Indigenous People Day

AKA Columbus Day is on October 11. 

While living in Santa Fe, New Mexico, both Dwight and I along with Shasta attended the impressive parade on this day. We noticed the native peoples in the area had great influence on the city of Santa Fe. Santa Fe was truly a multicultural city with a long history of Hispanics, Native Americans and whites from many countries; unlike anywhere else either Dwight nor I have lived.

Dwight's female and mal pueblo heads
that sit in my herb garden
in front of the tall hedge.

I had the opportunity to interact with the local "indigenous peoples" many of whom lived in one of the Pueblos in the area. Today there are 19 pueblos in New Mexico presently with each having its own government yet sharing a common prehistory of emerging from beneath the earth, and culture. 

Roxanne Swentzell's
sculpture depicting
the ancestral peoples arrival.

This is Dwight's depiction of
"mother" bringing her first peoples 
into the earthly realm.

I was born part of this earth.

My Grandmother Earth.

I was born part of this earth

My Mother, all living beings.

My Grandfather, the sky.

I was born part of this earth.

My Father, all creatures of the air.

I was born part of this earth.

The eight Grandfathers.

I was born part of this earth.

The four corners of the earth.

I was born part of this earth.

The great wind giant of the North.

I was born part of this earth.

The red road of the dead.

I was born part of this earth.

The blue and black road of destruction.

I was born part of this earth.

The old ones say

the old way’ gone,

the old ones say.

Still,

I was born part of this earth.

                               DANIEL WESTERN

Contemporary Pueblo people are descendants of Ancestral Puebloans who lived in the area where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah all meet at one point. The single point in the United Sates only occurs here and is referred to as the Four Corners region of the Southwest. 

Dwight and I had our first Christmas celebration in New Mexico at the Santo Domingo Pueblo. Dwight had purchased for me greenish colored turquoise earrings and necklace. Erlina Coriz, the creator of them, invited us to spend the holiday with her, her daughter and her granddaughter. First we attended the celebration which involved ceremonial dancing. The dancers practice all day for days to prepare. All in locals in attendance bring chairs and blankets because after all this is December and it is chilly. Then we returned to Erlina's home for a delicious indigenous meal. The granddaughter at the time attended the Santa Fe Indian School which was established in 1890 by the federal government to assimilate the "native child". The Dali Lama use to frequent the school and attendees were invited to visit him in India which Erlina's granddaughter did. We had a lovely Christmas like no other before nor since. 

                               Taos Pueblo is the only living Native American community 

                                  designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO 

                                             and a National Historic Landmark. 

                                  The guide who gave the tour was exceptional.

The second November we lived in Santa Fe we went to Taos, New Mexico, to celebrate our anniversary.  We rented a place for several weeks exploring the area including the Taos Pueblo. We drove one route going and another along the Rio Grande River returning to maximize our acquaintance with the area. A word of caution to anyone who is considering a visit to this pueblo. It is not open all of the time . . . remember people live here; it is their home they generously share at only certain times. I mention this because I heard an irate white woman complaining she could not visit on her trip to Taos. Now I reside in Cotati, California, far, far, far away from our Stamm home on San Felipe Circle in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I loved our house depicted above. Now it seems to me that living in Santa Fe was a magical place to live. The new owners are enjoying making this their forever retirement home.  I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reads this blog. I love writing new entries for BE-ing Rooted: a Practice in Essential Living. To paraphrase the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, "Change is the only constant in life". As I continue adjusting to huge change in my life brought about by Dwight's death in July, I frequently

The second November we lived in Santa Fe we went to Taos, New Mexico, to celebrate our anniversary.  We rented a place for several weeks exploring the area including the Taos Pueblo. We drove one route going and another along the Rio Grande River returning to maximize our acquaintance with the area. A word of caution to anyone who is considering a visit to this pueblo. It is not open all of the time . . . remember people live here; it is their home they generously share at only certain times. I mention this because I heard an irate white woman complaining she could not visit on her trip to Taos.

Now I reside in Cotati, California, far, far, far away from our Stamm home on San Felipe Circle in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

I loved our house depicted above. Now it seems to me that living in Santa Fe was a magical place to live. The new owners are enjoying making this their forever retirement home. 

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reads this blog. I love writing new entries for BE-ing Rooted: a Practice in Essential Living.

To paraphrase the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, "Change is the only constant in life". As I continue adjusting to huge change in my life brought about by Dwight's death in July, I frequently