Groups support Tesuque's stance

By TOM SHARPE The New Mexican

November 17, 2005

Tesuque Pueblo is picking up allies in its effort to stop construction of a civic center and underground garage on downtown Santa Fe property believed to include the site of an ancient American Indian village with human burials.

Representatives of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Americans for Indian Opportunity, the National Congress of American Indians and other groups on Wednesday announced the creation of City Different Preservation Alliance to demonstrate solidarity with Tesuque.

"Sometimes when a group stands up for itself like Tesuque Pueblo has, it feels like you're a small fish in a big sea," Tesuque Gov. Mark Mitchell said at a news conference. "You feel like friends are few and far in between. Today, I know different. Today, I know Tesuque Pueblo is not alone."

Kathryn Harris Tijerina of Americans for Indian Opportunity framed the issue as one of religious freedom. "We all say we all believe in religious freedom, but it's very easy to run over someone's religion if it's not yours," she said.

Reggie Whitehead of the Santa Fe chapter of the NAACP said his group is formally calling upon the Santa Fe City Council to find another site for the convention center and underground garage -- away from the old Sweeney Convention Center that would be razed for the new construction.

Joe Garcia, governor of Ohkay Owingeh, formerly known as San Juan Pueblo; chairman of the All Indian Pueblo Council and newly elected president of the National Congress of American Indians, called on Santa Fe leaders to set a precedent for working cooperatively with Indian governments.

Garcia said the council has been outspoken but unsuccessful in its efforts to stop a road project through the petroglyphs west of Albuquerque, but hopes Tesuque's opposition to the Santa Fe project will lead to greater sensitivity among developers statewide.

"If we can avoid (disturbing ruins) at the onset, then we don't expend a lot of money developing something because we knew of this site earlier," he said, "I think there will be better respectable relationships with all the developers and all of the people within the state and hopefully at the national level."

Gil Vigil, a Tesuque member and vice chairman of All Indian Pueblo Council, said Wednesday was the 15th anniversary of the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. He said he is working to amend the act so it applies not just to Indian reservations, but to property off reservations.

"On a lot of private land, there's a lot of desecration going on, on sacred sites by individuals who are not aware of what is out there and don't protect those sites," he said.

Mitchell said he and other Tesuque officials toured the downtown Santa Fe site for the first time Monday, but he declined to say more about ongoing negotiations with city officials. He suggested that an advisory board made up of Indians be created to consult with developers over future projects throughout New Mexico.

"This is to ensure that our ancestors and the remains of our ancestors stay where they are at because of our own traditional beliefs," he said. "That's the reason we're standing unified and making sure we work as a team and not against each other, making sure that all aspects, all ethnic groups are somewhat taken into consideration when it comes to development in the City Different, and I like that slogan because it is the City Different."

Link to Report

Contents

December 2005 Reports

Last updated on December 05, 2005