By Donovan Quintero
Exclusively for the Times

SANTA-FE — In a world that often feels disconnected from its roots, a dynamic group of Jemez Pueblo youth are making a difference by preserving their culture through the rhythmic movements of traditional dances and the powerful sound of songs.

This past weekend, the 102nd annual Santa Fe Indian Market provided a platform for passionate young artists to showcase their devotion to their heritage and attract audiences eager to experience expressions of Pueblo culture.

Among the standout performers were Elijah Yepa, 14, a ninth-grader at Jemez Valley High School, and Malikai Madalena, 17, a dedicated twelfth-grader at the same school. Together with their classmates, they captivated the audience with a performance that not only highlighted their talent but also paid tribute to the centuries-old traditions of their ancestors.

Passing on tribal cultural practices

The Jemez Pueblo Tribe is one of 19 tribes in New Mexico. According to the tribe’s website, there are more than 3,400 registered tribal members.

Yepa and Madalena, two of the younger tribe members, were not in Santa Fe to enjoy the chaotic event of the annual Indian Market, but to participate in the cultural customs of their tribe. Yepa talked about where he gets the inspiration for the song he and his schoolmates sang.

“The inspiration comes from our buffalo dances that we do in the winter. Usually these dances consist of prayers for snow, prayers for snowfall and prayers for hunters,” Yepa said. “It just feels good to be able to do all of that.”

Her sponsor and possibly her senior advisor, Jolene Cruz-Madalena, said the group is made up of youth who have been dancing and singing since they were three or four years old, adding that the group is made up of members of several Pueblo tribes.

“This group is very active in their own traditional culture. They are all part of the Jemez Pueblo, and some come from the Laguna Pueblo, Ohkay Owingeh and San Felipe,” she said Saturday.

Cruz-Madalena said that for her, seeing youth learn and practice the culture means they learn that there are many paths to success.
“The young people also learn to keep their balance,” said Cruz-Madalena.

Hopi sculptor Ron Honyumptewa of Moenkopi, Arizona, who also sold his kachina dolls at the Indian market, said that in his culture, language is an important part of their way of life.

“As Hopis, we try to teach our youth our language and culture,” he said. “My two daughters are very involved in our culture and traditions.”

Honyumptewa remembers learning Hopi songs and dances at a young age.

“I learned it from my grandparents and uncles. I remember the kachinas that existed, the dances that existed. I was very lucky that my grandparents spoke Hopi to me, so I could understand it,” he said.

Overall, according to the Harvard International Review, one Indigenous language is lost every two weeks worldwide. A major factor is language suppression practices. In 2021, the Department of the Interior began investigating federal policies on Indigenous boarding schools. The investigation revealed the far-reaching reach of the system, which included 408 schools in 37 states. The Bureau of Indian Affairs found that the primary purpose of the boarding schools was to culturally assimilate American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians by forcibly removing them from their families and discouraging their languages, religions, and cultural beliefs.

Shedding light on harsh realities

The Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative Investigative Report, Volume 1, drew on federal documents to shed light on the harsh reality faced by children in these institutions. Their investigations found that life was tightly structured, free time was scarce, and children lived in cramped quarters, often resulting in multiple children sharing a bed.

The federal government’s treatment of Native Americans is riddled with numerous dark chapters, but few are as disturbing as the federal government’s efforts to erase their languages ​​and cultures in order to assimilate them into an American identity. The government’s destructive policies, formulated in the late 19th century, aimed to transform Native Americans into what officials envisioned as “white men with different colored skin,” reflecting a deep disregard for their rich cultural heritage.

The first major step in the United States’ assimilation policy was the allotment of land to tribes initiated by the General Allotment Act of 1887, commonly known as the Dawes Act. The goal of this act was to encourage Native American tribes to use their land more productively while also freeing up additional land for white settlers. The Dawes Act required that Indian reservations be divided into 160- and 80-acre parcels, which were individually allotted to the heads of Native American households. The act resulted in significant land loss.

