Indianz.Com > News > Pueblo leaders condemn shooting and call for consultation on colonial monument
Pueblo leaders condemn shooting and call for consultation on colonial monument
Friday, October 6, 2023
Indianz.Com
Leaders of New Mexico’s Pueblo tribes are speaking out following the near deadly shooting of a Native activist on their homelands.
In a news release on Friday, the All Pueblo Council of Governors (APCG) condemned the “violence” that took place on Pueblo territory in the northern part of the state last week. Jacob Johns, an activist and artist, was shot in the chest amid opposition to a monument of Juan de Oñate, a colonial figure known for his brutal treatment of Native people.
“It’s unfortunate that during a prayer filled ceremony that an individual was seriously harmed over this issue,” said APCG Vice Chairman Jerome Lucero, the former governor of the Pueblo of Zia. “This shows that the historical trauma and pain inflicted on our Pueblo people by Oñate is still here.”
Pueblo leaders further asserted that officials in Rio Arriba County made the decision to resurrect the Oñate monument without public input — and without tribal consultation. They tied the shooting of Johns, as well as ongoing threats to the safety of Native activists, to the controversial actions of the commission.
“As tribal leaders, we are very concerned about the possibility of continued violence against Native people who vehemently disagree with the commission’s decision,” Lucero said in the release.
All Pueblo Council of Governors News Release [PDF]
apcg100623

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