engaged Native youth
through outdoor adventure, service
lear ning and culturally based
activities that have grown from
summer camps into year-long
programs. Early in his career, he
became aware that these teaching
modalities were much more suited to
Native youth, particularly those who
came from difficult home situations
and were struggling to find hope in
their lives.
In 1990, NYLP received five-year
funding to implement Project
Venture, a year-long outdoor
adventure program that facilitated
individual and group development
within a cult ur al conte xt. It
achieved model-program status
from the Office of Health and
Human Ser vices. Concurrently,
it was recognized by the Center
for National Crime Prevention
and the First Nations Behavioral
Health Association in Canada for
its effectiveness in redirecting the
lives of Native youth toward positive
goals. Project Venture has since been
replicated across all of Canada and
much of the United States.
23
Homemade Solar Ovens in Navajo Country
TEDx talk presented at Popejoy Hall, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Raquel Redshirt
T
This was me 10 years ago, encountering the struggles of some of my people. I
noticed that many families’ Christmas dinners consisted of perishable food from
the local gas station and tortillas made over an open fire. And that sparked an
idea. I knew I wanted to pursue a dream that benefited the future of my Diné
(Navajo) people. And with firewood and coal becoming scarce, I knew my dream
would start by helping those living off the grid find an alternative way to prepare
a well-cooked meal.
Keeping in mind the future of our land and sacred traditions that have been passed
down from my grandparents, I used materials found around a typical Navajo
household to construct a homemade solar oven.
Homemade solar ovens are simple, environmentally friendly, low-cost machines
that can be used by those who cannot afford industrial materials. This community-
© Seth Roffman
ake a journey with me. You are nine years old, giving up a traditional Christmas
family gathering. You are driving down dusty dirt roads, delivering baked
goods to relatives who live in rural areas of the Navajo Nation. While visiting, you
notice that basic necessities are missing among a majority of the families, including
running water and electricity.
focused project was designed to provide struggling families around the Navajo
Nation with a low-cost, healthier alternative for cooking food that does not rely
on precious natural resources like firewood.
The basic design of a homemade solar oven includes the use of two cardboard boxes,
one within the other, to create a two-and-a-half-inch wall where the insulation is
located. Reflectors are constructed from the attached flaps of the outside cardboard
box to create a funnel structure to attract more direct sunlight.
N a v a j o N E W S B I T E s
New Navajo Leader Russell Begaye’s Priorities
The unemployment rate on the Navajo reservation is around 50 percent. About 42
percent of tribal members live below the poverty line. Just 7 percent have a college
degree, significantly affecting their job prospects.
This has created a culture of conservation. Diné families, on average, live on seven
gallons of water per day—often stored in rain barrels, recycled buckets and plastic
containers—and reuse it whenever possible. Some families drink, cook, bathe and
clean with water hauled from livestock tanks and, in some cases, pumped from
aquifers tainted with radioactive waste from decades of uranium mining.
The Navajo Nation’s new president, Russell Begaye, was sworn in on May 12. Begaye,
an ordained Southern Baptist minister who served on the Navajo Council, ran on a
pro-business platform. He seeks to set up manufacturing plants to create jobs and
supports a proposed rail port project that could export agricultural goods and coal.
Weeks after Begaye assumed the presidency, an audit of the Navajo Nation revealed
that the tribal government’s 110 chapters had more than $77 million in unspent funds
from annual tribal-government appropriations.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared parts of the Navajo reservation a
food desert. A food desert is a region where residents can’t easily buy fresh, healthy,
affordable food. Gas stations and convenience stores are the primary grocers for
many people.
Bringing running water and electricity to the tens of thousands of people who live
without it are among the tribe’s priorities. Begaye wants to restart negotiations for
water rights in the Little Colorado and Lower Colorado River basins, but that won’t
be easy. He was among the lawmakers who rejected a settlement linked to the Lower
Colorado because it included provisions for a coal-fired power plant.
As part of the Healthy Diné Nation Act, the Navajos’ 2 percent sales tax on “minimalto-no-nutritional-value” foods sold on the reservation—such as cookies, chips and
sodas—went into effect in April. Funds generated will go into a community health
fund to support projects such as farmers’ markets, vegetable gardens and exercise
equipment, as well as educational programming.
Begaye is opposed to the development of the Grand Canyon Escalade, a controversial
aerial tram at the east end of the Grand Canyon that would transport tourists from
the cliff tops down to the confluence of the Colorado River and the Little Colorado
River, an area sacred to the Hopi. A proposed development plan approaching $1
billion includes a riverside boardwalk, hotels, a cultural center and places for Navajo
artisans to sell their work.
The Diné Community Advocacy Alliance lobbied for almost two years to get the junkfood tax approved. They consider it one way for Indian Country to address the health
epidemic of diabetes and obesity among the tribe’s 175,000 residents. Another bill that
eliminates the tribe’s 5 percent sales tax on fresh fruit and vegetables is also in effect.
Climate-Change Impacts
on the Navajo Reservation
Water has never been abundant for the Diné, who have raised their families and
livestock on the high-desert lands across Arizona, New Mexico and Utah for
centuries. At a time of a multiyear widespread drought, despite an unusually rainy
summer, one-third of the roughly 50,000 households on the Navajo reservation have
no reliable source of water.
According to a 2014 national assessment by the Obama administration, Southwestern
tribes are among the most vulnerable to climate-change impacts. Weather extremes—
from severe drought to major flooding—have become more common. From July to
September 2013, major flooding affected 88 of the Navajo Nation’s 110 chapters,
damaging 140 homes and costing millions of dollars.
Reservoir levels have been dropping, and some streams and springs have declined
or disappeared, along with medicinal plants and animals such as prairie dogs and
rabbits. Horses and cows have died of thirst at dry waterholes. Some farming plots
have become sandier. Dust storms have increased.
24
Navajo Junk-Food Tax
Electricity on the Navajo Reservation
An estimated 18,000 homes on the 27,673 square-mile Navajo reservation are not
connected to the grid.
The Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) has offered, since 1999, solar
photovoltaic (PV ) systems to its customers who don’t have access to the grid,
through an affordable rental program. People don’t own the PV system but pay
for the electricity provided, similar to the SolarCity model. More recently, NTUA
started offering solar-wind hybrid systems. An 800-watt PV array along with a
400-watt wind turbine costs the homeowner $75 per month, which goes toward the
purchase of the system and is enough to power lights, TV and appliances, including
an energy-efficient refrigerator. NTUA finances the systems, which is much cheaper
than extending utility lines to homes.
Investing in renewable energy is helping many tribal members improve their quality
of life. Children can do homework at night, family members can make crafts under
better lights, thereby increasing their income, and they don’t have to breathe fumes
from kerosene lanterns. Having refrigeration means not having to travel great
distances as often for food. And being able to charge cell phones and laptops can
facilitate communication and education.
I conducted numerous trials to compare varying materials in order to achieve the
best performance. The solar oven’s performance was rated on its ability to reach
high and consistent internal temperatures and the appearance and taste of the
cooked food. For insulation, I tried Sudan hay, cotton, soil and shredded paper,
but found that sheep’s wool was the best insulation. Black construction paper was
the best inside lining and aluminum foil was used for the reflectors. With those
materials, the temperature inside the homemade solar oven reached a maximum
of 315 degrees Fahrenheit, which is above the recommended food-safety internal
temperature. From there, the cooking started.
I knew I wanted to pursue a dream that
benefited the future of my Diné people.
We prepared hot dogs, hamburgers, cookies, steaks, chicken, fish and just about
every Navajo’s favorite, mutton. Boy, did my family and I eat well during trial
runs. The food was tender and flavorful. The delicious smell spread through the
neighborhood, and even the dogs and livestock in the area wanted to try the
cooked food.
