ALBUQUERQUE — A Zuni Pueblo couple has been sentenced for a brutal assault in which they attacked a man in his home and continued the assault in the presence of a witness and two minor children both enrolled members of the Pueblo of Zuni assaulted John Doe at his residence on the Zuni Pueblo The incident began as a verbal dispute and rapidly escalated when Johnson repeatedly slapped the victim Concho and Johnson then prevented the victim from calling for help by seizing his phones and attempting to access a bedroom where a witness and two minor children were present Concho continued the assault on John Doe by striking him over the head with a chair Concho continued the attack until Johnson alerted him that a witness had contacted law enforcement Concho and Johnson fled the scene and remained at large until their subsequent apprehension in Arizona Concho was sentenced to 57 months in prison and Johnson was sentenced to 24 months in prison Concho and Johnson will be subject to three years of supervised release Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jesse Pecoraro Copyright © 2012-2025 The Los Alamos Daily Post is the Official Newspaper of Record in Los Alamos County This Site and all information contained here including graphs and graphics is the property of the Los Alamos Daily Post Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted provided that the Los Alamos Daily Post and author/photographer are properly cited columnists and other contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the Los Alamos Daily Post The Los Alamos Daily Post newspaper was founded Feb Contacts:Scott Groene, Executive Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (201) 712-5034; scott@suwa.orgGrant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org which would protect more than 8.4 million acres of federal public lands in Utah Zuni Tribal Governor Arden Kucate said “We recognize that the lands in America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act are aboriginal lands and contain the testimony of our ancestor’s space and time since time immemorial and are traditionally significant to Zuni heritage.” “These lands include the prehistoric habitation sites artifacts and human remains of our Thlewekwe ancestors,” stated Councilman Edward Wemytewa “These lands are of cultural importance to many people including the Zuni Tribe and other Pueblo Tribes.”Governor Kucate added along with the cultural and historic record of the legacy of the Zuni peoples could be harmed. Our approach to life is an all-encompassing effort to protect the environment for the benefit of all mankind. We find that America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act is an important part of that effort.” “We greatly appreciate the Zuni Tribe’s endorsement of the Red Rock bill,” said SUWA Executive Director Scott Groene the Zuni Tribe is leading in protecting lands in southern Utah including their work for the establishment of the Bears Ears National Monument.” “Defending America’s Wilderness is crucial to ensuring the vital ecosystems and sacred lands across the Southwest and the country remain stable and protected in collaboration with Tribes,” said Representative Melanie Stansbury “I am proud to sponsor America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act in the U.S House and to have the endorsement of Zuni Pueblo We must continue to work together to ensure these special places are permanently protected.” Our popular “Protect Wild Utah” yard signs (in both English and Spanish) are available for pickup at SUWA’s Salt Lake City office and at many of our local events. To arrange an office pickup time (between 9-5, M-F), please call (801) 486-3161 or email us at info@suwa.org ©2025 Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Check out community events around New Mexico from May 2 to 8 Albuquerque New Mexico Albuquerque Notices 🔶 Celebrate Mother’s Day at the ABQ BioPark Zoo – The ABQ BioPark Zoo is celebrating all moms during its Mother’s Day at the Zoo on May 11 Your access to this service has been limited If you think you have been blocked in error contact the owner of this site for assistance If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges on this site please enter your email address in the box below and click "Send" You will then receive an email that helps you regain access Wordfence is a security plugin installed on over 5 million WordPress sites The owner of this site is using Wordfence to manage access to their site You can also read the documentation to learn about Wordfence's blocking tools or visit wordfence.com to learn more about Wordfence Click here to learn more: Documentation 6 May 2025 1:16:57 GMT.Your computer's time: document.write(new Date().toUTCString()); – Crews in McKinley County were fighting off a brush fire on the Zuni Pueblo Tuesday A spokesperson from Zuni Pueblo say the fire started before noon near the Pueblo Solid Waste Program and Zuni Head Start They say the fire is under control and crews are in the mop up stages There were some mandatory evacuations for residents near 301 South and in the water department area It’s still unclear when people can return to their homes Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public File may contact KOB via our online formor call 505-243-4411 Ivie is the prime suspect in the deaths of two other residents being treated with antibiotics for a purulent lesion on his foot One of the staff is dabbing on a paste supplied by a medicine man The tribal eagle aviary in Zuni Pueblo narrow flightway with slatted walls and roof Ivie and Runner are housed in separate individual mews along one side The birds fill the space with noise—the high-pitched serial squeaks and whistles of the Bald Eagles surprisingly feeble for such a majestic creature and the ear-piercing screeches of the Goldens None of them will see the wild again; many can no longer fly they would have faced the euthanizer's needle But here they will live out their days in relative comfort—and captive eagles may live many decades stocky man of 60 with an iron-gray mustache and hair worn in a single long braid these aren’t just wild creatures,” he said we cleanse it of bad spirits and accept it into the tribe as a family member We treat them with the respect they are due we take care of them as we would a deceased relative.” and the annual molting season was almost over On the pea-gravel floor a few feathers lay here and there and it is for those appendages that eagles are most valued “They provide us with the resources we need to fulfill our religious obligations,” Luna said These are the things we pray for with our offerings of feathers.” Other tribes use eagle feathers ceremonially Yet the right to procure them has long been caught up in the fraught relationship between Native Americans and the federal government both of which revere the eagle—one for its ancient the other as a national emblem—but through very different worldviews The Zuni have provided a model for bridging that gap But even tribal aviaries may not be enough to cement the tremendous rebound of the Bald Eagle or to stabilize the Golden Eagle population as forces both religious and non-religious have driven the feather market underground sometimes called the Hunter God of the Upper Regions flies closer to the heavens than any other living creature The turkey is honored for teaching the tribe how to grow corn and ward off evil spirits The macaw and the crow are at the heart of the tribe’s creation story leading the first Zuni on their great migration after they emerged from the bowels of the Earth in the Grand Canyon The macaw led one group south to the Land of Everlasting Sunshine; the followers of the crow headed east searching for what they called the Middle Place I went to the Middle Place one day with Kenny Bowekaty We walked in a blustery wind through the narrow streets of Zuni Pueblo past modest adobe houses and a derelict Spanish mission with an overgrown graveyard until we came to a staircase that led to the highest rooftop It commanded a panoramic view of Dowa Yalanne the sheer-sided red rock mesa where the Zuni took refuge from Spanish invaders in 1540 The reservation today is home to about 8,000 Zuni two-thirds of the tribe’s recognized members they must navigate the contradictory pull of tradition and modernity—for example alternately producing hand-carved kachina dolls and traveling 40 miles to Gallup for jobs at Wal-Mart For centuries the Zuni gathered feathers for ceremonial purposes directly from birds taken from their ancestral lands “The elders used to have their own little aviaries and we were self-sufficient,” said Octavius Seowtewa a 70-year-old elder in the powerful Galaxy Medicine Society one of the six Zuni religious fraternities “The old men had birds and raised them for their feathers prohibited the possession of eagles and their parts Suddenly old tribal ways were against the law To provide Native Americans with a legal pipeline for feathers, the government established the National Eagle Repository which is housed today just outside of Denver and federal agencies were ordered to send all dead and injured eagles there Members of a federally recognized tribe could apply for up to one whole Bald or Golden Eagle each year But the repository couldn’t keep up with the demand from 573 different tribes “For a whole carcass of a Bald Eagle the waiting time may be six months to two years,” Luna told me “For a juvenile Golden Eagle with white tail feathers and brown tips the kind you see on war bonnets in the movies Injured eagles had to be euthanized—and in that rule the Zuni found a potential solution to the problem Why not keep eagles alive and well cared for by the tribe thereby guaranteeing members a fresh supply of molted feathers Fish and Wildlife Service agreed and granted the Zuni a permit to build an aviary for religious purposes Since then seven other tribes have done the same and a thin sleet was blowing in through the slatted walls of the flightway Luna’s staff had taken advantage of the foul weather to sort through the season’s feathers and put them in a bucket,” said Stafford Chimoni—Bobo to his friends—who was cheerfully supervising two young Zuni assistants we put them in a paper sack and store them in the refrigerator.” Now the team was stuffing them into plastic bags Chimoni showed me the form people use to request which feathers they want and for what purpose It might be for the winter Shalako festival where dancers represent couriers for the rain gods the secret chambers in which men conduct religious ceremonies especially during the winter fasting season,” he said “They’ll use about five feathers for one of these Each new arrival to the aviary is quarantined to prevent the spread of infection and given an annual physical by staff of the Albuquerque zoo Luna showed me a photograph of a Golden female named Olo that he had glove-trained Several Golden Eagles succumbed to respiratory tract infections leased from the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs that had previously housed storage tanks for diesel The tanks leaked and the bureau had simply covered the contaminated area with a six-inch layer of gravel The Zuni are still locked in a dispute with the agency over who bears responsibility for the cost of remediation Luna says the FWS has all but suspended the intake of new birds which is the main reason the aviary population is down to its present 18 Luna watched his staff bag the feathers and sighed just to satisfy the immediate needs of the tribe’s various religious groups let alone the everyday requests for items like the humble prayer sticks Tribal aviaries had helped create a feather supply but they couldn’t keep up with increasing demand he Navajo Nation is the biggest tribe in the country, with 332,000 people—almost 30 times as many as the Zuni. Its eagle aviary, which is housed roughly 60 miles away, in the Navajo Zoo in Window Rock where I had dinner with a man named Eddy Benally We met at the historic El Rancho Hotel on Route 66 where the menu paid tribute to the old-time movie stars who stayed there while filming Westerns which came with a topping of American cheese and guacamole; I had the Rita Moreno Enchiladas Benally was a tribal law-enforcement officer and a Navajo himself After a stint working undercover in narcotics growing his hair to his waist to blend in among dealers and addicts on the reservation Benally had spent the past 20 years chasing poachers who supply a thriving black market for feathers “There’s a lot more money in animal parts than there is in drugs,” he said and you’ll find someone to sell you eagle feathers We care for wildlife and Mother Earth.’ And that’s how the white man sees us Native Americans are the biggest killers of eagles.” Beyond the obvious pressures of demand from so many people he said: the powwow and the Native American Church—both relatively modern innovations The powwow originated with individual tribes but it has evolved over the past half-century into a shared collective assertion of Native American identity a spectacle highlighted by the elaborate feathered outfits of the powwow dancers The Navajo have enthusiastically embraced it the more points you get.” The tail feathers of the juvenile Golden Eagle are the most valuable but the speckled feathers of a young Bald Eagle are also highly prized showing me a photograph of Northern Flicker feathers that were for sale online “It’s not because the particular species is sacred,” he said The usual response of the Navajo tribal courts is a slap on the wrist More serious cases are referred to the feds; the FWS handles between 700 and 800 MBTA and eagle-protection cases a year nationwide Sometimes these result in protracted undercover operations a joint investigation by federal special agents and the Navajo Nation broke a black-market ring trafficking in feathers and prosecuted 36 people The biggest recent bust was the result of a 19-month-long operation called Dakota Flyer; 17 individuals in four states were found guilty in August 2018 of violating the Lacey Act and the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act the government is reluctant to take Native Americans to court “They get a public defender and say it’s their religious right,” he said In the 1970s the government had found itself in a bind with wildlife-protection laws clashing sharply with guarantees of religious freedom The arrest of 28 Native Americans in Oklahoma for possessing eagle feathers had evoked bitter memories of the 19th-century Religious Crimes Code which had outlawed tribal dances and ceremonies the Department of the Interior clarified it would not seek legal action against Native Americans who merely possess feathers or exchange them without compensation Congress passed the American Indian Religious Freedom Act which protects the rights of Native Americans to practice traditional religions including the “use and possession of sacred objects.” Culture and religion are infinitely elastic constantly evolving in response to historical circumstances Federal laws had tried to balance the ­protection of the eagle with respect for Native American culture by making feathers available for use in religious ceremonies But no matter how important it was to the Navajo could the powwow honestly be described as a “religious ceremony” The church had its roots in government-backed efforts of 19th-century missionaries to convert Native Americans to Christianity In 1918 many of those converts rebelled against the outlawing of something that was fundamental to their beliefs—the use of hallucinogenic peyote as a sacrament a means of communion with God and Jesus Christ citing religious freedom and the First Amendment but over time attracted a strong following on the Navajo reservation more than one in three Navajo were taking part in its ceremonies and in 1983 its adherents formally registered the Native American Church of Navajoland One of the main accoutrements of its priests or “roadmen,” is an eagle feather; other trappings of the peyote ceremony include feather fans and whistles fashioned from eagle bones Benally reserved his harshest comments for the Hopi whose small reservation is entirely surrounded by the Navajo lands The Hopi consider the eagle to be a human being in animal form yet they have a federal permit to sacrifice 40 a year a religious ritual that involves smothering the young bird in cornmeal so that it can ascend to the heavens to relay messages to the gods He showed me a photograph of a man with two juvenile Golden Eagles chained to a rooftop Those two mountains are their sacred buttes That’s where they find the nests.” What angered him most was not just what he saw as the inhumanity of the ritual; it was that a controversial inter-tribal compact allows the Hopi to take 18 of their 40 eaglets from nesting territory on the Navajo reservation which involved a white man who had embraced the religion of his Native American wife He was caught with Golden Eagle feathers he’d been given by a Hopi religious leader but a court had ruled in his favor—citing yet another federal law the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act The story of the Zuni aviary had seemed straightforward: a reasonable if imperfect compromise between the federal government and a deeply traditional tribe with three federal laws protecting the bird the Native American Church had been granted an exemption from federal drug laws; the Hopi from laws protecting the eagle; and a white convert from the “Indians only” rule pushing aside the remains of his John Wayne Burger “Maybe I just see things this way because I’ve been a cop for too long,” he said “Maybe I should have been a plumber or a carpenter or something instead.” he Navajo aviary is run by an Anglo, an affable wildlife biologist named David Mikesic. While the Zuni built their aviary with tribal and private funding, the Navajo jump-started theirs with a $200,000 Tribal Wildlife Grant as have other tribes like the Iowa and the Citizen Potawatomi Nation in Oklahoma (The FWS has proposed eliminating the program created to fund proactive conservation solutions so that the Interior Department can “address higher priorities.”) whose preferred nesting habitat is in the high cliffs of the surrounding red rock mesas where they feast on jack­rabbits and prairie dogs At the entrance is a towering statue of the bird perched on a symbolic montage of things that kill it Worried about the potential impact of the Hopi sacrifices and a perceived decline in Golden Eagles Mikesic supervised a 10-year study of Goldens on the reservation The two biggest identifiable causes of mortality Golden Eagles are particularly susceptible to electrocution because their wingspan is enough to bridge the gap between the ground wire and the energized conductor no government of either party had questioned that the plain intent of the MBTA was to prohibit not only poaching but also the predictable if unintended killing of birds by hazards like oil spills The threat of liability was a powerful incentive for energy companies to find practical remedies—covering pits with netting But an Interior Department ruling in December 2017 changed all that Companies would now be liable only if they set out deliberately to kill birds which kill up to 64 million birds a year through collision or electrocution While Audubon and others are now challenging the ruling in federal court the Navajo Nation has a legal code of its own including the Navajo Endangered Species List with extensive protections for migratory birds and other wildlife In 2008 Mikesic crafted enforceable standards for “raptor-safe” power poles—not only for eagles but also Ferruginous Hawks the only other species with a wingspan large enough to put them at risk of electrocution This independent legal authority is potentially significant for the 27,000-square-mile reservation houses the coal mines and oil wells of the San Juan Basin and natural-gas fracking rigs in the Chaco Canyon the Navajo “would have every right to develop their own laws and regulations in any way they see fit,” Mikesic said Navajo lands remain an uneasy avian sanctuary Two of the birds in the Navajo aviary are survivors of the most notorious recent case of poaching a string of shootings on the reservation in March 2018 The first victim was a wing-shot Bald Eagle “The tail feathers had been pulled out while it was still alive,” Mikesic said “How much crueler can you be to a wild animal The bird had been left out in the desert without food or water and they’d been brought to the aviary after a spell in rehab Under the Navajo Zoo’s Adopt-an-Animal program and spread her gorgeous fan of 12 tail feathers you’re talking thousands of dollars,” he said “What a Navajo medicine man will do is pray to one of these little white feathers and then blow it in the air and ask for his prayer to be carried to the deities,” said Tsosie “Because the eagle is the one in charge of carrying our prayers from this world to the heavens.” and the feather lodged in the bars of the viewing cage One of Iron Heart’s family reached out and took it carefully between thumb and forefinger This story originally ran in the Spring 2019 issue as “Mixed Blessing.” To receive our print magazine, become a member by making a donation today. Pledge to stand with Audubon to call on elected officials to listen to science and work towards climate solutions. CIBOLA COUNTY, NM — A fast-moving brush fire near Zuni Pueblo has prompted emergency response efforts, including a power outage for safety reasons. The fire, first reported in the morning of Feb. 11, remains active and has grown to approximately 120 acres. According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Zuni Agency, the fire is burning 1 mile ESE of Zuni Pueblo, fueled by sage, brush, grass, and juniper. Emergency crews, including EMP E655, are actively working to contain the blaze. At 1:29 p.m., utility officials confirmed that no power outages had been detected outside the Zuni area, but they have proactively shut off power in affected regions to prevent further hazards. Once the fire is contained, crews will assess power poles to determine if replacements are needed. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. An A:Shiwi household would typically include a senior woman Instead of using clans, some Pueblos grouped lineages directly into two units called moieties This was particularly prevalent among the eastern Pueblos many of whom organized themselves into paired groups such as the “Squash People” and “Turquoise People” or the “Summer People” and “Winter People.” Many activities were limited to just one of the seasons; trading and hunting could only take place under the authority of the Winter moiety while the gathering of wild plants was limited to the period of the Summer People’s administration smoothed social relations by ensuring that households included members of different corporate groups FBI News: ALBUQUERQUE — Federal prosecutors have filed six additional charges against Labar Tsethlikai for kidnapping and assault with a dangerous weapon The additional charges are part of a larger series of violent crimes committed by Tsethlikai against Native American men across New Mexico between 2022 and 2024 The added charges correspond to five additional victims now faces a 17-count second superseding indictment charging him with five additional counts of kidnapping and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon as follows: the second superseding indictment identifies 11 victims of Tsethlikai Tsethlikai was initially charged with second degree murder April 25 a federal grand jury charged Tsethlikai in an 11-count superseding indictment with two counts of kidnapping resulting in death one count assault with intent to commit murder one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury Tsethlikai faces a mandatory life sentence or death for the kidnapping resulting in death and first-degree murder charges up to 20 years imprisonment on the assault with intent to murder charge up to 10 years imprisonment on the assault resulting in serious bodily injury charge and any number of years up to life for the kidnapping and aggravated sexual abuse charges Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office The Gallup Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office is investigating this case with assistance from the Albuquerque Police Department’s Homicide Unit Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J with victim support provided by the FBI’s Victim Services Division the United States Attorney’s Office Victim Witness Unit The FBI continues to investigate Tsethlikai’s involvement in crimes against other victims. If you have reason to believe you or someone you know may be a victim, or have information about Tsethlikai, please call the FBI at 505.889.1300 or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov Labar Tsethlikai is approximately 5’7” and weighs 180 pounds He is believed to work in the Native American jewelry industry and may be a Zuni jewelry artist This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Regional Outreach Program which aims to aid in the prevention and response to missing or murdered Indigenous people through the resolution of MMIP cases and communication The Department views this work as a priority for its law enforcement components Through the MMIP Regional Outreach Program a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify MMIP cases and issues in Tribal communities and develop comprehensive solutions to address them This prosecution upholds the Department’s mission to the unwavering pursuit of justice on behalf of Indigenous victims and their families View the Second Superseding Indictment (Tsethlikai).pdf — The Zuni Pueblo could soon get hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to secure access to the water that they own New Mexico’s congressional delegation introduced a bill to allocate $685 million to water infrastructure and development for the pueblo has failed the Zuni Pueblo in protecting their rights He added that the money would also go toward irrigation improvements wastewater treatment projects and other initiatives the bill recognizes the tribe’s senior water rights in a matter that honors tribal sovereignty by providing Zuni the ability to manage their water rights for agriculture residential and other uses,” Vasquez said The bill also includes protections for nontribal water users in the basin That means many more New Mexicans could benefit from this effort A Zuni Pueblo man identified by federal prosecutors as a "serial murderer kidnapper and sexual abuser" was charged this week with six additional felonies for crimes against Native American men including two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of kidnapping resulting in death according to a superseding indictment filed Wednesday Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content Olivier Uyttebrouck covers the court system. You can reach him at olivier@abqjournal.com Email notifications are only sent once a day Stay informed with the latest top headlines from your trusted local source the Albuquerque Journal—delivered to your inbox every day Account processing issue - the email address may already exist it provides narrative coverage of local trends going beyond the headlines to keep you informed Stay in the loop with the top stories of the week delivered straight to your inbox every Saturday Sign up to see what’s trending and get the latest on the stories that matter most to our readers Get breaking news and important alerts sent straight to your inbox as they happen Stay up-to-date with the latest sports headlines and highlights from the Albuquerque Journal Get the latest on local happenings delivered straight to your inbox Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Arts & Entertainment Federal Recognition Indian Gaming Phone: 202 630 8439 (THEZ) | Email: indianz@indianz.com The University of Nebraska State Museum will host artists and knowledge holders from the Hopi and Zuni Tribes as part of a panel during the annual Claire M Hubbard First Peoples of the Plains Lecture 21 at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center “The purpose of the Hubbard Lecture series is to advance the understanding and appreciation of the cultural heritage of the First Peoples of the Plains,” said Susan Weller director of the University of Nebraska State Museum “We’re honored to have these artists and tribal knowledge holders join us to share their insights and experiences." The annual Hubbard Lecture: First Peoples of the Plains is made possible by support from Dr The 2024 lecture is also supported by the Mellon Foundation associate professor of anthropology in the School of Global Integrative Studies received a grant from the Mellon Foundation in 2022 13 at the Tewa Community Development Center in Polacca Heitman will be joined by six other panelists for the post-film discussion More information about this event can be found online Some parts of this site work best with JavaScript enabled ZUNI SALT LAKE – The United States Congress is debating a $685 million bill to support and protect the heritage of Zuni Salt Lake The bill is a significant move towards ensuring water security and upholding tribal sovereignty Representative Gabe Vasquez (D-N.M.) and U.S Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced the Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act during a hearing in the House Natural Resources Committee Representatives Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) and Teresa Leger-Fernandez (DN aims to address long-standing water rights issues for the Zuni Tribe which proposes $685 million in federal funding seeks to establish a trust for sustainable water management and infrastructure development this move not only upholds the federal government’s trust responsibility but also protects the sacred Zuni Salt Lake The legislation ratifies the settlement between the Federal Government affirming their water rights for various uses “I will always advocate for our Tribal communities in Congress,” stated Congressman Vasquez “I’m proud to work with the delegation on this settlement to provide essential resources to support the Zuni’s water infrastructure This bill is a meaningful step toward honoring our commitments to the Zuni Tribe and ensuring all New Mexicans have access to safe water.” emphasizing the urgency of the legislation “By approving this negotiated water settlement we can finally unlock critical water infrastructure funding and resources that will allow the Zuni Tribe to access and use the water they own,” Heinrich said “Especially as we confront the impacts of climate change on our water supplies these water settlements are absolutely essential to deliver long-term water security to Tribes and all of our communities in New Mexico.”  Governor Arden Kucate of the Zuni Tribe and Congressman Vasquez testified at the hearing advocating for the bill’s immediate passage “The Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act would help us restore our river and build the necessary infrastructure for our future,” Governor Kucate said The Zuni Indian Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act outlines a comprehensive framework designed to ensure the sustainable management and development of water resources for the Zuni Tribe The legislation is structured to provide both immediate and long-term benefits addressing critical needs and future challenges The bill mandates the creation of the Zuni Tribe Settlement Trust Fund This trust fund is divided into two main accounts: the Zuni Tribe Water Rights Settlement Trust Account and the Zuni Tribe Operation The trust fund will receive $685 million in federal funding which will be used to finance various water infrastructure projects and operations essential for the Tribe's water management Funding Allocations for Water Infrastructure Projects: The Zuni Tribe Water Rights Settlement Trust Account will finance the planning as well as the acquisition of water rights and land enhancing the Tribe's ability to manage its water resources effectively & Replacement Trust Account is dedicated to covering costs related to the operation This ensures that the Tribe can maintain their water systems efficiently and sustainably The bill emphasizes strict adherence to federal environmental laws Both the Tribe and the Secretary of the Interior are responsible for ensuring that all water-related projects comply with these laws This includes preparing necessary environmental documents and conducting independent evaluations to safeguard environmental integrity during project implementation Protection of Zuni Salt Lake and Surrounding Sanctuary: The legislation explicitly protects the Zuni Salt Lake a site of immense cultural and spiritual significance to the Zuni people and Bureau of Land Management-managed lands are designated as the Zuni Salt Lake and Sanctuary The bill withdraws around 92,364 acres of federal land within this sanctuary from public entry and other forms of disposal to preserve its environmental and cultural values Management of these lands will be conducted in consultation with the Tribe ensuring that activities do not compromise the sacred nature of the lake or the quality and quantity of its water resources specified federal lands will be taken into trust for the benefit of the Tribe subject to valid existing rights and contracts The Bureau of Indian Affairs will assume management of these lands ensuring that any financial benefits from existing rights or leases are directed to the Tribe The bill also provides for the transfer of future acquisitions of land into trust for the Tribe ensuring that these lands are free from liens and environmental hazards The bill includes provisions for the Zuni Tribe and the United States to waive and release claims to water rights within the Zuni River Stream System This settlement resolves longstanding disputes and provides a legal framework for water rights and resources management These waivers take effect on the enforceability date ensuring that all parties adhere to the terms of the settlement and that the Tribe receives the