A special day at Acoma
Acoma and National Trust cement partnership

Pueblo of Acoma Gov. Jason Johnson tells the assembled audience how proud he is to be a part of the San Esteban del Rey Mission and Sky City listing with the National Trust for Historic Preservation during a speech Sunday at the Sky City Cultural Center. [Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent]

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

Laguna Corn Dancers Phillip Marmolejo, front, and Dustin Sarracino perform the Velvet Shirt Dance on Sunday afternoon at Sky City Cultural Center Plaza on the Pueblo of Acoma. The performance was part of the National Trust Board of Trustees day at Acoma in celebration of the San Esteban del Rey Mission being the first Native American site to be listed with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. [Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent]

SKY CITY, PUEBLO OF ACOMA — An exchange of gifts was the highlight of a special ceremony Sunday afternoon at the Sky City Cultural Center and Haak'u Museum, as 175 tribal officials, staff and representatives of the National Trust for Historical Preservation cemented a partnership expected to last for decades to come

On a cold, blustery day, under a 40 feet by 70 feet white tent, Richard Moe, president of the National Trust, presented Pueblo of Acoma Gov. Jason Johnson with a memorial plaque indicating Sky City is now an historical preservation site, which will allow additional funding for preservation of historical artifacts and cultural items. Johnson then presented Moe with a traditional Acoma blanket and an Acoma pot, representing the tribe's pledge to honor its membership in the National Trust. Moe promptly shouldered the blanket saying he was cold, to the excited approval and much applause from those attending the ceremony.

Special for Acoma
"This is a special day for Acoma,"Johnson said. "This has been in the works for many years, under three leaderships since the late Reginald Pasqual (former Governor) first talked about being in a partnership with the National Trust," he said.

"The village on top of the mesa is special to us and holds a special place for our people,"he said.

Sky City, the oldest continuously inhabited community on the North American continent, is the first Native American historic site and only the 28th nationwide. The San Esteban del Rey Mission, completed in 1640 AD, is undergoing renovation and with the partnership with the National Trust, funding will be available to continue renovation and preservation for it as well.

Attending the ceremony from the Pueblo of Acoma with Johnson, were: First Lt. Gov. Gregory Histia; Second Lt. Gov. Ray Vicente; and Tribal Interpreter, Curtis Torivio; members of the administration staff; Historical Preservation Office staff; Tribal Council members; and Brian Vallo, former executive director of the preservation office and the cultural center, who was thanked by several speakers for his efforts in getting the partnership with the trust. Tribal Secretary Donavan Howeya was not able to attend.

Honor for the National Trust
"This (to be here) is an enormous honor for those affiliated with the National Trust," Moe said. "This is the dream of many people since 1999 when we heard of it (Sky City), and you can't appreciate the wonder, the splendor and the history unless you see it," he said.

"The San Esteban del Rey Mission is part of this experience and it is wonderfully interpreted. We at the National Trust try to preserve the best of the American experience and we are impressed with the commitment of this Pueblo to preservation. It is unlike anything I've seen, it is truly profound," Moe said.

Prudy Correa, Haak'u Museum planner, told the Independent prior to the ceremony that the partnership with the National Trust is important to Acoma, which has been here hundreds of years.

"It is an honor to finally be recognized as an historical site for our people,"she said.

"We will be able to reap the benefits of funding and expertise of the National Trust for the preservation of our culture,"she said.

Due recognition
"I feel this is due recognition for us for being indigenous to America," Duane Mousseau, an assistant in the Acoma Business Enterprise office, told the Independent prior to the ceremony.

"A lot of people come here from all over the world and when they come down from the village they tell, us how much they like it,"Germaine Reed, a banquet assistant at Sky City Hotel Casino, said prior to the ceremony. "I am happy knowing that we are the first Native American site to be named to the National Trust," she said.

"This is a positive moment. Our people are not fully educated on what exactly this means. Once they are fully aware, it will make a good impact on our people,"Janet Riley, cultural center administrative assistant, told the Independent prior to the ceremony. "This will help preserve our ancestral homes and our mission on top of the mesa for future generations,"she said.

Significant partnership
"The partnership is extremely significant. We have so much to learn about this culture," Mary Thompson of Olympia, Wash., a member of the National Trust's board of directors, said before the ceremony started.

Accompanying her to the ceremony was Maxine Moul of Lincoln, Neb., a member of the National Trust's board of advisors, who said: "This is a very good illustration of diversity within the Trust and to help preserve the cultural landscape as well as individual structures."

The story of Acoma started before the discovery of Coronado, said Theresa Pasqual, director of the tribe's Historical Preservation Office, the final speaker during the ceremony. "Acomas have always welcomed visitors, and tribal elders and our administration are continuing that tradition and helping us look to the future,"she said. "Today the story continues, for our people, for the future,"she said.

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