Beneficial Farms
Community Supported
Agriculture (CSA)
Serving families, farms, and
communities since 1994
• Eat FRESH Local and Regional Food
• Support Family Farms
• All year long
• Convenient weekly delivery
www.beneficialfarm.com
[email protected]
505-470-1969
There is a high diabetes rate on the Navajo Reservation. A homemade solar oven
prepares food that can be cooked in its own juices, a healthier alternative to having
to add potentially harmful cooking fats.
Raquel Redshirt’s homemade solar oven
There are a few limitations to
solar cooking. A homemade
solar oven, like a slow cooker,
takes more time to cook a meal
than a traditional oven. And of
course, solar ovens will not work
as efficiently in cloudy or overcast
weather. However, considering
the delicious, healthy food that
homemade solar ovens provide
using a safe, low-cost technology
and fuel source, the choice seems
clear. After all, patience is a virtue!
Since this project started, my journey has taken me many places. I first showcased
my project at the National American Indian Science and Engineering Fair, where
I was selected as one of the finalists. At the prestigious International Science and
Engineering Fair in Los Angeles, California, I shared my homemade solar-oven
idea through media, including the 100 People Foundation, an interview with
Bill Nye the Science Guy, and several international newspapers. I was awarded
the Goethe special award, an all-expenses-paid trip to Germany with five other
young scientists, during which I shared my project with local high school students
and teachers.
I am still on my journey, one where I am no longer just traveling around delivering
food but working to help others take a step toward a greener and healthier future.
The Navajo Nation has endured harsh treatment as a result of uranium mines,
power plants and environmental degradation, but the homemade solar oven
can help change the hand we’ve been dealt by improving many lives, once it’s
introduced to more people.
Let’s go back to that dusty dirt road on the Navajo Nation. But now it’s several
years in the future. Instead of delivering baked goods, we are greeted by Navajo
families preparing their Christmas dinners in solar ovens. Our conversations reveal
the great benefits that solar cooking has offered to their daily lives. By bringing
awareness to a small population and providing an alternative solution to a pervasive
problem, we can demonstrate the importance of creating a sustainable world,
starting with a simple technology like a homemade solar oven.
Raquel Redshirt (Diné) believes a broken system exists in her homeland, and vast improvements
need to be made. Originally from Shiprock, New Mexico, and currently enrolled at the University
of Oklahoma, she plans to return to the Navajo Nation, where she can use her knowledge to create
a brighter, greener future for her people. [email protected]
25
while devastating, have not been the
norm in human history. Indigeneity has
meant living within the limits of resources,
exercising reciprocity and acknowledging
relationships that existed within the confines
of a particular bioregion or ecological niche.
Worldwide, there have been many examples
of man’s inhumanity to man, including
slavery, conquest and war. However, the
West has been a civilization which measures
its history and progress as a society through
chronicling the rise and fall of empire.
Starting with Alexander the Great, the
history of Western civilization moves
through the Greek, Roman and Holy
Roman empires, into the feudal empires
of Spain and Portugal, and then to those
empires based in the modern state including
most of Western Europe and, most notably,
Britain and the United States. Through the
combination of technology, the modern state
and empire, colonial relations came into
existence as European empires encircled the
planet. The existence of empire and colonial
relations created the notion of indigenous
peoples: those original inhabitants of a land
as opposed to those settlers, developers and
governors who originated in the colony’s
“mother country”. The arrival of colonial
powers brought to the land a people whose
beliefs, values and practices were not based
in a relationship with the colonized land
but were based in the mother country and
overlain with dreams of riches, status and
glory.
Those who act in a
manner based on the
practices and ethics that
flow from the land itself
might be considered
indigenous.
But the process of deindigenizing humans
from the planet was not just the result
of colonization. The marriage of science
and technology has worked to create a
worldview that has become despiritualized
and materialistic. Since the scientific
revolution, the processes of science have
moved beyond observation and description
into manipulation and control. Technology
has been the handmaiden of this transition,
and now the Western ideals of progress and
development have been globalized. This,
in turn, has marginalized the indigenous
knowledge that took hundreds of years to
develop as indigenous peoples interacted
with their environment. In today’s world, the
techno-values that minimize the importance
26
continued from page 7
of place mythologize technology’s ability
to control the natural world and direct
the world’s financial resources to the
development of even more technological
“fixes” that have become the underlying
principles by which most countries operate.
Thus, humankind at large has lost the
ability to connect to the power of place and
connect with the flow of energy that arises
from the land, leaving us as strangers in our
own lands, lost to the indigenous sense of
belonging and purpose.
Why Indigenize?
So why would anyone in their right mind
want to move away from a technologybased economy and lifeway, which appear to
provide for all of the needs of humankind,
to a regionally defined, self-limiting lifeway?
For the majority of people in the United
States, this is a no-brainer: looking to
indigenous knowledge to provide for our
needs is to reverse evolution, or precipitate
devolution. We know that progress means
going forward. We live in a complicated world. We
transport food thousands of miles between
production and consumption. Similarly, we
develop our energy sources far from the
point of consumption, requiring extensive
and complex delivery systems. Our economy
is based in the purchase of material goods
manufactured on other continents, using
natural resources from many parts of
the world. Our empire requires huge
expenditures of money and energy to
maintain a planet-wide presence to support
our lifestyles. By and large, we have an
affluent lifeway, but our institutions are
beginning to fail: schools don’t educate,
hospitals don’t heal, courts don’t dispense
justice and governments can no longer
govern fairly.
Not only is the world complicated, but it
is fragile, as well. We are beginning to see
the environmental impact of the excesses
of the industrial revolution and a consumer
economy. As climate change progresses, we
are starting to see how drought, flooding
and severe weather events impact various
communities and bioregions. We may not
immediately feel the effects of these events,
but if they continue, their cumulative
impacts will overwhelm our ability to
import food and other necessities. Our
dependence on hydrocarbons has made us
deaf to environmental concerns, dependent
upon capricious leadership of oil-producing
countries and dangerously unprepared for
a society without hydrocarbons. Finally,
we must look to finance and the monetary
economy, the weakest link in this fragile
© Seth Roffman
Indigenous Way of Life
Dr. Joe Sando, noted historian, author and scholar from the Pueblo of Jemez, inspired generations
of research, writing and debate about Pueblo history and life. His legacy is honored by
highlighting current research and creative expression at the annual Joe Sando Symposium. Key
organizers of the March 2015 event were (l-r) Carnell Chosa, Porter Swentzell, Tessie Naranjo,
Marth Becktell, Beverly Singer, Stephen Wall and Joseph Turnipseed.
world. The cyclical nature of capitalism,
with its peaks and valleys, has become
exaggerated in the last 40 years, creating
economic crisis followed by economic
crisis. The peaks have enriched only a small
portion of society, while the majority feels
the effects of the valleys.
Indigenization is the connection between
the people and the land on which they
live. To indigenize is to recognize that lifeserving activities in the bioregion need to be
sustainable and that we need to encourage
and foster activities that enhance our
reciprocal relationship with the land.
Reindigenization:
A Process
In some ways, indigenization seems to be
a pipedream or a radical vision. But the
inability of our political and economic
leaders to come to grips with environmental
realities is quickly manifesting a condition
in which the complexity and fragility of the
planet will converge to bring dramatic and
possibly catastrophic change. As rational
human beings we should be looking
to possible alternatives to our current
predominant lifeway.
“But I live in a multibuilding apartment
complex in midtown Albuquerque. How
can I indigenize myself to the land?” This is
an excellent question, and it really gets to the
heart of indigenization. As a society, we have
created urban areas that are totally dependent
on the surrounding rural areas—both near
and far—for energy, water, sustenance and
markets. We have become reliant upon wage
labor that places a premium on the creation
of wage-paying jobs, often to the detriment
of the environment.
In our current situation, indigenization
starts with mindfulness or intentionality.
