Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge photograph by Deanna Nichols

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY: Honoring the Traditional Ecological Knowledge of the Rio Grande

Monday, October 14, 2019 5pm – 7pm

At Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge
7851 2nd St. SW, Albuquerque, NM
505-248-6667 // Free

In celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, everyone is invited to the Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge for a provocative and honest conversation exploring what it means to reclaim “Columbus Day” as “Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” Event organizer Rosie Thunderchief says, “We gather in sincerity to open space for meaningful dialogue about species in peril, tribal sovereignty and trust responsibility. In this way we Honor Native Land, people, plants and animals along the Rio Grande.”

Speakers include Eddie Paul Torres (former Governor, farmer and rancher, Isleta Pueblo), Brophy Toledo (Cultural Leader, Jemez Pueblo, Flower Hill Institute), Roger Fragua (Jemez Pueblo, Flower Hill Institute), Shannon Romero (Cochiti Pueblo/Kewa/Dine/Chicana, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center), Julia Bernal (Sandia Pueblo and Yuchi/Creek, Co-director, Pueblo Action Alliance), and is moderated by Rosie Thunderchief (Navajo/Diné, Pawnee, Arapaho, Ho-Chunk, Lakota and current Ancestral Lands Tribal VISTA). The evening culminates with a performance of Pollinator Dances by youth dancers from Jemez Pueblo.

Presented by 516 ARTS in partnership with Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, Flower Hill Institute, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center & Southwest Conservation Corps - Ancestral Lands Program, this event is part of Species in Peril Along the Rio Grande.