benefits outlined in the agreement The bill clarifies that it does not waive the sovereign immunity of the United States and ensures that the rights of other tribes are not adversely affected In case of any conflict between the agreement and the bill The legislation also stipulates that no per capita distributions will be made from the trust fund to individual Tribe members and that the Tribe retains title to any infrastructure projects funded by the settlement The hearing also highlighted the Rio San José and Rio Jemez Water Settlements Act of 2023 which seeks to codify settlements for the Pueblos of Acoma Governor Randall Vicente of the Pueblo of Acoma provided testimony on behalf of his Tribe An official website of the United States government ALBUQUERQUE – A Zuni Pueblo man was sentenced to 27 months in prison for illegally possessing a firearm following a deadly confrontation that left one man dead and three others arrived unannounced at Dickson’s location and threatened him as he repaired his bicycle He was apprehended three days later by Zuni Police at a friend’s home Dickson admitted to possessing the handgun used in T.B.’s death He explained that he had obtained that handgun in July 2021 after he wrestled it from an attacker in an unrelated incident Despite knowing he was not legally permitted to possess a firearm due to his criminal history Dickson still kept the handgun for self-defense purposes The handgun used in the shooting was later recovered by Zuni Police after it was subsequently used by another individual in a separate domestic-violence incident on November 15 The firearm remains in Zuni Police evidence                 The rusted nine-millimeter handgun recovered, with its obliterated serial number highlighted in orange Dickson has a 2010 felony conviction in the State of New Mexico for breaking and entering in which he was sentenced to an 18-month deferred sentence with supervised probation That sentence was revoked multiple times due to probation violations Dickson will be subject to three years of supervised release Dickson must undergo alcohol and substance-abuse testing The Zuni Police Department investigated the case with the assistance of Zuni Fish and Wildlife and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Eric Bowannie was sentenced to 12 years in prison following an armed standoff with law enforcement was sentenced to 84 months in prison after violently assaulting his pregnant partner and threatening her with a loaded rifle during a.. Joe Angel Sandoval has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison after a federal search warrant uncovered large quantities of fentanyl and cash linked to drug trafficking activities Email USAO-NM Multilingual Resources-->Have a question about Government Services Wapton Toshowna from the Zuni Pueblo Water Strider Dance Group performs at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on Sunday Ashley Lementino from the Zuni Pueblo Water Strider Dance Group performs at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on Sunday look at an electronic pad in front of a pottery exhibit at Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on Sunday plays with magnets on the seasonal display at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on Sunday McKeffe Chapella from the Zuni Pueblo Water Strider Dance Group performs at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on Sunday Paul Smith showed his children a moccasin inside a glass display at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on Sunday Bells jingle on Wapton Toshowna shoes as he performs at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on Sunday Jaiden Lementino from the Zuni Pueblo Water Strider Dance Group performs at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on Sunday from the Zuni Pueblo Water Strider Dance Group perform at Indian Pueblo Cultural Center on Sunday ALBUQUERQUE – A Zuni man pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from a violent shooting incident involving the illegal use of a firearm Devin Wade Wyaco shot John Doe (who was riding a bicycle) from the passenger side of his girlfriend’s vehicle Doe was transported to Zuni Hospital and later to the University of New Mexico Hospital for treatment John Doe identified the vehicle as belonging to Wyaco’s girlfriend as the shooter through statements from his girlfriend who admitted being present during the incident and confirmed Wyaco’s involvement A federal search warrant executed at her residence corroborated her account Wyaco confessed that he fired at John Doe after becoming angry when one of the bicyclists threw a rock at the car He also admitted that as a previously convicted felon—having prior convictions for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and aggravated fleeing from a law-enforcement officer—he knowingly possessed a firearm and ammunition in violation of federal law Handgun recovered from Wyaco’s girlfriend’s home Wyaco pled guilty to all three charges contained in the indictment using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and being a felon in possession of a firearm Wyaco faces no less than 10 years and up to life in prison followed by up to five years of supervised release The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department Assistant United States Attorney Zachary C Jonas Brandon Sanchez was sentenced to 204 months in federal prison after robbing a local Whataburger at gunpoint and firing a shot inside the restaurant to effectuate the robbery Marvin Wauneka has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault resulting in serious bodily injury following a fatal rollover crash that killed two people and injured two others Ashkia Randy Lee Trujillo was federally indicted on multiple counts of aggravated sexual abuse for allegedly using force and threats to commit violent sexual acts Sen Ben Ray Luján meets with the new leadership of the Jicarilla Apache Tribe to congratulate the newly elected leaders and listen to the Tribe’s priorities Sen Ben Ray Luján visits the Gallup Indian Medical Center to meet with U.S Indian Health Service officials and view improvements to the facility that were made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act Ben Ray Luján visits with the Tribal leadership of the Pueblo of the Zuni to meet with the leadership and discuss the Zuni Pueblo’s priorities a member of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs traveled across Northwestern New Mexico to hold meetings with Tribal leaders and highlight federal investments he secured for Tribal Nations and surrounding New Mexico communities Luján began by meeting with the new leadership of the Jicarilla Apache Tribe to congratulate the newly elected leaders and listen to the Tribe’s priorities Luján also visited with the Tribal leadership of the Pueblo of the Zuni to meet with the leadership and discuss the Zuni Pueblo’s priorities Luján highlighted his work on behalf of Tribal communities and infrastructure improvements he was able to secure for the Jicarilla Apache Tribe and the Zuni Pueblo Luján is fighting to pass bills to resolve the water rights of New Mexico’s Tribal Nations and has successfully delivered millions of dollars for Tribal communities including over $1.8 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to boost infrastructure and nearly $7 million to expand broadband for Jicarilla Apache and Zuni Pueblo communities I had the privilege of meeting with the leaders of the Jicarilla Apache Tribe and Zuni Pueblo to hear directly from them about their priorities and how we can continue to work together,” Luján said “I am proud to be fighting for the water resources of our Tribal communities and to have delivered millions to improve infrastructure and expand broadband access I was grateful to have these conversations with Jicarilla Apache and Zuni leaders and will continue to fight to strengthen the relationship between Tribal communities and the federal government.” Luján visited a Navajo Nation home to highlight federal funding secured to bring modern electrical systems to homes across the Navajo Nation and New Mexico Luján fought to pass the American Rescue Plan which has funded projects like Light Up Navajo and delivered electricity to hundreds of Navajo Nation homes The federally funded Light Up Navajo project has delivered electricity to nearly 1,000 Navajo Nation households and built almost 250 miles of power lines no family should be without electricity,” Luján said “I was honored to visit a Navajo Nation home that now has access to electricity thanks to the American Rescue Plan which I was proud to have helped pass into law Although we’ve helped electrify many homes in our Tribal communities There are still far too many families across the Navajo Nation that are living without access to electricity I remain committed to expanding electrical connectivity and will keep fighting to bring electricity to every Navajo Nation home.” Luján toured and received an update on the status of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project The major water infrastructure project is expected to deliver a long-term sustainable water supply to nearly a quarter million people across the Navajo Nation and surrounding areas Luján has delivered over $300 million in federal funding to support the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Luján has worked on this project throughout his career in Congress the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project will deliver clean reliable drinking water to thousands of Navajo Nation homes including many homes that currently live without running water,” Luján said “I am glad to see the progress that has been made on this monumental water infrastructure project and am proud to have delivered millions of dollars to support it I will continue to fight to ensure the pipeline is fully funded and completed by 2029.” Luján visited the Gallup Indian Medical Center to meet with U.S “Across the Navajo Nation and surrounding communities it is paramount that there is convenient access to health care providers and hospitals,” Luján said “Thanks to legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act that I helped get signed into law we are making it easier to access reliable health care for the people of the Navajo Nation Facilities like the Gallup Indian Medical Center are making it easier for our Tribal communities to access the health care they deserve and I will continue to fight for affordable accessible health care for the Navajo Nation and Tribal communities across our state.” Ben Ray Luján visits a Navajo Nation home to highlight federal funding secured to bring modern electrical systems to homes across the Navajo Nation and New Mexico Ben Ray Luján tours and receives an update on the status of the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project A New Mexico man faces potentially a decade in federal prison after pleading guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon that resulted in an amputation, officials announced Monday. His choice of weapon was unusual— not a knife or even an axe or a bat but his mouth Darold ZunieFeathers, a member of the Zuni tribal area in New Mexico, viciously bit another man resulting in the victim needing to have one finger and part of another amputated, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office The ferocious attack happened