So what does that mean? It means that we
need to become mindful of the choices that
we make in relation to our place, the land we
live upon, the bioregion we inhabit. The less
control you have over the source of resources
you need—food, energy, water—the more
mindful or intentional you must be over how
you use those resources. Awareness of wateruse practices (long showers, lawns, running
water while you rinse dishes), energy-use
patterns (lights left on, use of instant-on
devices), food-use habits (wasting food,
relying on food grown at a distance) are
first steps to indigenization. Mindfulness
and intentionality create awareness that
leads to the next step in indigenization:
connection with the land.
In order to connect with the land,
one has to be aware of the land. The
mindfulness employed to become aware
of our consumption habits, practices and
resource use can be expanded to become
aware of the land. In order to connect with
the land, one has to study the land, spend
time outside, and be intentional in one’s
desire to understand the interrelationships
between the land and all that lives on it. Just
being outside with that intent and desire
will pay off after a while, as one slowly
becomes aware of the subtleties found in
the natural world. Where does the sun
rise on the summer solstice? Where does
it set on the winter solstice? When do
the sand hill cranes first appear in their
migration? What do the various cloud
formations portend? When should I plant
my garden—even if it is just a few planters
on the apartment balcony? Many will see
the attainment of this kind of knowledge
as something beyond their abilities. But
because the universe is always teaching
us, it is not our abilities that determine
whether we gain the knowledge—it is
our will. We gain this knowledge through
observing the natural world, reading
historical accounts and travelogues, talking
with people who hold this knowledge.
Slowly, the knowledge will come.
James H. Auerbach, MD and Staff
support Green Fire Times in its efforts to bring about a better world by focusing on the people,
enterprises and initiatives that are transforming New Mexico into a diverse and sustainable economy.
Some of the topics Green fire times showcases:
GREEN Building, Products, Services, Entrepreneurship, Investing and Jobs;
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27
Native NEWSBITEs
BIA Hinders RE Development on Tribal Lands
The Energy Information Administration estimates that homes on reservations are 10
times less likely to have access to electricity than homes in non-Indian communities.
Fourteen percent of reservation households are without electricity. Many reservations
have homes scattered over large areas, far from a utility grid.
Some tribes are looking to utility-scale renewable-energy (RE) projects to improve
tribal members’ quality of life and also serve as revenue generators for the tribe.
According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released in June,
tribal lands could produce 5 percent of the country’s solar energy and more than 3
percent of electricity from wind. Yet, while developers have built hundreds of utilityscale wind farms and solar arrays on private and federal lands since 2004, only one
significant wind project is generating power from tribal lands. Another tribal wind
farm and a solar project are under construction.
Critics accuse the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of impeding RE development. In a
holdover of historical protocol, the BIA has to sign off on RE projects on tribal lands,
although other Interior Department agencies are better equipped to consult on and
approve such projects. That results in obstacles and long delays. In June, in a report to
the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, the GAO cited the BIA’s “poor management.”
The BIA responded, saying that it is getting ready to deploy a system nationally that
will do a better job of tracking data and review times and acknowledged that it needs
to give tribes more guidance on how to take over some federal responsibilities.
There is a complicated relationship between the United States government and the
sovereignty that Native American tribes are entitled to under treaties and federal
law. Although tribes are sovereign nations capable of making their own decisions, in
2005, Congress authorized Tribal Energy Resource Agreements, to be administered
by the BIA, to assist tribes’ efforts to enter power-purchase deals and leases. Not a
single tribe has used the process because the agreements don’t clearly outline where
tribal and BIA responsibilities begin and end, and the agreements lack funding to
pursue control. Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) says that Congress needs to help address
tribes’ qualms and figure out how to get tribal RE in motion.
The BIA has identified 25 tribal RE projects that could be completed within the
next five years and produce up to 2,200 megawatts (MW) of power. The Obama
administration has awarded millions of dollars in federal grants for RE, hydropower
and fossil-fuel projects on tribal lands. Last month Rep. Grijalva and Sen. Martin
Heinrich (D-NM) introduced the Tribal Tax Incentive for Renewable Energy
Act, which would amend a section of the Internal Revenue Code to allow tribal
governments to use existing federal renewable-energy investment tax credits.
picuris pueblo to receive technical assistance
On July 9, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Indian Energy announced
that Picuris Pueblo, in northern New Mexico, will receive on-the-ground technical
support from the DOE’s Strategic Technical Assistance Response Team (START).
The customized assistance will help the pueblo understand and prioritize its resource
opportunities and financing options as it seeks to develop approximately 1 MW of
solar photovoltaics on its land and facilities.
Arizona’s Senators Trade Apache
Sacred Lands to Mining Companies
In February 2015, 300 people, mostly San Carlos Apache, marched 44 miles from
their tribal headquarters to occupy Oak Flat, a National Forest campground east of
Phoenix, Arizona, where they have camped for months to protest what they see as an
assault on their culture. The campground is in the center of an ancient Apache prayer
site, Chi’Chil’Bilda’Toteel, which includes an Apache burial ground and ceremonial
site, where coming-of-age ceremonies have been performed for many generations.
The San Carlos opponents’ website is www.apache-stronghold.com
As public land, Oak Flat has had special protection since 1955 when, because of its
cultural and natural value, President Eisenhower designated the area as off-limits
to mining. Despite this protection, in December 2014, Congress—through a fineprint, last-minute rider attached to the must-pass National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA)—authorized the transfer of the land’s title to Resolution Copper
Mining, which is owned by Río Tinto, a private, Australian-British mining company,
and BHP Billiton. Both are world leaders in strip-mining. Republican senators
John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona—without public scrutiny—engineered
the “Southeast Arizona Land Exchange,” which would trade 2,400 acres of Forest
Service land, including Oak Flat, for 5,300 acres of private land Río Tinto already
owns. McCain has called the bill a compromise that protects 800 acres of sacred land
along nearby Apache Leap.
28
The companies say the mine could generate $64 billion in economic value over its
60-year life. It will reportedly use about 18,000 acre-feet of water annually, enough
to supply about 40,000 homes. Five square miles will be used to store toxic mining
waste. According to the companies, once “block-cave” mining has been completed,
the result will be a caved-in pit, 1,000 feet deep and two miles wide, that will appear
similar to a nearby meteor crater.
A full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) must be written and approved.
However, the bill’s language stipulates that 60 days after the EIS is complete, the
land will belong to Resolution no matter what the study says. On June 17, Rep. Raúl
M. Grijalva (D-AZ), with 14 bipartisan cosponsors, introduced the “Save Oak Flat
Act.” The bill would repeal Section 3003 of the FY15 NDAA. In July, the Apache
Stronghold group walked/caravanned from Tucson, Arizona, to Washington, D.C.,
to call for the land to once again be protected.
Drilling Permits for Oil in Mancos
Shale Formation Could Be Halted
As a result of a lawsuit filed by a coalition of Native American and environmental
organizations, a federal judge could impose a moratorium on new oil-drilling
permits in the Mancos Shale formation in the San Juan Basin of northwestern New
Mexico. The area includes the Chaco Culture National Historic Park. The groups
want a more thorough environmental impact statement from the U.S. Bureau of
Land Management (BLM). Judge James Browning, who, last January, struck down
a fracking moratorium in Mora County, is expected to rule this month.
There are 260 well sites in the area. About 150 have been drilled since 2011, and 3,600
are proposed for the greater Chaco region. The oil has become accessible as a result
of horizontal drilling and fracking. The impacts on people, water, ecosystems and
climate have not been adequately studied by the BLM, the groups contend. Nearly
30 top archaeologists from universities and organizations around the nation have
called on the U.S. Department of the Interior to protect the Chaco area from oil
and gas development.
