Past
Before this program I wasn’t confident in who I was and where I came from. All I knew was that I was Mexican and that all my family was from Mexico. It didn’t cross my mind that I too may have Indigenous ancestry. Through LSWHTA and our travel to the various national parks in Arizona I have learned more about the ancient Indigenous tribes and about my own roots as a Mexican Indigenous.
The motivation to join this program came from when I was a little kid. Me and my brother would love digging in the backyard in hopes of finding something special. I was intrigued by the world before me, before all of this technology and innovations. I always wanted to be able to hold the past in my hands and be able to imagine the world as it was hundreds and thousands of years ago. To be able to put myself in the shoes of those who created such art. I preferred the tangible past over the one told in history books, an experience that is well enjoyed by archaeologists. I also joined through the help of my counselor who believed I can make important connections through this program that will help me get to college and help me even later on in life.
<==== Here are some of the many interesting artifacts I was able to hold during our visits to University Indian Ruins and Sunset Crater Monument. Pottery shards are one of my favorite ancient finds in historical sites!
Present
I am a recent high school graduate from Sunnyside High School and I am on my way to college at Grand Canyon University. In a couple of months I will be moving in to a dorm with new people and into an entirely new place where everyone has a different culture. It reminds me a lot about the migration that took place on these lands by our ancestral tribes who are still with us today sharing the culture from many years ago.
One of the things that fascinated me the most about the national parks we visited were the architectural ingenuity from the many tribes that built their society from what they had around them. The one thing I remember thinking at each site was “wow, I would have never thought of that in all my life.” I was impressed by how our ancestral people put their engineering to work by uplifting everlasting structures like the Casa Grande and the Montezuma Castle and various others alike. I think the work from the past has had a great impact on how our cities are built nowadays. I aspire to be as good of an engineer as many of those who built these strong and amazing buildings.
Future
One of my favorite activities with the card association we often did as a group. In this activity we were able to ground ourselves by connecting with each other and moreover with ourselves. The card I enjoy talking about the most was “protection” and associating it with identity. After my experience with LSWHTA, I learned than that it is important to protect our identity and tell our own stories because only we know who we really are, what we have done and our thoughts throughout our lives. Interpretations are good for people to learn through other perspectives but it is best to listen to the actual owners of the story and to listen to the world around us that is talking to us just like Jason Nez once described. I will continue to explore my identity and heritage and promise to protect it the best I can from now on.
I am beyond thankful to this program for allowing me to experience such fun moments but also to learn so much, not only about the history of Indigenous tribes but also about my own history. Thank you Sara, Barbara, Omar, Katie, Corey, and Alba for all of your passion and I hope you all continue to spread your love and knowledge to more students like myself.
