FRIDAY BREAKFAST SESSION: SUSTAIN OUR CULTURE
Contrary to what some may think, in New Mexico, time doesn’t stand still. The cultures and the people are in a constant state of evolution. The dynamics of change in weather, climate, economics, and social patterns affect how indigenous people, rural villagers, and residents of the larger towns and urban centers conform to the changing physical and cultural landscape. Modern and contemporary modes of living present a constant challenge to adapt newer lifestyles with traditions that have been life-sustaining for centuries.
Planners, scholars, preservationists, historians, and other professionals engaged in efforts to integrate commercial district revitalization, arts, tourism and preservation, are faced with the dilemma of presenting initiatives that are responsive to contemporary needs while maintaining a sensitivity to established cultural mores. Every town, pueblo, and neighborhood has its own cultural characteristics. A conscious regard for understanding and respecting these distinctions is beneficial to the implementation of design strategies that honor diverse traditions and stay true to community values. Local histories and narratives are vital for the preservation of our cultural heritage and can be used to help shape and form economic opportunity.
Virginia Salazar-Halfmoon and Levi Romero will speak and present a series of digital cuentos (digital stories) highlighting various cultural contexts in northern New Mexico. Their presentation aims to create dialogue and awareness addressing the relevance of a self-sustaining cultural ecosystem and how it can be utilized within strategies for economic development.
Virginia Salazar-Halfmoon is from the Pueblo of Santa Clara. After graduating from New Mexico State University with a BA in anthropology and a minor in psychology, she attended the School of American Research completing Master’s degree work in curating Native American museum collections. She recently retired from the National Park Service (NPS) with 37 years of service and has extensive experience in public lands tourism. Throughout her professional life, Virgina has sought opportunities to include the tribal voice in activities, planning and coordination. She was one of the original members of the Council for American Indian Interpretation, whose goal was to provide authentic tribal voice in the interpretation of ancestral sites. Additionally, she served as Regional Curator for the Intermountain Region of NPS, overseeing compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), and as representative to the Keepers of the Treasures organization. Currently she is Public Lands Partnership Coordinator with the American Indian Alaska Native Tourism Association (AIANTA), focusing on tourism that honors traditions and values for tribes across the United States. Virginia was presented the Department of Interior Honor Award in 2013 for continued excellence over her career.
Levi Romero’s work focuses on cultural landscapes studies and sustainable building methodologies of northern New Mexico, including centuries-old traditions of acequia systems, molinos, salas and other agrarian and cultural contexts related to the upper Rio Grande watershed. His documentary work is often presented through an interdisciplinary studies format that includes lecture, video/audio, and literary presentation. Romero’s latest book publication is, Sagrado: A Photopoetics Across the Chicano Homeland, (co-authored with Spencer Herrera and Robert Kaiser). His two collections of poetry are A Poetry of Remembrance: New and Rejected Works and In the Gathering of Silence. He was awarded the post of New Mexico Centennial Poet Laureate in 2012. He teaches in the Chicana/o Studies and Community and Regional Planning programs at the University of New Mexico.