BP America, ConocoPhillips, Encana Corp. of Canada and WPX Energy of
Oklahoma, along with the American Petroleum Institute, have joined the lawsuit
in support of the BLM. Encana and WPX have reportedly invested $1 billion in
drilling projects in the Mancos formation. New Mexico Gov. Susana Martínez has
urged the U.S. Interior secretary to support the BLM’s position.
Uranium Mining in the Southwest
Uranium mining and milling wastes, after more than 30 years, still have not been
remediated in Milan, Church Rock and throughout northwestern New Mexico.
“Waste from Río Grande Resources’ ‘zombie mines,’ left on standby for 25 years,
continues to contaminate air, land and water,” said Susan Gordon, coordinator of the
Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment (MASE). “At the same time, federal
and state governments continue to permit new uranium mines.”
“The communities that are members of the MASE coalition have been irreparably
harmed by uranium mining and milling in the Grants Mineral Belt,” Gordon added.
“We stand united in our position that no new mines should be allowed to open until
the toxic legacy has been cleaned up.”
Uranium Resources, Inc. announced in June that it is selling its Roca Honda Project in
west-central New Mexico to Energy Fuels, Inc., of Toronto, Canada, for $2,875,000.
The Colorado-based company has a processing plant in Texas.
In Arizona, Energy Fuels, Inc., is planning to mine uranium about four miles from
the Grand Canyon’s South Rim and truck the ore up Highway 64 to Williams and,
from there, to Flagstaff on I-40 and on to Highway 89 North to the Navajo Nation,
through Kayenta and Bluff before reaching the White Mesa Uranium Mill. The EPA
has found that communities in the vicinity of uranium mines, mills and processing
sites risk dangerous levels of exposure to radon-222, an isotope of the chemical
element, known to dissolve in the bloodstream and capable of causing chronic
radiotoxicity, which is tied to a high incidence of lung cancer. There are also added
hazards of road accidents from the mining operations.
The company is using a loophole in a 2012 ban on new uranium mines and is hoping
to operate under an operational plan and environmental review from 1986. The
Havasupai Tribe, the Grand Canyon Trust and other environmental groups have
appealed the mine opening to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Indigenous as a Way of Life
As we become aware of the basics of our
connection to the land, we become more
indigenized; that is, we are beginning to
understand the land, sky and other natural
phenomena as metaphor within our lives
and psyches. These metaphors are lessons
to further our understanding of place,
relationship, other values and their application
in our lives and the lives of our families and
communities.
For example, as we look to the cardinal
directions, what values or concepts do we
associate with the east? Values and concepts
such as rebirth, a new beginning, hope and
light can be associated with the rising sun.
Similarly, the west can represent darkness,
closure or maturity. Likewise, concepts and
values can also be delegated to the north and
south. In a comparable manner, the same
metaphorical process can be assigned to the
changing of the seasons. We hear of mental
conditions such as seasonal affective disorder
(SAD), or we think of spring fever, both
being examples of the effects the seasons have
on us. While these are general observations,
the change of seasons is different in each
bioregion and place. Part of indigeneity is
being aware of how the seasons come and go
and how that affects our lives and psyches.
The ability to see the connection between
our psyches and the land signifies a deep
connection.
When we become aware of our psychic
connection to the land, we have deepened
our relationship with the land. Through
this depth, we can see our responsibilities
to the land, celebrate the joys of living on
the land’s bounty and look to a meaningful
future for our families and communities.
Being indigenous is to be aware of that deep
connection with the land and act accordingly.
Indigeneity is not race- or ethnic based, but
it is an awareness and action that recognizes
the importance of place and land in our own
lives. It is also acknowledging and acting upon
the reciprocal relationship with the land that
provides for future generations. Indigeneity is
a commitment to place and to the future of
our communities in that place. i
Stephen Wall is the department chair for
Indigenous Liberal Studies at the Institute of
American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. He is an
enrolled member of the White Earth Nation
and has lived in New Mexico most of his life.
29
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30
NEWSBITEs
The Coal Industry
The coal-industry downturn shows no signs of letting up. Coal use in the United
States fell 21 percent between 2007 and 2014. Coal accounted for 37 percent of the
country’s electricity in February 2015—down from 50 percent in 2007—according
to the Energy Information Administration. More than one-third of the nation’s
coal plants have already closed or announced closures. Most are expected by 2020,
when the EPA’s proposal to cut carbon-dioxide emissions could go into effect.
The industry is struggling to cut costs in the face of natural gas made cheaper
by the fracking boom and low prices for thermal coal burned in power plants
and metallurgical coal used to make steel. Meanwhile, communities and power
companies throughout the United States are avoiding long-term spending on
coal because of financial risks, pollution impacts, environmental regulations and
renewable-energy options that are becoming cheaper.
Emmarie: 11 years old.
Ute (Uncompahgre)/
Navajo (Deer and Bitter
Water)/English
Tough Times for Peabody Energy
In June 2015, Peabody Energy, the world’s largest privately owned coal company,
announced 250 corporate and regional employee layoffs and said it would cut
production at an Australian metallurgical coal mine by about half. That coal has
been exported to China and India. Peabody’s shares have dropped 81 percent over
the last year. As of March 31, Peabody had $6.4 billion in debt. The multinational
corporation recorded a $787-million loss last year on revenue of $6.8 billion.
In 2014, Peabody won a bid for a 640-acre lease to develop 9.2 million tons of coal adjacent
to El Segundo Mine, north of Grants, New Mexico. El Segundo Mine produces 8
million tons a year. In March 2014, in response to an appeal of the sale of the lease based
on environmental impacts, the BLM gave Peabody the go-ahead to expand the mine.
For the past 47 years, Peabody has operated two mines on Black Mesa, in Arizona,
mining over 400 million tons of coal, using billions of gallons of water each year
from the Navajo Aquifer, to provide cheap energy and water to the entire Southwest.
Peabody’s use of the aquifer has allegedly resulted in the marked decline and, in
some cases, eradication of seeps and springs within the region.
Coal Royalties Sought to
Address Climate Impacts
Leaders of 10 Western mountain towns including Taos, New Mexico, have sent
a jointly signed letter to Interior Secretary Sally Jewel and other federal officials
requesting assistance in getting coal companies to pay hundreds of millions of
dollars a year to help the towns deal with the impacts of climate change. The town
officials asked for changes in the system that collects royalties on coal.
Coal mining is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions that are widely
considered to contribute to changing weather patterns. The National Institutes of
Health estimates 24,000 premature deaths per year nationwide from coal burning.
Sowaniu: 4 months old.
Narragansett/Navajo
Mahko: Apache
The
Warrior
Project
Photos by
Tailinh Agoyo
Heart: 2 years old.
Narragansett/
Blackfeet/Tuscarora/
Saponi/Chinese
Four Corners Power Plant Update
T
Local community, regional and national environmental groups have pointed out
what they consider to be significant flaws in the agency’s Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (DEIS) and have told the DOI that the DEIS cannot be used to
justify any decision to prolong the power plant or mine. The groups say, by rubberstamping the status quo for decades to come, the federal government has left local
residents and communities to assume serious pollution dangers and financial risks.
Tailinh Agoyo is in the first phase of the project. She has visited the Navajo in
Arizona, the Narragansett in Rhode Island and the Mohawk in upstate New
York. She has engaged in discussions with local communities about environmental
concerns and how they are taking steps towards positive change. Through
photographs of children, she shares stories about people and land, as well as
testimonials from the children about their concerns and desire for environmental
justice. The Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and
Enforcement’s record of decision released on July 17 ensures the continued
operation of the Four Corners Power Plant and Navajo Mine, located on the Navajo
Nation, in northwestern New Mexico, through 2041. The decision does not allow
the mine to expand, which is being contested in federal court.
