LINKS TO RELATED ORGANIZATIONS
The North Rio Grande National Heritage Area
The Old Spanish Trail Association
March 4, 2010
Culture Committee Meets
The Culture Committee met on March 3, 2010 at the Culture Center. Over 20 people attended this meeting. The agenda covered issues relating to consultation meetings with Cimarron and Pinon Canyon Manuever site. Also discussed was the vacancy of the Director of the Cultural Affairs Office. Based on a discussion with the President of the Nation who supports the Culture Committee, the group developed two scenarios of re-structuring the Culture Center for the President to consider. A self imposed deadline is March 10, 2010. The need to re-structure was justified by the fact that Ms. Lorene Willis, former Director, was hired as the Assistant Controller for the Tribe and her salary was set at this level.
The next meeting is scheduled for April 14, 2010.
Director Lorene Willis Retires
After 12 years as the Director of the Cultural Affairs Office, Lorene Willis retired on January 8, 2010. Ms. Willis was transferred to the Culture Center in 1997 where she built the program from two employees and an idea that was born from working with the elders of the Culture Committee and then Vice President Wainwright Velarde in 1993. Today the Culture Center has 12 employees and over four programs: Culture and Language Education, Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO), Na’ee chii Store, Museum & Research and a Buffalo Program.
“Even tho’ I’m no longer the Director,” says Ms. Willis, “I worry over my replacement. Whoever gets this position must listen to the elders of the Culture Committee. Their advice and support has always been important to the success of the program. Actually, the Cultural Affairs Office came out of the Culture Committee’s need for administrative support.”
Ms. Willis intends to remain involved with the Culture Committee as a haskiin and helps in anyway she can. The Committee showed their support to Ms. Willis by organizing a retirement party in January at the Culture Center.
Buffalo Update
The community of Dulce will notice that there are buffalo once again in the buffalo pasture. These buffalo came from Crow Nation and are genetically pure. Buffalo were brought back from extinction when several ranchers raised buffalo as a novelty. Eventually the buffalo were bred with cattle in order to produce larger rumps, thereby, gaining additional poundage for the market. There are less than 10 genetically pure herds in the Nation and now Jicarilla Apache can be proud to enter this list of prestigious owners.
The Committee needs the community's help. Please let the Legislative Council know whether you support buffalo on the reservation. Without this support, the Committee will be moving the buffalo off the reservation. Presently interest in this genetically pure herd has been made known by a private land owner in southeast Colorado.