on the Pueblo of Zuni reservation when the pair were out on a late-night drive to buy cigarettes, according to court filings out of the District of New Mexico. Human bite attacks - though rare - can be exceptionally dangerous due to high risk of infection “The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting assaults committed with dangerous weapons in Indian Country including assaults perpetrated through biting While not traditionally thought of in this way teeth can legally be considered dangerous weapons,” Holland S where the biting assault resulted in an amputation and partial amputation there can be no doubt about the harm that teeth can inflict.” and the victim - called John Doe in court filings - were hanging out with friends when they decided to go buy more cigarettes before the gas station closed and then decided to turn down a side dirt road,” ZunieFeathers says of what happened leading up to the attack and then I bit John Doe multiple times on the torso The bites severely damaged John Doe’s hand.” The attack happened on the Pueblo of Zuni reservation in McKinley County Pueblo of Zuni sits 150 miles west of Albuquerque in the Zuni River valley bordering Arizona The case landed in federal court under the Major Crimes Act a law that specifies federal authorities have jurisdiction over certain crimes - including assault - committed by Native Americans in Native territory Court filings don’t make clear what exactly sparked the assault An attorney for ZunieFeathers did not immediately respond to requests for comment ZunieFeathers was previously sentenced in 2017 to two and a half years in prison for involuntary manslaughter after running a man over with his blue pickup truck Human bite attacks are fairly unusual. Healthcare providers treat about 250,000 bites annually, which accounts for just 3% of all bites seen in emergency rooms, according to the Cleveland Clinic Bites among adults often happen indirectly during fist fights when someone gets hit in the mouth Human teeth aren't very sharp so usually these only cause bruising The actual force of a human bite is quite weak Some dogs on the other hand can reach up to 250 psi ‘Even more dangerous than animal bites’Human bites remain dangerous for another reason— infection The Mayo Clinic says human bites are “as dangerous or even more dangerous than animal bites.” The sheer amount of bacteria and viruses lingering in the human mouth is what makes them so dangerous Risk of infection from a human bite is so great that among children one in ten who are bitten will develop an infection Toddler bite results in amputationThe potential dangers from a human bite are so great that even a toddler can leave someone with a life-changing injury A 3-year-old child bit a 68-year-old man on the forearm leading to a gangrene infection, according to a 2021 study published in the Journal of International Medical Research The man had to have his limb amputated within 24 hours Photos of the infected arm included in the study show a chunk of skin missing from the 4-centimeter bite The arm below the bite is black and swollen Michael Loria is a national reporter on the USA TODAY breaking news desk @mchael_mchael or on Signal at (202) 290-4585 Massive turnout for House subcommittee hearing on 12 Indian water rights bills, addressing tribal rights in Arizona, California, Montana and New Mexico. @NatResources #Water #DC pic.twitter.com/mpP5v1QYDr Three Indigenous Americans are among 10 recipients of a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship The three Indigenous artists are described below “The Gwich’in are among the furthest north of the American Indian people in North America They live a subsistence lifestyle with traditions that date back more than 10,000 years.” traditional chief and reverend of the Neets’ąįį Gwich’in people from Vashrąįį K’oo is one of three Indigenous recipients of a 2024 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Trimble Speaking of Gilbert’s master Gwich’in fiddling skills and knowledge of traditional culture “Few people possess the depth of cultural and intellectual knowledge and share it so extensively and with such humility as does Chief Gilbert His life is a walking testament to the cultural values and knowledge of the Gwich’in people.” Peter explained that beginning with contact in 1840 French and Scot Canadian fur traders brought the fiddle jig and square dances to the Gwich’in who “took fondly to the new music and quickly adapted it to have Indigenous names and style defining a unique genre of folk fiddle sound Gilbert was born in 1935 and lived a nomadic life as a child His family followed the migration of animals they depended on for their survival The Gwich’in would gather during the holidays at celebrations which extended an entire week into the New Year This is where Gilbert's love for the fiddle was born and where he was “captivated by the sounds of the fiddle and the dances.” Gilbert ordered a fiddle from Sears Roebuck catalog he was able to listen to Gwich’in fiddle music coming over the airwaves from Canada on a transistor radio,” Peter said “This helped him to further refine his repertoire of songs and unique style.” speaks after being presented a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship on Sept Standing behind Gilbert is NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson Gilbert received an honorary doctorate from the University of Alaska Fairbanks in 2016 in recognition of his contributions which include teaching others through programs such as “Dancing with the Spirit,” which brings fiddle music into schools “I keep it in my heart to work with the people and speak with the people all the time.” called Hudson a multidimensional artist and skilled quilter “who has tapped into her personal struggles and the struggles of her people through her art.” is one of three Indigenous recipients of a 2024 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship Hudson’s mother and grandmothers were forced to learn sewing in boarding schools where there was little tolerance for mistakes Hudson’s quilting helped support her family when she began making Star Quilts for Native pow wows and giveaways at Campbell’s request He also encouraged her to break away from star quilts and develop her own artistic voice “Ledger art is a type of narrative drawing or painting on animal hides primarily practiced by Plains Indians in the 1860s “Hudson uses a crossover style inspired by ledger art She has taken her quilting to a whole new level Her pictorial quilts honor her ancestors and illustrate the proud history of the Navajo people.” Navajo artist and quilter Susan Hudson who created this piece work about missing and murdered Indigenous children Campbell went on to say that Hudson’s powerful quilting chronicles “the sacrifices and strengths of her family and remembers their hardships,” including Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Hudson gives back to her community through quilting in other ways as well She is a co-founder of the Navajo Quilt Project which donates fabric to elders all across the Navajo Nation The Navajo Quilt Project makes quilts for giveaways and traditional ceremonies and empowers others to start their own businesses Hudson’s quilts have been acquired for collection by the International Quilt Museum and National Museum of the American Indian Other acquisitions include the Gochman Collection are a dance troupe from Zuni Pueblo in western New Mexico The Zuni Olla Maidens since their start more than 70 years ago They are venerated and “equally well-known for singing drumming and their trademark dance balancing pottery on their heads as well as being an all-female troupe” according to Thomas Grant Richardson “The significance of the family connection gives the Zuni Olla Maidens reliance and longevity,” Richardson said in the NEA announcement “The individual members are stewards knowing they owe much to the women that came before as well as being responsible for those who will come after they are gone.” The Zuni Olla Maidens dance troupe from Zuni Pueblo in western New Mexico are among three Indigenous winners of a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship (Photo courtesy of National Council for Traditional Arts Archives) to showcase both Zuni pottery as well as the clothing and jewelry made in the Pueblo the style was adopted by Crystal Sheka in the 1950s Cornelia Bowannie led the group until 2015 when her daughters they’ll pass on the leadership to one of their nieces Richardson said being a family group and exclusively female is a way of paying homage to ancestral women who fetched water in big jars called ollas (the Spanish word for pot) The Zuni Olla Maidens have been recognized with invited performances at the National Museum of the American Indian and Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial (Gallup is part of the Museum of Indian Arts and Cultures’ permanent exhibit in Santa Fe They have also received the Allan Houser Award from the Santa Fe Indian Market for “preserving and reshaping the face of native arts,” The National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowships has awarded fellowships annually since 1982 By Joaqlin Estus, Tlingit, is a national correspondent for Indian Country Today. Based in Anchorage, Alaska, she is a longtime journalist. Follow her on Twitter @estus_m or email her at jestus@ictnews.org .  Will you support our work?All of our content is free And we have hired more Native journalists in the past year than any news organization ─ and with your help we will continue to grow and create career paths for our people Support Indian Country Today for as little as $10 The FBI released several photos of Labar Tsethlikai seeking any information on his alleged crimes from the community The FBI released photos of Labar Tsethlikai’s pickup truck seeking information from the community about his alleged crimes Federal authorities say a Zuni Pueblo man accused in multiple kidnappings sexual assaults and one homicide has been linked to another slaying in the same time period four counts of kidnapping and one count of aggravated sexual abuse resulting in death Matthew Reisen covers criminal justice for the Albuquerque Journal. Follow him on Twitter at @MReisen88, call him at (505) 823-3563 or reach him via email at mreisen@abqjournal.com Colossal The Pueblo of Zuni rests along the Western border of New Mexico, about 150 miles from Albuquerque. Well-known for mastering artisanal techniques such as inlaid silverwork, stone carving, beadwork, and basketry, the Zuni people—the A:Shiwi—have developed these intricate artforms for thousands of years While some of the artist’s more sculptural works embody A:Shiwi techniques similar to beading Sobé also incorporates the presence of printed media by creating a “skin” for acrylic portraiture “Printed media was seen as taboo on the Zuni reservation We don’t allow photography or sketching around the sacred ceremonies we were forbidden to create representations of humans I use the printed matter as documentation of our lives today like the petroglyphs around the world.” Dipped in glue and plastered onto canvas and auction catalogs act as a living surface for abstract faces The geometric subjects are in a constant transformational state, morphing through a slew of angles, emotions, and identities. As the artist calls on the nuances of gender classification