About 800 people work at the 52-year-old plant and mine. Long-time owners of
the plant are leaving, including Southern California Edison and El Paso Electric,
while BHP-Billiton has sold the Navajo Mine to the Navajo Nation and will exit
its share of the plant’s ownership in 2016. That leaves Arizona Public Service (APS)
as the majority owner responsible for the massive investment required to keep the
electricity flowing. Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) still owns a 13
percent share. The Navajo Nation will have to take on increased regulatory liabilities
governing coal ash, methane and wastewater. APS, after shutting down three of the
facility’s five emit stacks, is faced with increased regulatory mandates for the two
stacks being retrofitted to reduce emissions by at least 30 percent.
he Warrior Project is a collection of images that portray indigenous children
in a world where resources are becoming depleted, pollution is high and the
Earth is threatened. The children photographed are nurtured in a culture where
the importance of honoring and protecting the earth is part of their DNA. They
are not passive victims; they are budding change-makers, activists and empowered
leaders. They are warriors of strength, knowledge and ancestral power.
Tailinh’s mission is to photograph indigenous children from tribes around the
world, each facing unique environmental concerns. By drawing upon traditional
beliefs and creation stories, she is represents indigenous people as a thriving,
evolving people committed to positive change. The images and accompanying
testimonials emphasize the urgency of taking action to ensure the Earth is
sustainable for the future generations.
To support The Warrior Project or for more information, call 917.386.5036 or
visit: www.warriorchildren.com/contact.html i
31
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Photo: Communidad Andina
Red Power 3.0
Men from Amazon tribes assemble to confront paramilitary forces under the auspices
of the Peruvian government at the height of a dispute between tribes and petroleumexploration companies on tribal lands. [Photo Credit: Communidad Andina]
paramilitary forces, covered in body armor, entered in armored personnel carriers with U.S.made M-4s and M-16s. The Indians never had a chance, but they chose to fight anyway.
Fortunately, today, most Indian people in the United States do not face such stark battles.
Except for the devastating social ills that disproportionately affect our families and
community members, the challenges most of us face in rebuilding our communities range
from study of the dull and mundane to the mildly interesting—unless, of course, you have
a finance or accounting background. Instead of identifying the most potent battle tactic, we
must master I.R.S. regulations. Perhaps, we must travel to cold or balmy localities, stay at
mere three-star resorts for multiple days of coursework or workshops to learn about topics
such as power-purchase agreements and lease buy-back arrangements for renewable-energy
projects on tribal lands. The most committed of our colleagues will stay up through the wee
hours of the night perfecting their cash-flow projections and pro forma budgets to satisfy
the requirements of a dreaded case study that tests our knowledge of the previous day’s
course on development financing fundamentals. As a former tribal economic-development
manager, I withstood the ire of tribal
council members, tribal landowners and
political appointees over why one project
or another must oblige one financing
provision or another. None of these
challenges is easy or fun to deal with. Yet,
if a grandma from a stark desert landscape
and outgunned rainforest dwellers are
willing to take up arms today, shouldn’t
we be willing to pick up a travel itinerary,
a pen and a laptop? Today’s Red Power
movement may not be as glamorous as the
images of the warriors of centuries past, or
Tribal leaders, program managers and even the nostalgia of Wounded Knee and
community members assemble to learn Alcatraz in the 1970s, but it could be the
about underutilized resources available most important challenge we embrace for
from public-, private- and nonprofit-sector
the generations that follow us. For those of
entities at the annual Resource Forum
convened by the Multi-Agency Tribal you who are game, I’ll see you at the next
training session or project meeting! i
Infrastructure Collaborative.
Dave Castillo is CEO of a Native Community Development Financial
Institution (CDFI). When not traveling around the Southwest
discussing financing options for Native businesses and tribal projects,
he’s working on the latest reporting requirements of federal agencies
or the return expectations of foundations and investors. He is always
happy to collaborate or commiserate with anyone working to navigate
the currents of project development in Indian Country. dncastillo@
nativehomecapital.com
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many locations in the metropolitan
Albuquerque / Río Rancho area!
For the location nearest you,
call Nick García at 505.203.4613
NEWSBITEs
Water Resources Research Institute
Unveils New Mexico Watershed Website
State Attorney General Hector Balderas has announced that, in the interest of
getting a better handle on New Mexico’s available water resources, his office is
investing $1 million from its consumer protection fund (the result of settlements won
in lawsuits) into the Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) at New Mexico
State University. The two $500,000 grants were approved by the state Legislature.
WRRI, under the direction of Alexander “Sam” Fernald, coordinates water-related
research projects statewide. The institute has provided much of the data that is being
used on a new website that provides a snapshot of the state’s water supply, water use
and evaporation. The site (nmwrri.nmsu.edu) went live in July. There has been a lot
of data on New Mexico surface water, but until now it hasn’t all been accessible in one
location. New models and satellite tracking data that can gauge water use by plants,
as well as the amount of surface water will be added to the site as part of WRRI’s
Statewide Water Assessment, a multiyear project.
Balderas has called the need to find innovate ways to use water and develop a
long-term strategy for future demand “a public safety issue, as well as an economic
development issue.”
Legislators Request Action on Methane Hot Spots
New Mexico Senators Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall, along with Representatives
Michelle Lujan Grisham and Ben Ray Lujan are urging federal officials to take action
on “a methane hot spot the size of Delaware over the San Juan Basin—the largest
concentration in the nation—in an area of high oil and gas production.”
Methane is a major global warming contributor, according to the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change. It absorbs 25 times more heat than carbon dioxide on a
100-year timescale. The legislators’ letter to the Office of Management and Budget
also cites methane as a significant public health issue. Though methane is the largest
constituent of natural gas, other toxic pollutants like benzene are often released at
the same time, contributing to ozone pollution and smog. Methane is also released
in coal production and from coal-fired power plants.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees oil and gas development on federal
and Indian lands. New BLM and EPA standards being considered could greatly
reduce methane emissions. Flaring, venting and leaks add up to millions of dollars
in lost revenue for companies, states and the federal government. Some developers
have already implemented emissions-reduction plans.
National Native Food Sovereignty Summit
Native agriculture is an economic and cultural cornerstone of most Native American
communities. Many tribes are implementing traditional food initiatives such as local
food production, seed saving, educational workshops and ecological restoration work
for culturally essential foods. Traditional diets have the potential to undo much of
the illness and harm processed foods have caused Native communities.
Tribal Green Reentry
The incorporation of elements of
Native culture has been essential
to the success of these programs.
Green Reentry programs offer a
natural opportunity for tribal youth to
reconnect with their traditional culture
and for elders—the keepers of tribal
wisdom and knowledge—to be involved
in working with youth and sharing their
knowledge through green activities such
as using traditional planting methods
(e.g., Three Sisters, native fruit tree
windbreaks), greenhouse construction
techniques (e.g., straw bale) and Native
design principles. In addition, the
grantees infused their programs with
cultural activities to directly involve
youth through traditional healing,
Native communities will come together to learn from one another to promote health,
wellness and food sovereignty at the third annual Food Sovereignty Summit, in Green
Bay, Wisconsin, Oct. 26–29. The event will be co-hosted by First Nations Development
Institute and the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, with support from the W.K. Kellogg
Foundation. It will take place at the Radisson Green Bay Hotel and Conference Center.
The summit will feature three tracks: Applied Agriculture. Community Outreach and
Products to Market. Native farmers, ranchers, gardeners, businesses, policymakers
and other practitioners from around the United States will share information,
program models and tools to meet growing and marketing challenges, as well
as provide inspiration, mentoring and networking opportunities. There will be
Experiential Learning Field Sessions (farm practices, food preservation, food
handling, organic certification), a Chefs’ Corner (culinary creations from various
tribal regions) and a session to connect mentors and mentees.
For more information, visit www.firstnations.org/summit
Navajo Green Economy Commission
The Navajo Green Economy Commission reconvened in July 2015. Wahleah Johns is
the commission’s new chairperson. Levon Thomas is vice-chair, along with members
Anna Rondon and Sam Woods.
