Acoma Governor to sign National Trust agreement

The San Esteban del Ray Mission is undergoing renovations in Sky City on the Acoma Pueblo. Sky City is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States. [Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent]

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

PUEBLO OF ACOMA — A meeting Sunday with representatives of the National Trust for Historic Sites will be a significant event for the people of Acoma and may open the doors for other American Indian communities nationwide to be recognized, said Pueblo of Acoma Gov. Jason Johnson

At the meeting, Johnson will sign an agreement with the National Trust placing the Pueblo of Acoma's Sky City, the oldest continuously populated community in North America, on the list of historic sites under the auspices of the National Trust.

Sky City will be the first Native American site to be named to the National Trust's list, and only the 28th site overall nationwide.

The signing was originally planned to be in the conventinal at the San Esteban del Rey Mission in the community of Sky City, but was moved to the Pueblo's Cultural Center at the base of the mesa.

Following the signing of the agreement by Johnson at noon, there will be American Indian dancers performing in the square on the south side of the center. This event is open to the public.

Johnson said a lot of the credit for the negotiations between the tribe and the National Trust go to former governors including Fred S. Vallo, and Lloyd Tortilita.

Long time coming
"We (the tribe) have been working on this since 1991," Johnson said. When Hillary Clinton, wife of then President Bill Clinton visited the pueblo in 1998, she assured the tribe that funding would be coming for preservation of and renovation of the mission.

"The church is our most precious thing on the mesa," Johnson said.

"This agreement puts the Pueblo of Acoma on the map," he said.

There are tourists that do not know about Sky City or the church, and by being placed on the historic sites list and appearing in the National Trust's magazine, a lot more tourists will come, Johnson said.

Many artifacts, including clothing, mantas, papers, documents, pottery and other items are now in the process of being returned to the tribe for historical preservation, Johnson said.

"We are getting back what was withheld from Acoma," he said."These artifacts will be returned."

Some of these artifacts may be put on display in the tribe's museum, but Johnson said he did yet know what items may be selected.

The tribe's historical preservation department will be overseeing the return of the items and many such items are already in a climate controlled, low- or no-humidity room as part of the preservation effort, Johnson said.

Members of the Tribal Council have worked on this effort for a number of years as well as the governors.

As the tribe's current governor, Johnson will be the only tribal official to sign the agreement. Attending the signing ceremony on Sunday with him, representing the tribe, will be: First Lt. Gov. Gregory Histia; Second Lt. Gov. Ray Vicente; Tribal Secretary, Donavon Howeya; and Tribal Interpreter, Curtis Torivio, Johnson said.

Access to funding, experts
"The tribe will now have access to a number of things previously unavailable," Johnson said. "The tribe will now be able to get funding through the National Trust, for historical preservation, access to historical preservation experts and an ability to network with those experts."

Visiting the site and signing the agreement from the National Trust will be Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Jonathan Kemper, chairman of the National Trust; and some of the trustees of the National Trust.

Not only does this agreement allow the Pueblo of Acoma access to funding grants, it also allows access to cooperative marketing programs and preservation and interpretation of Acoma artifacts.

Johnson said he wanted to give a lot of credit to the tribe's attorney in Washington D.C., Gregory Smith, because he was able to get tribal and Trust officials together on a number of occasions to continue the work on getting to this point on Sunday.

"This will open the doors for other Pueblos and Native American tribes and communities to allow their buildings and structures meet the criteria for joining the National Trust," Johnson said.

"Some of the other pueblos' churches date back to the 16th century," he said.

An honor for the Acoma people
"This is an honor for our people to know that our church is now under the National Trust and will always preserve it.

"Our people should be happy that our culture has been selected," he said.

The National Trust is an organization funded by the federal government that is charged with passing legislation and implementing polices that preserve communities' history and culture nationwide.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin, call (505) 287-2197 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.