Mary K. Bowannie

I was talking to Mario Atencio, one of my students in the Native American Studies program at the University of New Mexico, about the challenges of blogging. Putting one’s thoughts out there, keeping the word count tight, meeting the proverbial deadline, and addressing the issues from a personal (rather than a reporter) standpoint. Mario listened patiently as we sat outside on a very cold, windy day in Albuquerque, NM, waiting for The Longest Walk 2 event to start. When I finally stopped thinking out loud, he turned and looked at me and said, “Just let it flow.”

So here it goes.

The Longest Walk 2 event April 11 in Albuquerque was powerful and empowering. The local media coverage was mostly photo ops of the dancers, the colorful side of the event. Many folks heard the words of Dennis Banks and were reminded to keep fighting the fight. Banks feels not much has changed over the years.

While I respect Dennis Banks’ sacrifice and contributions, I have to disagree with his statement. Yes, some things haven’t changed: Indigenous lands and our sacred places are still being contaminated, endangered and raped. Tribes wrestle politically on a tribal, state and federal level to assert and exercise their sovereignty.

So what has changed?

The young people who are active in their communities are well grounded — in culture, politics, and the issues. They’re schooled academically from an indigenous perspective: their perspective. They are decolonizing their minds and their actions from the cultural and political genocide inflicted on our communities since 1492.

They are moving beyond the labels designed to keep us divided and acceptable to others: rez versus urban, traditional versus non-traditional, enrolled and not. The list goes on and on. They’re moving forward, pushing the issues with the constant reminder to learn from the past, and to be present in the now as our communities’ future depends on our actions today.

KIVA Club is the oldest student organization at the University of New Mexico and the group worked tirelessly weeks before the April 11 event to gather food and supplies to support the walkers. Thomas Andrews is Nez Perce and Diné and the Longest Walk 2 New Mexico Coordinator. He’s an alum of UNM and told the crowd at the rally how good it felt to have KIVA Club involved, knowing he could always count on them for support.

Leona Morgan, Diné and UNM alum, addressed the crowd on the issue of uranium mining and her work with ENDAUM – Eastern Navajo Dine Against Uranium Mining based in Crownpoint, NM. Morgan spoke passionately and knowledgeably about uranium, recounting how it gets into the ground water and poisons the grass the sheep eat. Sheep are critical for the Diné way of life. The sheep are a source for food and their wool is used to make rugs for cultural use by families and sold for economic necessities.

As I sat back and took in the words and the images, I thought about other students who have graduated from UNM and who are doing good work. Andrea Hanks, Diné/Ojibwe, graduated two years ago and went straight to work as the Wild Rice Campaign coordinator for the White Earth Land Recovery Project.

Hanks and others introduced legislation to the Minnesota State Legislature for a moratorium on the introduction of genetically engineered wild rice in order to protect their traditional Manoomin. She worked with the Minnesota Tribes to unify collectively on the issue. Governor Pawlenty approved the Omnibus Environment and Natural Finance Bill (H2410/S2096) last May.

Pablo Padilla, Zuni, spoke humbly a few weeks before to a group of UNM students about his work with the Zuni Salt Lake Coalition to protect the Sacred Zuni Salt Lake from being desecrated and exploited.He explained how his experiences working for the tribe on the environmental level and with the Zuni Tribal Council to protect the Sacred Zuni Salt Lake led him to law school and the UNM Indian Law Program. He told the students the protection of sacred sites and our lands is at a critical point and we must “engage in the political process, it’s crucial.”

Crucial - for the sake of the land itself.

In his book God is Red, Vine Deloria Jr., writes:

“The lands of the planet call to humankind for redemption. But it is redemption of sanity, not a supernatural reclamation project at the end of history. The planet itself calls to the other living species for relief. Religion cannot be kept within the bounds of sermons and scriptures. It is a force in and of itself and it calls for the integration of lands and peoples in harmonious unity. The lands wait for those who can discern their rhythms. The peculiar genius of each continent — each river valley, the rugged mountains, the placid lakes — all call for relief from the constant burden of exploitation.”