They think the time is right for building a Navajo Nation green economy. To that
end, they are planning a Solar and Wind Summit 2015, this fall, in Window Rock,
to inform and educate Navajo Nation leaders on what they see as a tremendous
opportunity to transition into a healthier, cleaner economy by investing in training
a green workforce, getting people to become more energy-literate, and instituting
energy-efficient, rooftop photovoltaics (PV) and microgrid technologies.
“The time is now for us to show the world that Navajo people do have the desire to reduce
carbon emissions, and we need to call on DOI, DOE and other resources to help make
possible more renewable-energy policies,” said Rondon. “The Navajo Green Economy
Commission can provide educational resources and collaboration for long-term options.”
The commission, legislated into existence by the Navajo Nation Council in 2009 as
a way for the tribe to consider climate-change mitigation and adaptation options,
had its budget vetoed twice. The commissioners have volunteered since then and are
looking forward to engaging with the new Begaye administration.
Navajo Language Fluency Requirement Voted Down
On July 21, Navajos voted to eliminate the requirement for their top leader to be
fluent in the Navajo language. A Navajo presidential candidate who was not fluent was
eliminated over the issue in a recent election. The winner, Russell Begaye, advocated for
keeping the fluency requirement. The Navajo language, an essential part of maintaining
culture and tradition, is recognized worldwide as the basis for a code that helped the U.S.
win World War II. Many Navajos still speak the language, but its use is not widespread
among young people. It is taught in schools and there are other efforts underway; films
including Star Wars and Finding Nemo have been dubbed in Navajo.
sweat lodges, talking circles, history
and language, traditional crafts and
excursions to culturally significant sites.
Interviews with tribal staff, stakeholders,
parents and participating youth indicated
that youth acquiring cultural knowledge,
skills, abilities and experiences become
more grounded in understanding how
they can use their culture to make
changes in their lives and rely on it as a
resource during stressful times.
Access to culturally relevant services
and resources is both a right and an
obligation that tribal governments share
with state and federal agencies and is
supported by laws such as the New
Mexico Children’s Code (2011). Tribal
programs are increasingly incorporating
culture into prevention and intervention
activities as a source of healing. The
cultural programming incorporated
into the three Green Reentry programs
has also helped each of the tribal
governments provide culturally relevant
and appropriate services to their young
citizens and families and increased
collaboration among tribal and regional
resources. The development of such
partnerships can help tribes implement
green technologies and environmentally
sustainable activities to create long-term
environmental and economic benefits.
Parents at all three sites expressed
substantial support for the Green
Reentry program, particularly for
programming that provided their
children with new skills such as
gardening, beekeeping and green
construction. They were also enthusiastic
about activities that involved service
to the community such as community
clean-up. Most believed that positive
changes in their children’s lives had
resulted from their participation in the
program. i
Ada Pecos Melton, Rita Martínez and
David J. Melton are with American Indian
Development Associates, LLC, based in
Albuquerque, New Mexico. 505.842.1122,
http://aidainc.net
37
What's Going On!
Events / Announcements
2000 Mountain Rd. NW
Story circles where you can share 5-minute
stories with your fellow ‘Burqueans. Neighborhood association and organization tables.
Free food, music, art activities. [email protected], http://artful-life.wix.com/artfullife#!abq-museum-neighborhood-day/c721
ALBUQUERQUE
Aug. 3, 11 am
Tesuque Pueblo and
the Pueblo Revolt
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center
2401 12th St. NW
Former Tesuque Gov. Mark Mitchell will provide a historical perspective on the pueblo’s role
in the 1680 revolt. www.indianpueblo.org
Aug. 5, 5:30-7 pm
Green Drinks
Hotel Andaluz, 125 Second St. NW
Network with people interested in doing business locally,
clean energy alternatives and
creating sustainable opportunities in our communities.
Presented the first Wednesday
of each month by the ABQ
and Río Rancho Green Chamber. info@
nmgreenchamber.com, www.greendrinks.org
Aug. 8, 10 am-4 pm
Summer Wings
Río Grande Nature Center
2901 Candelaria NW
Speakers, guided bird walks, hummingbird
banding, live birds from wildlife rescue, arts
& crafts for kids, Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge display. Presented by the Friends
of the Río Grande Nature Center. Free. Parking $3. 505.344.7240, www.rgnc.org
Aug. 11, 9 am-4 pm
NM Pueblo and Community
Agriculture Conference
Route 66 Casino/Hotel, I-40
Workshops such as beekeeping, organic
certification, hoop houses, spring vegetable production. Educational agency and
program booths. Lunch provided. Hosted
by NMSU’s Southern Pueblo Beginning
Farmer/Rancher Program. Registration:
505.852.0480 or 505.852.2668
Aug. 15
Resilience Run
2401 12th St.
3rd Annual. 10K, 5K and kids’ walk commemorating the Pueblo Revolt of 1680.
Hopi/San I Reed Clan dancers, food, music.
Fundraiser for IPCC museum renovation.
Online registration: $35, $20, $10:
ResilienceRun.org, www.indianpueblo.org
Aug. 15, 2-3:30 pm
Home Composting Basics
Taylor Ranch Library
5700 Bogart NW
Turn food scraps into plant-ready nutrients,
quick & simple with the Bokashi method.
505.897.8816, [email protected]
Aug. 16, 12-4 pm
Neighborhood Day
at the ABQ Museum
ABQ Museum of Art
38
Aug. 23, 11 am-3 pm
Tomato Fiesta
ABQ Garden Center, 10120 Lomas, NE
Classes and garden tips from Master Gardeners and tomato experts. Trade fair, music,
kids’ activities. 505.292.7144, www.albuquer
quetomatofiesta.com
Aug. 27, 11:30 am-1:15 pm
Planners as Leaders
Hotel Andaluz, 125 2nd St. NW
Urban Land Institute/APA-NM lunch. Presentation by Gail Goldberg, FAICP, Exec. Dir. of the
Urban Land Institute Los Angeles District Council. $50/$35/$25. Registration: http://uli.org
Aug 29, 10:30 am-12:30 pm
Eating for Your Health
Highland Senior Center
131 Monroe NE
Community-based workshop led by Susan
Clair, covering elements of a healthy lifestyle,
plant-based & animal proteins, organic vs. conventional, antioxidants and systemic alkalinity,
health benefits of herbs & spices, complex &
refined carbs, healthy fats. Free or by donation.
Registration: 505.281.9888, [email protected]
Sept. 12
Indian Pueblo Cultural
Center Gala
2401 12th St. NW
Annual fundraising dinner/auction. Art, food,
dance, history. $150. Sponsorship opportunities
available. 505.724.3539, ccanfield@indianpueblo.
org, indianpueblo.org/gala
Sept. 26
NM Solar Energy Assn. Solar Fiesta
CNM Workforce Training Center
505.246.0400, [email protected] Nov. 11-13
Quivira Conference
Embassy Suites
“The Next Wave: Cultivating Abundance”;
hear from ranchers, farmers, scientists, activists and others. Speakers include Paul Hawkin,
Christine Jones and many more. 505.820.2544,
[email protected]. Tickets: http://qui
viracoalition.org/2015_Quivira_Conference
Daily
Our Land, Our Culture,
Our Story
2401 12th St. NW
Historical overview of the Pueblo world and contemporary artwork and craftsmanship of each of the
19 pueblos. Through Oct. 16: Visionary Concepts:
Genres of Pueblo Art, spotlighting artists who depict
pride in culture and tell a story of cultural perseverance.866.855.7902,www.indianpueblo.org
“ABQ 2030 District”
A voluntary collaboration of commercial property
tenants, building managers, property owners and
developers; real estate, energy, and building sector professionals, lenders, utility companies; and
public stakeholders such as government agencies,
nonprofits, community groups and grassroots or-
ganizers. Property partners share anonymous utility data and best practices. Professional partners
provide expertise and services. Public partners
support the initiative as it overlaps with their own
missions. Info: [email protected]
SANTA FE
Aug. 1, 10-10:30 am
USDA National Farmers’ Market
Week Kickoff
Water Tower, SF Railyard
The SF Farmers’ Market has been selected by the
USDA to host the kickoff ceremony for the 16th annualNationalFarmers’MarketWeektorecognizethe
role that farmers’ markets play in the agricultural and
food economy. Special guest speakers. 505.983.4098,
ext.6,www.farmersmarketinstitute.org
Aug. 5, 11:30 am-1 pm
Santa Fe Green Chamber Lunch
SFAHBA, 1409 Luisa St.
