SANTA FE, N.M.. — The Museum of Indian Arts & Culture (MIAC) will be closing its highly regarded exhibition, Beyond Standing Rock, as announced on November 22.
The exhibit examined artistic expressions to the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) and provides a timely look – given the battle at Chaco Canyon – at similar encroachments and violations of Native American sovereignty, many of which have impacted Native health and sacred lands.
There will be a dynamic panel of guest speakers comprised of Brian Vallo (Acoma Pueblo Governor), Arden Kucate (Zuni Pueblo Tribal Councilman and culture expert), and Mark Mitchell (former Governor and co-chair of the All Pueblo Council of Governors’ Natural Resources Committee). The panel will take place on Sunday, December 1, 2019 at 1 p.m. at MIAC. Admission to MIAC is FREE for New Mexico residents as part of the first Sundays of the month.
“The protection of Waphr’ba’shuka, or Chaco Canyon, has been a continuous, dedicated, and collaborative effort by Pueblo Tribes, the Hopi Tribe, and Navajo Nation,” said Acoma Pueblo Governor Brian Vallo. “The support and commitment of our New Mexico Congressional delegates have elevated this effort through the creation of legislation that is necessary to ensure the long-term protection and stewardship of this valuable and threatened cultural landscape.”
Chaco Canyon contains the most sweeping collection of ancestral ruins north of Mexico and preserves one of the most important pre-Columbian cultural and historical areas of the United States. It has been under threat for years as a possible site of resource extraction, a movement that has built momentum in the past few years.
“For at least a decade, drilling and extraction have threatened the sacred ancestral homelands of the greater Chaco region, putting this treasured landscape at risk of desecration,” said U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM). Lujan was the bill’s main sponsor in protecting the area from fracking and drilling for natural resources. His bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives.
A reception at MIAC will take place after the panel discussion at 2 p.m. This program is made possible with the generous support of The Hutson Wiley Echevarria Foundation, The Native American Advised Fund, and the Santa Fe Community Foundation.