The era of Indian boarding schools began after the removal and reservation policies, as discontent grew within the federal government due to increasing pressure from white settlers moving west. The increasing pressure on the federal government fueled hostility toward the indigenous tribes, which ultimately led to the demand for boarding schools aimed at assimilating the indigenous population into Euro-American culture.

The U.S. government implemented an important measure to promote assimilation by reforming the Indian education system, focusing on the establishment of boarding schools. The goal of these institutions was to teach English to Indian children in order to speed up the assimilation process.

Captain Richard Henry Pratt played a crucial role in shaping the structure of Indian boarding schools. He founded the first Indian boarding school, the Carlisle Indian School, in 1879. After some early successes, he successfully lobbied Congress, resulting in federal funding for Carlisle and other boarding schools in 1891. This marked a turning point, as it cemented the government’s commitment to funding Indian boarding schools and changed the general perception of Native American education.

Pratt formulated his famous motto, “Kill the Indian in him and save the man.” He was convinced that the transmission of Euro-American capitalist values ​​was essential to achieving this goal.

Environmental protection the “Navajo way”

Cruz-Madalena, the sponsor of the Jemez Pueblo Face group, said that by practicing dancing and singing culturally related songs, as well as dancing appropriate dances, the youth also learn to take care of the environment.

“It teaches them to take care of the environment. For example, the corn that some of them dance with. Many of their families are farmers. They have their own crops. A lot of the corn that they dance with or use, they grew themselves,” Cruz-Madalena said. “So they learn to take care of the environment and, above all, to maintain this tradition as well as agriculture, because a lot of it is used, whether it’s for what they dance with or even as food that comes to the table to welcome people when they come home. This all comes from their own plants, their own crops, and they grow, so it teaches them how to take care of the environment and honor it.”
Navajo painter Alvin John of Kayenta, who was also at the Indian market selling his works, said the Diné philosophy is to carry on the traditional teachings, the roots and K’é.

“Right now we’re losing the language a little bit,” said John, who explained how he teaches his children and younger generations through his artwork. “This way they can look at it visually and they come up to you and ask, ‘What is the purpose of this? Or why is this color like this?’ So we try to explain it to them and tell them, ‘Hey, this is the way our elders taught us, without the English way, the Western way. This is traditional, basically the Navajo way.'”
John said there are two things the youth leaving the reservation should not lose.

“The most important thing is language and then their identity, where they come from. Because of our ancestors, we wouldn’t exist. It’s because of them. They had to sacrifice everything they had and were forced off the reservation,” he said. “They had to fight for all of that so we could return as a nation.”

Of Yepa, who sang a traditional Jemez Buffalo song with Madalena, ninth-grader D-onte Gachupin and ninth-grader Keean Toya, he said they were not performing to attract attention.

“It’s just what we like to do, we don’t want attention. We’re just people who like to carry on our tradition: we try to keep it going as long as possible,” he said.

Madalena, perhaps the oldest of the group, said in the most humble of all remarks that everything they had learned had come from home.

“We grew up participating and everything that we’ve learned now, the songs and dances, we just want to keep going and just use everything that we’ve learned from home,” he said. “We learned it from our families and other singers and we just want to keep going and be the next generation and keep our tradition alive.”

The market is known for its Native American art, culture and performances and attracts thousands of visitors from around the world.

Despite the challenges posed by modernization and the disappearance of traditional customs in some communities, Elijah and Malikai remain optimistic about the future of their culture and other indigenous cultures. But to preserve them, young people like them must ensure they listen to and participate in their cultural ceremonies.

“They just have to listen and participate in everything. Ask as many questions as possible. If they don’t know a word in their language, ask. Or if they want to learn a song or learn how to compose a song, just ask. They just can’t be afraid to ask to learn more,” said Madalena.

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