Presentation/discussion on having a Public
Bank. $20/$15. BankingOnNewMexico.org.
Reservations: 505.982.1774
Aug. 6-9
Santa Fe Yoga Festival
Well-known instructors and local yogis lead
more than 108 classes and workshops. Daily
meditations, dharma talks, hikes, farm to table dinners, musical performances, pool parties and Michael Franti concert (8/8, 7 pm).
www.santafeyogafestival.org
Aug. 7, 6-7 pm
“Wars, Revolts and Defining
Collective Memory
re: the Pueblo Revolt”
NM History Museum, SF Plaza
Presentation by archaeologist/author Jason
Shapiro. Free. nmhistorymuseum.org
Aug. 8, 10 am-2 pm
Healthy Kids Celebration
Santa Fe Convention Center
Performances by local fitness groups, CPR training,
Obstacle course, skateboard demonstrations, acrobatics and juggling instruction, low-cost lab screenings, health-focused organizations. Presented by
Christus St.Vincent,SF Fire Dept.,city of Santa Feå.
Eldorado
area
recycling
advocacy
group monthly meeting. All welcome.
505.466.9797, eldorado.285recycles.com
Aug. 13, 5-8 pm
Round Mountain
Body of Santa Fe, 333 W. Cordova Rd.
Acclaimed multi-instrumentalist brothers
with alt-folk and global influences. $14/$7.
Aug. 14, 6-8:30 pm
Seton Birthday Celebration
Academy for the Love of Learning
Seton Village
Opening reception and 7 pm lecture by Ernest Thompson Seton’s granddaughter Julie
Seton. Free. www.aloveoflearning.org/event_
detail/164/1350
Aug. 15, 7-9 pm
Fantasies of Flying
SF Art Institute, 1600 St. Michael’s Dr.
Preview screening of rough cut of Georgina
Lightning’s film about suicide prevention,
trauma and various forms of healing. Followed by an open discussion with Lightning.
Free. http://georginalightning.com/
Aug. 17-23
Native Cinema Showcase
NM History Museum
In partnership with the National Museum of the
American Indian, the NM History Museum presents the latest in Native documentaries, shorts, features. http://nmhistorymuseum.org/calendar.php
Aug. 18, 6 pm
Chefscapades
Clubhouse at Las Campanas
Some of SF’s executive chefs collaborate
to create a 4-course dinner. Live auction of
vacations, art, jewelry. Benefits Pete’s Place
Interfaith Shelter for the homeless. $150.
505.795.7494, www.interfaithsheltersf.org
Aug. 18-20
Antique American Indian Art Show
El Museo Cultural
40 top national dealers in historic American
Indian art. www.antiqueindianartshow.com
Aug. 8, 10 am-4 pm
Kindred Spirits Art Show
3749A Hwy. 14
Aug. 19, 5 pm
Native Arts Unbound
La Fonda Hotel
Aug. 8 Comment Deadline
SF MPO Pedestrian Master Plan
Aug. 19, 6-7:30 pm
NMSEA-SF Chapter Meeting
Amenergy, 1202 Parkway Drive
Fundraiser for animal sanctuary/hospice for
dogs, horses and poultry. Visit with the animals,
meet the artists. Painting, photography, jewelry,
sculpture, carvings, folk art, wearable art. Free.
505.471.5366, kindredspiritsnm@earthlink.
net, www.kindredspiritsnm.org
The public is invited to comment on the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s master plan
to improve the pedestrian environment. Send
comments to [email protected]. Copies of the draft may be downloaded at: http://
santafempo.org/pedestrian-master-plan/
Aug. 9
3rd Annual Resilience Run
Tesuque Pueblo
Commemoration of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt.
505.983.2667
Aug. 11, 4-6 pm
Eldorado/285 Recycles
ECIA Conference Room
The Institute of American Indian Arts presents its annual scholarship dinner and auction,
reception and silent small-works art auction.
Dinner at 6:30 pm followed by a live auction.
Tickets start at $175. iaia.edu, 800.804.6423
SF Sustainable Everything Advocates, a NM
Solar Energy Assn. chapter, seeks to make living
sustainably the accepted norm through creating
public awareness, actions, participation and volunteerism in organizations and events that establish SF and NM as leaders in this effort. Meets 3rd
Weds. each month. [email protected]
Aug. 20 Deadline
SF MPO Transportation Plan
Documents that will guide transportation infrastructure spending and pedestrian, bicycle,
public-transit policy through the year 2040.
Public comments sought. Open house review/
discussions: 8/4, 6, 11, 24, 27. 505.955.6664,
[email protected], www.santafempo.org
Aug. 20, 5-8 pm
Poeh Center Opening
Poeh Cultural Center and Museum
“Paths Of Beauty: Isabel Gonzales And Shawn
Tafoya.” Free. Embroidery exhibit runs through
Nov. 14. (See story, page 17) Center is 15 miles
north of Santa Fe, just off Hwy. 285/84
Aug. 20-21
40th Annual Wheelwright
Museum of the American
Indian Benefit Auction
704 Camino Lejo
Silent and live auctions of jewelry, textiles, pottery and fine art. 505.982.4636, wheelwright.org
Aug. 20-22
Indigenous Fine Art Market
SF Railyard Arts District
More the 400 traditional and contemporary
artists. Live entertainment. Indigefam.org
Aug. 21, 5-7 pm
Visions and Visionaries Opening
IAIA Museum of Contemporary
Native Arts, 108 Cathedral Pl.
The premier collection of contemporary Native
art inaugurates a new wing, the Kieve Family Gallery, with a multitude of renowned artists curated
by Candice Hopkins. 505.983.1666
Aug. 21, 5-7 pm
New Audiences for Native Films
Allan Houser Art Park, MoCNA
Native Cinema Showcase Film Panel & Reception.
Sponsored by the Smithsonian’s National Museum
of the American Indian and the IAIA MoCNA
Aug. 22, 3-5 pm
LaDonna Harris: The Art of
Self-Determination
Allan Houser Art Park, MoCNA
Panel discussion on advancing tribal self-determination in an era of globalization. With
LaDonna Harris, Kevin Gover, Mark Macarro,
Laura Harris, Bird Runningwater. The film
“LaDonna Harris: Indian 101” will be shown in
the IAIA MoCNA from Aug. 20-Oct. 20.
Aug. 22-23
Indian Market
Santa Fe Plaza
94th annual gathering of Native artists including many events leading up to and occurring during the market. swaia.org
Aug. 22-23, 9 am-4:30 pm
Portal Artists Celebration
Palace of the Governors Courtyard
(Blue gate on Lincoln Ave.)
Artists of the POG Native American Artisans program. Traditional dances, music and
food. 505.476.5100
Aug. 25, 6-7:30 pm
Is Your Cell Phone Making You Sick?