through metamorphic figures, positioning the influential Zuni figure We’wha (c.1849-1896) at the crux of his exhibition We’wha was a spiritual leader and artist who symbolized a third gender within the community known as Lhamana We’wha took on roles in the tribe traditionally assigned to women Their radiant spirit and transformative influence drives much of Sobé’s work including images repeated in the background of the piece “We’Wha.” The artist shares: Growing up in Zuni as a gay man was extremely tough as it felt like all the two spirit voices had been muffled in our community due to outside influence I’m glad I have saved the young carefree child in me and it doesn’t have to be gay themes; I just feel so blessed to be able to create in the moment I can hear all the beautiful singing and drumming from the square nearby throughout the year where I am finally able to dig my rainbow-colored roots into middle earth Sobé recently moved back to Zuni after spending six years in the Bronx and continues to create work within the reservation. Why Am I Alive Now? continues in New York City through June 23. Follow the artist’s Instagram for updates Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member now Join more than 200,000 subscribers and get the best of art and visual culture from Colossal Copyright © 2025 Colossal. See our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy Over spring break, many students go to the beach or return home for rest and relaxation. This year, however, seven Florida Gulf Coast University Honors College students spent their spring break doing service-learning with a Native American community on the Zuni Pueblo The Zuni reservation covers about 723 square miles of land in western New Mexico along the Arizona border and is home to just under 8,000 tribal members The area is known for its stark beauty and rich local culture Thirty-six percent of the residents fall below the income poverty line according to the New Mexico Department of Health which is well above the 11.5% national average obesity and diabetes plague the tribe as residents’ access to healthy food is limited Debra Giambo, a professor in FGCU’s College of Education which is part of the Zuni Native American Reservation “When I first started teaching about 30 years ago my first year of teaching was on the Zuni reservation,” Giambo said some colleagues and some family members of my students.” Giambo returned to the reservation several times in the following years. While visiting in 2018, her colleague, Luis Garrido, suggested bringing students to the area. After considering the idea, Giambo designed a course as part of her work as an Honors College faculty fellow It covers the Zuni Pueblo and its local culture the students delivered presentations on sustainability “Our class developed an activity relating to sustainability and our major or area of interest,” said Cameron Smith a senior anthropology major from Palm Harbor in archaeology and anthropology we do something called garbology where you use garbage to simulate an excavation site So we did that activity with paper cutouts at the school.” It was opportunities like these to serve others that convinced many students to join the trip I was involved with volunteering in my school and outside of school It was something that I definitely wanted to continue doing in college I saw that as an opportunity to serve,” said Katie Souza a first-year journalism student from Sarasota The group also toured the Zuni Eagle Aviary Eagles play a significant role in Zuni religion and their feathers are incorporated into Zuni religious dances and ceremonies important in the local culture — more so because it is home to injured eagles that the Zuni care for Giambo and her students were fortunate enough to witness religious dances while they were on the pueblo which Giambo called “a tremendous privilege and opportunity.” The students also met with the tribal council and had dinners each evening with speakers a nurse administrator and an archaeologist who discussed various aspects of local life but Giambo and the FGCU students said a great deal of learning took place while they were engaged in their service as well “They were so willing to teach us more about this culture “I wouldn’t be able to separate out the educational component and the service component because in every place where we work “Our community agencies and partners very willingly and generously spent time explaining their work and answering students’ questions “When I say it was a service-learning trip it really was service and learning integrated throughout.” Giambo said that students who have gone on the trip tell her “they have really developed a deep sense of cultural sensitivity that they see as applicable to other aspects of their lives.” saying his biggest takeaway from the trip is the resilience of the Zuni people He added that he doesn’t regret missing out on the stereotypical spring break parties that took place while he was in New Mexico “Some people may have a couple of nights they don’t remember Souza agreed with the sentiment and said the experience has influenced how she wants to spend future spring breaks “I’m already on the lookout for what trips there are next year,” said Souza It may be hard to find another trip as good as this one.” ©2025 America's Electric CooperativesPrivacy PolicyTerms & Conditions An electric cooperative is working to make high-speed internet service available to every family living on the Zuni reservation in New Mexico by this summer “Today’s digital divide will be permanently bridged with modern fiber-optic technology to virtually every Zuni residence,” said Robert Castillo, CEO of Continental Divide Electric Cooperative The reservation is 40 miles south of Gallup and about 75 miles west of Grants CDEC’s Red Bolt Broadband unit is working with the tribal government to expand broadband infrastructure into population centers accounting for 2,200 households in two counties located within the 723-square-mile reservation The lion’s share of construction money—$3.3 million—comes from New Mexico’s Universal Service Fund through a competitive grant awarded by the state’s Public Regulation Commission The Zuni tribal government is picking up the cost of each end user’s service with money it was awarded through last year’s American Rescue Plan Act The project expands on work previously done with the Federal Communication Commission’s Universal Service Fund which extended high-speed internet service to the reservation’s libraries and schools in 2020 The co-op has already developed the backbone for broadband expansion by utilizing communications lines serving the supervisory control and data acquisition system along its electric transmission and distribution lines “We expect to be able to connect as many as 500 homes a month,” said William Dixon “We’ve been working on this series of projects for so long that we’ve got relationships with material vendors and construction contractors who’ve tentatively committed to work with us and we’re firming up those agreements now.” In addition to enhancing distance-learning opportunities for students living on the reservation high-speed internet will also improve remote work and entertainment options for residents and will open e-commerce opportunities for Zuni artists and crafters the rural community of Zuni will soon have broadband infrastructure and service on par with the best in the nation,” said Zuni Gov The co-op’s contract with the tribe calls for delivery of 1-gigabit broadband service for three years at bulk rates and no costs passed on to tribal members “We believe it is exactly the kind of project and use of federal funds contemplated by ARPA,” Panteah said While the Zunis are the first CDEC members to benefit from internet infrastructure funding under ARPA the co-op is working on other broadband expansion opportunities An application for a nearly $38 million grant from the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund could lead to funding for buildout of the communications network serving the majority of the co-op’s 18,000 members “Many of the projects we’re pursuing build on the fiber-optic communications technology we began deploying in 2017,” said Dixon “It’s providing real-time data and information to our headquarters from our substations and improving communications service to public facilities it will bring modern high-speed communications to our members in Zuni.” Get a fresh perspective on energy in rural America Black Mesa rises high above the floodplain of northern New Mexico’s Rio Grande Valley The land it’s on belongs to the people of San Ildefonso Pueblo whose ancestors have farmed near the base of the mesa since at least A.D Black Mesa was the scene of dramatic events in 1694 when Pueblo warriors encamped on its summit withstood a months-long Spanish siege That conflict was the culmination of what is known today as the Pueblo Revolt an indigenous uprising that began on August 10 Pueblo warriors from 19 separate villages carried out a coordinated attack on Spanish missionaries and colonists across New Mexico they had driven virtually all Spaniards out of the province apart from occasional Spanish military expeditions the Native American peoples of New Mexico enjoyed total independence “The Revolt period is still so important to Pueblo identity,” says University of Pennsylvania archaeologist Joseph Aguilar “In many ways it shaped the world we live in today.” Historians have relied primarily on Spanish accounts to understand the period archaeologists have begun to uncover a richer picture of Pueblo life in the aftermath of what some scholars call the “first American revolution.” Working closely with Pueblo communities to study sites established after the Revolt archaeologists have found evidence for tremendous change in Pueblo society as well as widespread revival of traditions that had been suppressed by the Spanish A major focus of this recent research has been on defensive villages built on mesa tops during the 14 years of Pueblo independence Aguilar is the latest archaeologist to explore one of these sites and is now working at Black Mesa mapping the Revolt-era settlement there and seeking to understand the role the site played when Spanish forces eventually returned to New Mexico “We’re finding the Spanish accounts don’t always match up with what we see on the ground,” says Aguilar “The historical documents are an important resource but archaeology can help give us the native perspective on what happened.” The Pueblo Revolt came after nearly 100 years of Spanish rule in the Southwest Spaniards first colonized New Mexico in 1591 when a group led by Governor Juan de Oñate established settlements among the Pueblo farmers living in the northern Rio Grande Valley The Pueblo peoples shared an agricultural way of life but were linguistically and culturally diverse Spanish authorities introduced the encomienda and repartimiento systems in which Native Americans paid heavy taxes to the government and were obligated to work for Spanish colonists Franciscan missionaries were among those who initially settled the province and they cracked down on traditional religious practices ordering the Pueblo people to build churches in their villages and installing bells that became a hated symbol of colonialism Their presence was intended to impose a Spanish and Christian conception of time In some cases natives