Panelists at Wednesday’s American Indian Heritage Month discussion are left to right Lorene Willis, Alden Naranjo, Gilbert Suazo, center, motioning and talking about important cultural issues and customs, Geronima Ortiz and Robert Johnson. Photos by LeRoy Sanchez, Public Affairs
Members of five American Indian tribes discussed the culture, traditions and recent efforts to preserve what is theirs at an American Indian Heritage Month panel discussion Wednesday in the Peace Pipe Room of the Los Alamos Inn.
The panel discussion, "Diversity within Local Southwestern American Indian Tribes," was sponsored by the Laboratory’s Diversity (DVO) Office and the American Indian Diversity Working Group with support from the Tribal Relations Team in the Community Relations (CRO) Office.
Jicarilla Apache tribal member Lorene Willis said the Apache Cultural Center in Dulce, N.M. where she works stresses the importance of Native American elders and the need to keep the language alive. Willis said that 20 percent of 3,000 people are fluent in the Apache language. Her tribe is also very involved with the mining and selling of oil and gas, she said.
Alden Naranjo a Southern Colorado Ute tribe member talks about the importance of teaching Native American youth about their traditions and culture.
Alden Naranjo of the Southern Ute tribe in Colorado and a tribal cultural preservation advisor said he is concerned about the Ute tribe’s ability to maintain its traditional customs, including passing on the Ute language to its tribe’s youth and preserving the language through writing and audiotapes. Naranjo said he is saddened by the loss of his tribe’s original way of life, but happy that the children are starting to inquire about the Ute culture. Next to speak was Laboratory retiree Gilbert Suazo of Taos Pueblo. He is currently working on Indian water right issues in Northern New Mexico and a economic development project.
Suazo said his prime concerns pertain to the land, but he said he’s also concerned about preserving Native American culture and the Tewa language. He said that his tribe is "more about living the life of the culture not speaking of it."
Geronima Ortiz of San Juan Pueblo spoke about the importance of instilling the value of education within all American Indian tribes. She said she is trying to teach the Tewa language while promoting a respect for culture and fellow man.
Ortiz works with a state government organization that provides funding for scholarships and housing for San Juan and surrounding pueblos.
Panelist Robert Johnson of the Navajo Nation and an employee of the Navajo Nation Museum in Arizona echoed the concerns of other panelists. He said he is very concerned with teaching youths about the Native American culture.
Johnson also works with school systems to start teaching the native language to the youth from kindergarten through college. He said the Navajo cultures’ ways are passed down through visuals and through communication that starts in the home.