La Montañita Co-op Community
Room, 913 W. Alameda
Learn about patented products that help
neutralize the effects and simple ways to
decrease exposure. 505.780.8283
Aug. 28, 10 am
NM Acequia Commission Meeting
Bataan Memorial Bldg., Room 238
Info: 505.603.2879, molinodelaisla@gmail.
com. Agendas: 505.827.4983, www.nm
acequiacommission.state.nm.us
Aug. 27, 6 pm
Heirloom Food and Story
Private Residence
Farm-to-table dinner and spoken-word performances celebrating Pueblo and East Indian cultures. With master storyteller Larry Littlebird
(Laguna/Santo Domingo) and writer/director
Shebana Coelho (Bombay, India). A fundraiser for
Tano Farm at Hamaatsa that addresses food insecurity in Indian Country. $95. Tickets and info:
heirloomfoodandstory.brownpapertickets.com or
Aug. 29, 10 am-12 pm
Green Writer’s Circle
Aug. 5-9
Native Film Series
Gallup, NM
Third
annual.
Native
filmmakers.
Aug. 9
Pueblo Independence Day
Jemez Pueblo Plaza
Writers engaged in sustainability, ecology,
health and environmental issues meet for
training, discussion, publication and information resources. RSVP: [email protected]
13-mile pilgrimage run from the plaza to Jemez
Historic Site kicks off events commemorating
the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. Native food, dances,
arts & crafts. Free. nmmonuments.org/jemez
Aug. 29, 12-4 pm
Neighboring Faiths Fiesta
St.John’s United Methodist Church
Aug. 15, 12-3 pm
Embudo Valley Library Celebration
217A NM 75, Dixon, NM
Booths from SF congregations of all faiths. Meet
your “neighbors in faith.” Celebrate diverse traditions. Food, music, entertainment, clothing
drive for school uniforms for kids and adult winter clothes for Interfaith Shelter. SF Interfaith
Alliance. 505.699.6049, www.ilasantafe.org
Aug. 29-30, 10 am-4 pm
Fiesta de los Niños:
Children’s Celebration
El Rancho de las Golandrinas, La Ciénega
Games, crafts and entertainment. $8/$6/12 &
under free. 505.471.2261, www.golondrinas.org
Sept. 22-24
First Nations L.E.A.D. Inst. Conf.
Buffalo Thunder Resort
Empowering Native Youth, Strengthening Tribal Institutions, Nourishing Native
Foods & Health. (See Newsbite, page 7)
Sept. 2015-May 2016
Institute of American Indian
Arts Artists in Residence
Open to Native Americans or First Nations
artists from the Pacific Northwest, Upper Midwest and Southwest; one-month terms; public receptions and artist talks. 505.424.2389,
[email protected]; applications: iaiaacademics.
wufoo.com/forms/iaia-artistsinresidence/
Dec. 3-4
Acting Out: A Symposium on
Indigenous Performance Art
Symposium,performances,workshops,video screenings. 12/4, 6-8 pm: Performance at the Lensic. Presented by the MoCNA and MIAC. 505.428.5907,
iaia.edu/museum/news-events/upcoming-events/
Tuesdays and Saturdays, 7 am-1 pm
Santa Fe Farmers’ Market
1607 Paseo de Peralta (& Guadalupe)
Northern NM farmers & ranchers offer fresh
greenhouse tomatoes, greens, root veggies,
cheese, teas, herbs, spices, honey, baked goods,
body-care products and much more.
www.santafefarmersmarket.com
HERE & THERE
July Through September
“Under the Tuscan Sun” Expo
Galleria Italia, 2874 Hwy. 14 N.,
Madrid, NM
M-S 9:30 -5:30, 714.887.9131
July 31-Aug. 9
Las Vegas Heritage Week
Various Locations, Las Vegas, NM
100-horse Cowboy Reunion Parade, cowboy
quilt exhibit, rodeo, self-guided tours of historic homes, more. 505.425.8803, lvcchp.org
Aug. 5-9
Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial
Red Rock State Park, Gallup, NM
Dancers, artisans, musicians, vendors and
families from tribes across the U.S. and México. 505.863.3896, gallupceremonial.com
Community celebration for the National Medal for Museum and Library Service winner.
Aug. 15 Deadline
Collaborative Forest
Restoration Program
Technical Advisory Panel nominations sought
for people with experience in forest ecosystem
restoration. 505.842.3425, [email protected],
www.fs.usda.gov/goto/r3/cfrp
Aug. 20-23
Taos County Fair
Juan I. Gonzales Agricultural Center
Livestock exhibits, watermelon and pie
eating contests, live music. 575.758.3982,
taoscountyfair.com
Aug. 20, 1-4 pm
BLM Federal Coal
Program Listening Tour
Courtyard Marriott, Farmington, NM
The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public
comment on how the agency “can best carry out its
responsibility to ensure that taxpayers receive a fair
return on the coal resources managed by the federal
government on their behalf.”www.blm.gov/live
Sept. 15 Donation Deadline
Storydancer Project
Navajo Nation Series
Free services include health clinic trainings,
presentations for toddlers, preschool and K-6
graders and teacher in-service trainings at
schools and centers. projectdirector@story
dancer.com, www.thestorydancerproject.org
Through Sept. 30
Ancient Native Farming
Techniques Exhibit
Colorado Plateau Intertribal
Learning Center, Tuba City, AZ.
Exhibit showcases efforts by elders and community leaders from 12 tribes across the Colorado
Plateau to preserve dry farming practices that have
allowed native peoples to flourish for thousands
of years. Open by appointment. alicia.tsosie@
foodcorps.org, www.grandcanyontrust.org/blog/
preserving-our-seeds-and-farmer-knowledge
Oct. 23-24
Traditional Agriculture &
Sustainable Living Conference
Northern NM College, Española, NM
10th annual. This year’s theme: Global Warming and Other Issues Threatening Mother
Earth. International keynote speakers include
renowned elder/healer/shaman Angaangaq
Angakkorsuaq (“Uncle”) from Greenland and
Dr. Mark Nelson, dir. of
the U.K. based Institute
of Ecotechnics. Panels,
workshops, hands-on
activities, vendors, info
booths, heritage seed
exchange. 518.332.3156,
[email protected],
http://4bridges.org
Aug. 21-22
Cowboy Music & Poetry
St. James Hotel and Philmont
Scout Ranch, Cimarrón, NM
Western Music Assn. event. Performed by those
who live and work in the West. 575.376.9207,
CimarronCowboyGathering.com
Aug. 21-23
Amigos Bravos Float Trip
Rio Chama
A mostly gentle float punctuated by easy
rapids down the wild & scenic river. Valet
service with luxury camping accommodations. $1,720. Partially tax-deductible.
Aug. 25, 7 pm
Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Talk
Los Alamos, NM
Learn about the largest petroglyph site in North
America. Free. www.losalamosnature.org
Aug. 28, 8 am
Seed Harvesting Hike
Bandelier National Monument, NM
Help collect seeds for post-fire Frijoles Creek
restoration project. Free. Meet at Juniper Campground in Bandelier. www.losalamosnature.org
Aug. 31 Submission Deadline
Questa Quilt Project
Quilt pieces are sought for an art piece that expresses the feelings of New Mexicans about the
effects of the now-closed Questa mine. The
quilt will be unveiled on Sept. 12 as part of “The
Ground Beneath Our Hearts,” a global spectacle
to honor the resilience of people living in communities affected by mining and oil & gas development. 505.351.1381, [email protected]
39
Authentic Native American Art
From The Twenty-Two Tribes Of New Mexico
Than
Povi
Fine Art Gallery
It’s not your ordinary gallery......It’s a cultural experience
Special events throughout
the month of August
6 Banana Lane, Santa Fe, NM 87506 | Hwy 84/285 Exit 176 | Next to Gabriel’s Restaurant
Visit our newest location at the Pueblo of San Ildefonso starting September 1st
www.thanpovi.com | 505.455.9988
40
Ntive American Owne

August 2015 PDF Edition

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