were also forced into new villages that were organized into European-style grids rather than the contiguous groupings of rooms known as room blocks of a traditional pueblo the number of indigenous people began to decline in part because of a series of epidemics and famines but recent estimates put the native population of the Pueblo world at the onset of Spanish rule at around 100,000 a group of some 70 religious practitioners from a number of native villages went to the capital of Santa Fe to petition the governor to loosen restrictions He reacted by jailing them all and hanging the leaders One of those was a man known to history as Popé an important leader from Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo where he worked with other Pueblo leaders to plot a rebellion against the Spanish messengers were sent out to all the Pueblo villages carrying cords with knots in them that were meant to count down the days until the uprising When two of those messengers were caught south of Santa Fe and executed on August 9 Pueblo leaders decided to begin the rebellion ahead of schedule Across the Pueblo world warriors attacked Spanish missions and ranches 21 priests and 401 Spanish settlers were killed The survivors fled south to El Paso del Norte Popé and other leaders tried to stamp out all vestiges of Spanish life and urged people to return to their traditional ways and there was a great deal of movement among communities violence broke out between those who supported the rebellion and native converts who remained loyal to the Catholic Church When a Spanish force returned to New Mexico temporarily in 1692 made a tour of the Pueblo villages and reclaimed the province for the king of Spain before returning south to Mexico an episode known as the “Bloodless Reconquest.” But when Vargas came back to New Mexico in 1694 with a larger army and a group of colonists he found that many of the Pueblo living in new villages on defensible mesas still resisted Spanish rule and the reconquest became anything but bloodless The first archaeologists to work in the Southwest in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries concentrated on the ruins of Spanish missions “Those early archaeologists actually excavated a number of sites important to understanding the Pueblo Revolt,” says Brown University archaeologist Robert Preucel “but they were more interested in prehistoric sites and the Revolt was never an explicit focus of research.” That period remained the province of historians until the early 1990s when greater cooperation between Native Americans and archaeologists made work at sensitive sites such as the mesa-top villages possible Ferguson was the first to apply modern archaeological techniques to a Pueblo Revolt–era site or “Corn Mountain,” a mesa on the Zuni reservation the Zuni were spread out among as many as six villages all the Zuni moved into newly constructed homes on Dowa Yalanne Ferguson found that the arrangement of dwellings on the mesa top departed significantly from earlier villages While those villages were typically made up of just a few room blocks on Dowa Yalanne there were two large room blocks and multiple medium and small room blocks likely to accommodate a number of groups occupying the mesa While the different people lived in separate areas Ferguson notes that the village was structured around open spaces that would have fostered communication among them “This was a fundamental reorganization of their society,” says Ferguson so social interaction was important.” Unlike other mesa-top villages constructed in the aftermath of the Pueblo Revolt the Zuni people moved off the mesa and occupied a single pre-Revolt village Ferguson notes that each Pueblo group experienced the Revolt differently the people treated the various sacred Christian objects such as chalices and bibles with respect There is even a strong oral tradition that suggests they spared the life of the mission priest At least 18 versions of the story have been recorded and it seems likely the priest was adopted into the tribe and lived out the rest of his days with the Zuni Preucel began working with the people of Cochiti Pueblo which is east of Zuni in the northern Rio Grande Valley their ancestors built a mesa-top village now known as Hanat Kotyiti or “Old Cochiti.” Preucel believes the structure of the village shows they moved there not just for defensive purposes “The Pueblo leaders were proselytizing in the aftermath of the Revolt trying to convince people that after kicking out Spanish authority they needed to live by the laws of the ancestors,” says Preucel and built these mesa-top villages.” Hanat Kotyiti was organized around two plazas with underground chambers known as kivas an ancient arrangement with strong ties to the dual social structure that existed in many Pueblo societies before the arrival of the Spanish Cochiti is organized into Pumpkin and Turquoise paternal lineages Preucel believes the dual plaza arrangement at Hanat Kotyiti expressed a return to this ancient form of social organization and reflected the mythical White House an ancestral Cochiti village where people and the spirits known as katsinam (singular katsina) lived together in harmony In addition to surveying the village’s architecture Preucel and his colleagues studied pottery collected during early excavations of the site they found evidence of a return to ancient traditions A double-headed key design element decorated much of the pottery collected from Hanat Kotyiti may have been a strong visual signal of a return to tradition New motifs and novel layouts of designs on other pottery may have signaled a break with the recent mission past Preucel also found pottery made at pueblos farther north that historical sources maintain were at war with Cochiti during the Revolt era suggesting there may have been close trading ties between the two groups or that some of these other Pueblo may have even lived at Hanat Kotyiti people have to dig deep into larger social networks,” says Preucel “You could even have people from different linguistic groups living there We sometimes fixate on villages being discrete peoples villages were probably more diverse than we think.” The experiment at Hanat Kotyiti came to a violent end It was the first of the mesa-top villages to be seized by Vargas in 1694 “You can still see some rooms that are completely reddened by the flames,” says Preucel A recent wildfire exposed sections of the site previously obscured by vegetation Preucel documented newly uncovered areas of the pueblo including entryways that had been barricaded with stones “That tells us they were likely trying to fortify it against the Spaniards during the final assault,” says Preucel The fall of Hanat Kotyiti was the beginning of the bloody reconquest Some 30 miles west of Cochiti is today’s Jemez Pueblo where Harvard archaeologist Matthew Liebmann has studied the remains of three Revolt-era villages the ancestors of today’s Jemez people not only killed their priest and destroyed the mission church “People often ask why they would burn their own homes,” says Liebmann “The Jemez didn’t see it as their home; it was Spanish.” The Jemez people then built two new pueblos in the mountains west of the Rio Grande Liebmann began to work with the tribe to survey the sites and collect pottery from the surface the Jemez pueblos show evidence of the same dual-plaza structure found at Hanat Kotyiti “These iconic dual-plaza pueblos show they were leaving behind the Spanish forms and forging a continuity with a previous time,” says Liebmann the Jemez were famed for their black-and-white pottery and were commissioned to make chalices and other ecclesiastical objects Liebmann found virtually no black-and-white pottery at the new sites pottery with the double-headed key motif and other ancient designs predominated The Jemez also began to use a simple red pottery that exploded in popularity among the Pueblo after the Revolt perhaps signifying the formation of a pan-Pueblo identity that hadn’t existed before after Vargas visited the pueblos and informed the people of the Spaniards’ imminent return the Jemez left Patokwa and Boletsakwa and sought refuge on a higher mesa where they built a village known as Astialakwa While Liebmann can discern three main units at the site perhaps showing that the village was divided into two separate Jemez factions and a group of newcomers the village consists of 190 haphazardly dispersed single-story rooms “It evolved organically over an eight-month period,” says Liebmann “What we see there is individual households building new homes The revitalization movement had dissipated and no single leader was directing overall construction.” By the time Vargas reached Astialakwa in 1694 the village was unable to resist Spanish attack In addition to burned plaster and charred material found throughout the site chain mail and copper plating from Spanish armor provide physical evidence of a brutal battle that ended with 84 dead Pueblo warriors Vargas forced the Jemez to exhume the skeleton of the missionary killed during the uprising and then perhaps most humiliating for the remaining warriors ordered them to participate in the Spanish attack on Black Mesa Like all present-day members of San Ildefonso Pueblo Aguilar grew up hearing tales of Black Mesa and children in the pueblo are still told that if they won't behave Many of the stories have to do with the months-long seige endured by the warriors of San Ildefonso and several other pueblos there in 1694 The fact that there was a Revolt-era settlement on the mesa top was widely known to historians and archaeologists but until Aguilar began working at the site in 2017 Aguilar made an exhaustive survey of the mesa top eventually identifying at least 90 caches of rocks that the warriors used as missiles to repel Vargas’s soldiers he also documented the remains of defensive fortifications erected during the siege The remains of the Revolt-era village are harder to analyze “It’s pretty different from the other mesa-top sites,” says Aguilar but shallow pits covered with some kind of temporary superstructure.” New 3-D maps of the site created during a drone survey may clarify the picture in the future but for now Aguilar believes the settlement at Black Mesa may have been more of a temporary battlefield camp than a village He notes that oral tradition maintains that the pueblo’s women and children didn’t take refuge at Black Mesa but at an older site to the west of San Ildefonso known as Nake’muu “Vargas doesn’t mention that in his journals,” says Aguilar “But we have a strong tradition that that’s where they went.” According to the account left by Vargas in his journals there were as many as 2,000 warriors on Black Mesa Aguilar thinks that may have been an exaggeration Vargas also maintained that he reached the summit of the mesa his description doesn’t match the defensive alignments or the topography there’s no way you made it to the summit.’” The Spanish governor may have had reason to exaggerate his feats but I don’t think of it that way,” says Aguilar it’s tempting to romanticize the rebellion as a noble failure but Aguilar and others point out that the Pueblo Revolt had a tremendous impact The threat of possible future revolts meant that the encomienda and repartimiento systems were never reinstated and the Spanish were forced to tolerate native religious practices “I always wonder how the Pueblo would live today if there had been no Revolt,” says Aguilar because if those colonial practices had played out over the course of another century there’s no telling what the state of my pueblo would be We are living where we are and we are the people we are thanks in part to the Revolt.” The Zuni Olla Maidens are a venerated dance troupe from Zuni Pueblo in western New Mexico The Zuni Olla Maidens are also unique in that their group has always consisted of related women making it a family affair for more than 70 years The significance of the family connection gives the Zuni Olla Maidens reliance and longevity as well as being responsible for those who will come after they are gone.  