Santa Ana Pueblo Governor Myron Armijo, left, and Santa Ana Pueblo Lt. Governor Kevin C. Montoya. Courtesy photo
The Pueblo of Santa Ana and the Bureau of Indian Affairs officials Wednesday at the official signing into trust 60,000 acres of ancestral land to the Santa Ana Pueblo. Courtesy photo
Pueblo of Santa Ana News:
- Pueblo Takes Stewardship of 60,000 Acres to Preserve its History and Culture
The Pueblo of Santa Ana and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Southwest Regional Office announced Wednesday the official signing into trust for Tamaya Kwii Kee Nee Puu, 60,000 acres of ancestral land, formerly known as the King Alamo Ranch, on the Pueblo of Santa Ana. The land holds a deep traditional importance to the Pueblo.
“The Pueblo of Santa Ana is thrilled to reacquire our ancestorial land and take stewardship of the property to preserve our historical and cultural activities,” Santa Ana Pueblo Governor Myron Armijo said. “The 60,000 acres is being signed into a trust to support our posterity and the future generations of our Pueblo”
The signing into trust signifies legal ownership and stewardship of the land to preserve the Pueblo’s ancestry and culture. These lands represent ancestral farming and hunting grounds of the Tamayame people, later used for traditional grazing following the introduction of domestic livestock by Spanish colonists. The 60,000 acres being signed into trust is bordered on the west side by Rio Puerco and the Pueblo of Laguna, on the east by Rio Rancho Estates, on the north side by the Pueblo of Zia, and on the south by private lands.
The official fee to trust signing ceremony took place Wednesday in the Prairie Star Restaurant on the Santa Ana Pueblo and included speakers from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, PNM, legal representatives associated with the trust and Pueblo of Santa Ana government officials.
About the Pueblo of Santa Ana
The Pueblo of Santa Ana is a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans. As a native sovereign nation, it has executive, legislative and judicial governmental power to govern and protect its members’ health, safety and welfare, and to preserve its culture and history. Since the early 1980s, the Pueblo of Santa Ana has actively pursued a strategy of developing tribal enterprises recognizing economic independence as crucial to maintaining and safeguarding its traditional concepts and values. Its native community and enterprises provide jobs for its tribal members, but also generates economic activity for non-natives benefiting Sandoval and Bernalillo Counties in New Mexico.
About the Bureau of Indian Affairs
At 200 years old, the Bureau of Indian Affairs is the oldest bureau in the Department of the Interior. Our mission is to enhance the quality of life, promote economic opportunities, and to carry out the federal responsibilities entrusted to us to protect and improve the trust assets of American Indians and Alaska Natives. We accomplish this either directly through contracts or compact agreements.
Ancestral land of the Santa Ana Pueblo. Courtesy photo
Ancestral land of the Santa Ana Pueblo. Courtesy photo
Ancestral land of the Santa Ana Pueblo. Courtesy photo