Pueblo Action Alliance calls for the Bureau of Land Management Taos Field Office to consult with Pueblos on respectful land management practices in response to recent defacement of Pueblo petroglyph cultural resources.
Image: Pueblo Action Alliance - Youth at the Caja
For Immediate Release: January 26th, 2022
Contact: Julia Bernal, Alliance Director, julia.f.bernal@gmail.com | Gracie Aragon, Communications Strategist, graciemarie27@gmail.com
The desecration of cultural resources is not a new battle. Pueblo Youth have the right to enjoy their ancestral landscapes.
Tiwa Territory (Albuquerque, NM) - On January 18, 2022, 10 La Cieneguilla petroglyphs were vandalized within the Area of Critical Environment Concern managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Pueblo Action Alliance remains as an active organization in future protections for the cultural landscape, while centering Pueblo sovereign leadership in future opportunities for better and respectful land management practices.
This act of desecration to cultural resources is unacceptable to the Pueblo Peoples who maintain a living connection to the wildlife and cultural corridor publicly known as the Caja del Rio. The recent vandalization of petroglyphs under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management Taos Field Office is an example of mismanagement and lack of surveillance to protect places that are culturally important to the surrounding Pueblos and their communities. Under the National Historic Preservation Act, the Archeological Resources Protection Act, and the Galisteo Basin Archeological Sites Protection Act, Pueblo cultural resources must be a priority under these federal and local policies. We call on the Taos Field Office to conduct meaningful consultation with Pueblos and take accountability for the defacement of cultural resources.
For time immemorial, Pueblo Indigenous peoples have been fighting to protect our land, water and cultural lifeways for the future generations. The deep hurt and sadness that we, Pueblo people, are experiencing in light of this irreverent act is another piece of the on-going and present struggle we bare as we continue the fight to protect our sacred places. Although the Bureau of Land Management has stated the increased use of surveillance and monitoring, more action is needed including the recognition of Free, Prior and Informed Consent with the Pueblos on better land management practices and policies.
The damage and threat to our ancestral landscapes is beyond repair and irreplaceable. As we protect and preserve our cultural integrity, we acknowledge the fight isn’t solely against extractive industries but can come from mismanagement and lack of stewardship for our sacred ancestral landscapes. Future Pueblo Indigenous generations have a birthright to enjoy what their ancestors have left them and this is a direct attack on our cultural integrity and rights as Indigenous people.
Pueblo Action Alliance