The balanced pottery style of dancing originated in the 1920s by a Hopi woman named Daisy Nampeyo The group was led for decades by Sheka’s daughter When Bowannie retired from the group in 2015 they’ll pass on the leadership to one of their nieces Being both a family group and exclusively female is essential to the Zuni Olla Maidens Edaakie explains: “We pay homage to our ancestral women who centuries ago used to get water from nearby and carry them in these great big jars called ollas is part of the Museum of Indian Arts and Cultures’ permanent exhibit in Santa Fe The group received the distinguished Allan Houser Award from the Santa Fe Indian Market for “preserving and reshaping the face of native arts.” They were also recognized with a New Mexico Historic Women Marker a roadside marker east of Zuni Pueblo that briefly outlines the group's history and honors their artistic excellence.  – Kiara Zunie said her heritage as a member of the Zuni Pueblo motivated her to study social work at New Mexico Highlands University “I am a born  helper and raised on important morals my family taught me,” Zunie said the one ‘we will help one another’ weighs heavily on my decision making and ultimately my desire to be a social worker.” a 21-year-old social work junior minoring in psychology grew up in the Zuni Pueblo in southwestern New Mexico She said interning in the Zuni Department of Corrections helped solidify her goal to pursue social work to help her people as well as other neighboring tribes Zunie is born into the corn clan on her mother Zunie is born into the coyote clan on her father Zunie said her Zuni heritage defines who she is as a person “Coming from a small rural community in the Zuni Pueblo tradition and heritage are of utmost importance to me I came to Highlands very timid and got a bit of culture shock I was shy about expressing my Zuni culture as a freshman but later I fully embraced who I am and where I come from Highlands gave me the opportunity to come out of my shell,” Zunie said Zunie said one way she expresses her Zuni heritage is through her artwork as a traditional Zuni clay pot maker “I wish to showcase the art that my ancestors utilized and passed down from generation to generation I learned Zuni pottery traditions from my family and award-winning Zuni potters,” Zunie said Zunie was crowned Miss Native New Mexico Highlands University Queen in January 2020 “I want to tell my fellow Native peers to never feel ashamed of expressing their culture and that they are beautiful and unique,” said Zunie who is a student worker at the Native American Center at Highlands Zunie has a number of goals for her reign as Miss Native New Mexico Highlands University Queen “I want to bring greater understanding of Native American cultures to Highlands I also want to assist in advocating for higher education on tribal lands and other Indigenous communities in New Mexico,” Zunie said Zunie said that as a Native American student she has received helpful assistance from Highlands at Highlands there is always someone with advice All the educators and staff are friendly and encouraging Choosing Highlands was one of the best decisions I’ve made,” Zunie said Zunie said social work professor Dolores Ortega played a key role in her education and professional aspirations Ortega is a very inspiring woman who gave me the courage to be open and embrace who I am She also motivated me to take the path to assist my Zuni community through social work Ortega said that Zunie stands out as an outstanding example of the social work values and ethical principles that guide the profession Kiara’s educational focus in her work is to empower others,” Ortega said “She wants to become visible in her own beloved Zuni community to address problems and difficulties unique to Native American populations.”  Contact NMHUFaculty and Staff DirectoryFaculty and Staff OpeningsNMHU Administrative OfficesStudent JobsUniversity Relations where the Zuni have harvested salt for centuries For the moment she rests peacefully in her domain a gentle refuge nestled among purple mesas Zuni oral history tells how she used to live closer to the Zuni people but grew angry with them and moved far away to Zuni Salt Lake 50 miles south of the Zuni Pueblo in western New Mexico great pilgrimages have been undertaken by the men Hence A:shiwi A:wan Ma’k’yay’a dap an’ullapna Dek’ohannan Dehyakya Dehwanne a 185,000-acre sanctuary surrounding the lake "Over there is the Zuni Trail," Zuni writer and historian Jim Enote tells me gesturing toward a spot invisible to my eye They would all pretty much respect each other in here "are umbilical cords tying the tribes to their salt deity and tying the sacred salt lake to the tribes’ other holy places." Softly trodden paths remain today as vibrant a part of traditional cultures as they were in the past a spring-fed body of water in an arid landscape Salt from deposits around the shores is harvested by the tribes’ spiritual leaders; it is known as the flesh of the Salt Woman The Pueblo and Navajo people use it in rituals when an infant first cries and smiles The Salt Woman is now threatened by an approaching network of mines is running out of coal from the McKinley mine near Gallup and is seeking to open an 18,000-acre strip mine at Fence Lake the Salt River Project plans to pump 85 gallons of water a minute for the 40 years of the mine’s planned operation—and has the legal right to pump ten times as much "There’s a strong hydrological connection between the aquifer that the coal mine wants to tap into and Zuni Salt Lake," says Malcolm Bowekaty "When they vent a lot of pressure that’s forcing the water up I don’t know what they would do," says Zuni tribal ranger Stanley Pinto "They wouldn’t be able to do any of the things they need to do with the salt." Despite the Zuni Pueblo’s long historical connection with the sacred lake it has struggled for decades to win control of it "Zuni Salt Lake had been put under the control of the territorial land commissioner rather than of the tribes It was only in 1977 that Congress instructed the secretary of the Interior to arrange whatever land exchanges were necessary to return the land." It took until 1986 for Zuni Salt Lake and its shoreline to be transferred back to the Zuni Tribe where the land was once again designated a "neutral zone" for continued use by all Native people in the region belatedly acknowledged the significance of the area in 1999 when the National Park Service recognized the 185,000 acres surrounding the lake as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places nor have the more than 550 documented graves and archaeological sites in the proposed coal-mining area nor the 50 sites along the proposed 44-mile rail line that would send the coal to the Coronado Generating Station in St The rail line would transect the pilgrimage trails used by the Zuni The company has offered to "mitigate" the desecration with strategic culverts so that the pilgrimages might continue without traversing the rail line New Mexico gave the Salt River Project a permit to operate the mine in 1996 Its federal application languished during the Clinton administration Bush’s Interior Department at the end of May The department did attach the condition that the mine be prohibited from pumping water from the Dakota aquifer which has been shown to be connected to Zuni Salt Lake says that the appropriate studies on these other aquifers have yet to be done "Unless you prove that it’s not connected," he says "we’re going to assume that it is." The tribe attempted to negotiate with the utility and is now vowing to fight the proposal in federal court They have lived for centuries in some of the most trying terrain on Earth describes the restoration of tribal lands about an hour’s drive west of Zuni Salt Lake near St Johns: "That area is one of our sacred sites; it was once lush Religious freedom is a popular doctrine in the United States except as it applies to the First Nations of this country almost 200 years after the Constitution guaranteed freedom of religion for most Americans for Congress to pass the American Indian Religious Freedom Act and President Carter to sign it into law The act makes it "the policy of the United States to protect and preserve for American Indians their inherent right of freedom to believe including but not limited to access to sites and the freedom to worship through ceremonials and traditional rites." In 1996 President Clinton ordered that "each executive branch agency with statutory or administrative responsibility for the management of federal lands shall avoid adversely affecting the physical integrity of such sacred sites." While neither the act nor Clinton’s executive order have been revoked or amended the Bush administration and secretary of the Interior Gale Norton have simply ignored them Zuni governor Bowekaty and others testified before the Senate’s Committee on Indian Affairs "Zuni Salt Lake is in real danger of disappearing," said Bowekaty Department of Interior has failed us in its obligation to protect this sacred lake and associated cultural resources from destruction." He mentioned in particular the many burial sites that will inevitably be desecrated by the Fence Lake strip mine: "Needless to say the Zuni tribe finds it impossible to rationalize the displacement of our ancestors’ burials for the sake of making money." "We have to start thinking in the traditional way," muses Zuni council member Arden Kucate Zuni people will not sacrifice our Salt Woman for cheap coal to serve Arizona or California New Mexico has been in the midst of a major drought "That should be a message as to why we should protect the water resources," says Wemytewa Winona LaDuke, an Anishinaabe writer and economist from the White Earth reservation in Minnesota, is executive director of Honor the Earth a national Native advocacy and environmental organization and the author of numerous articles and books The proposed route would slash through pristine Indigenous land Indigenous leaders transform pipeline resistance with a creative mix of tradition and novel tactics "Drowned Land," explores the Choctaw-led effort to put tribal heritage above profit Attacks on people’s stories are attacks on people—just ask a librarian Get articles like this one sent directly to your inbox With this action you affirm you want to receive Sierra Club communications and may vote on policy designated by the Sierra Club Board Sierra Club® and "Explore, enjoy and protect the planet"® are registered trademarks of the Sierra Club. © Sierra Club 2025.The Sierra Club Seal is a registered copyright Sign up to receive Sierra News & Views to get articles like this one sent directly to your inbox.