MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Greetings everyone, I hope this message finds you all in good health and happiness.  I hope everyone is enjoying all of the feast day activities that have been going on! This is a busy time of the year for everyone. We are busy with feast days, preparing our children to go back to school and many people are busy tending to their fields. And many of us are simply enjoying the rain!

In the last newsletter I announced that the Chamiza Foundation would be hosting a free “Learning Outcomes” workshop on Friday, October 4, 2019 from 9am to 1pm at the Wheelwright Museum Library. The purpose of the workshop is to assist those who are working on Chamiza Foundation applications, specifically helping them to identify what the “learning outcomes” will be from their proposed project or program. This in turn will help them to better structure their application and potentially better organize the project or program that they are planning. So please remember to RSVP with me if you are interested in being part of this workshop, please RSVP by Friday, September 6, 2019. Please email me at executivedirector@chamiza.org to save your seat!

Also in the last Newsletter I announced that the Chamiza Foundation would be providing grant writing workshops for interested individuals from our Pueblo communities. I now have detailed information on these workshops. The first one will take place in Santa Fe at the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) and will be held on Friday, January 24, 2020 from 8:30am to 4pm. The second workshop will take place in Albuquerque at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC), it will be held on Friday May 8, 2020 from 8:30 am to 4pm. The intent behind these workshops is to train and prepare Pueblo community grant writers with grant writing skills, so they can compose clear, concise and comprehensive grant applications for the Chamiza Foundation and for other funding agencies. The workshops are free and we will be providing breakfast and lunch during the workshops. If you are extremely interested in participating in a grant writing workshop, please contact me and let me know.  Please share this information with Pueblo Grant Writers! Wishing you all the best!

Sincerely,

Amanda J. Montoya

Below you will find updates and information from our various Pueblo projects and programs that have received funding from the Chamiza Foundation.

PUEBLO DE SAN ILDEFONSO- SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE: TRADITIONAL FOOD WAYS AND COOKING PRACTICES; UNDERSTANDING OF PLANTS AND THEIR MEDICINAL USES 

Pueblo de San Ildefonso submitted a grant application to the Chamiza Foundation during the first grant cycle in 2019. They were awarded funding to support the “Sustainable Agriculture: traditional food ways and cooking practices; understanding of plants and their medicinal uses” project.  Pueblo de San Ildefonso stated that “traditional foods are connected to stories, ceremonies, songs and cultural values for generations. Traditional foods and cooking practices are a bridge that connects the present with past and youth with elders.” Furthermore, they stated that, “There is definitely a need for a culture that promotes sustainable agriculture, and teaches children and youth on how to identify traditional herbs and plants.” The goals of this project included, sharing and preserving cultural knowledge, food based activities such as cooking demonstrations and food tasting sessions, learning the names of herbs, plants and spices, sharing stories, food sovereignty, power of fruits and vegetables, restoring health and well-being by restoring traditional foods and also increasing the availability of traditional foods. Since the project has been funded it has had measurable success and has accomplished the following:

• With the help of several community members through community meetings the land for this project has been identified.
• The field has been ploughed and the seeds have been planted
• The soil and water has been tested by the Environmental Department
• Wood and all necessary equipment have been purchased for raised beds and are in the process of being assembled.
• Our elders from the community have taught two Tewa language classes to the community youth on how to do traditional farming.

We here at the Chamiza Foundation look forward to seeing this program thrive and we also look forward to hearing about the harvest that will take place in September 2019!

OHKAY OWINGEH: COMMUNITY BREAD BAKING AT TSIGO BUGEH VILLAGE

Tsigo Bugeh Village is an award-winning apartment complex that was completed by the Ohkay Owingeh Housing Authority 15 years ago. The affordable, multi-family units are reminiscent of the traditional pueblo two-story buildings and are home to forty low and moderate income families. They are clustered around communal plazas oriented on the equinox and solstice axes. Two traditional hornos were constructed at Tsigo Bugeh’s Community Center to provide apartment residents the ability to bake native breads for family and for feast days. The hornos at Tsigo Bugeh Village are currently unusable and in need of restoration. The Ohkay Owingeh Housing Authority submitted a proposal to the Chamiza Foundation to ask for support to restore one of the ornos at Tsigo Bugeh Village. After restoration is completed the Ohkay Owingeh Housing Authority will be offering four traditional horno baking classes for Ohkay Owingeh residents utilizing the newly constructed horno at the Tsigo Bugeh Village Community Center.  Tribal members will teach the classes the Community Center which is equipped with a full kitchen, meeting space, and direct access to the horno. A tribal member is currently building a 25-30 loaf horno at the Community Center to replace the existing hornos. This will be done in the traditional manner using adobes made here at Ohkay Owingeh.  Once completed the baking classes will be scheduled.  Two women have agreed to teach the four classes – two bread classes and two classes focused on pies and cookies. There is no cost for the classes. They anticipate beginning the classes in August and offering them on four Saturday mornings through late summer/early fall. The age range for the baking classes will be varied.  A class focused on tribal youth is planned, and the remaining three classes will be open to anyone who is interested.

NAMBE PUEBLO-COMMUNITY FARM: FRUITS OF HEALTH PRESERVATION PROGRAM  

From the start of the Nambe Farm Program in 2012, they have been constantly evolving, expanding, and making an impact in their community. Thanks to previous Chamiza Foundation grants for their “Seeds of Health Preservation” Program, they now have two stainless steel, lockable tool chests which serve as perfect seed banks. The seed saving program is now a permanent part of their farm program. They use the seeds in their fields and hoop house, and give seeds to community members for their own gardens. In 2018, the Chamiza Foundation and other funding allowed the farm program to progress to a new venture for the community farm: that of adding stone fruit trees to a newly constructed hoop house. The Nambe Farm Program submitted a proposal during the first granting cycle of 2019 and proposed continuing to build on their existing program. They proposed to build another hoop house. For this project, they would plant half of the hoop house with a variety of berry bushes. The other half would be planted with a variety of food crops. This dual purpose hoop house would provide fresh berries as well as provide many additional pounds of fresh produce that the community has benefited from and looks forward to receiving for free each year. We wish the Nambe Farm Program continued success!