Above – Rarámuri (Tarahumara) visitors at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology in El Paso during the 1990s. The mission of the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition is to inspire all people to take actions towards a sustainable future of the Chihuahuan Desert. Show your support and stay connected.
By Rick LoBello
A recent article by John McWhorter about land acknowledgments got me thinking about El Paso. Recognizing the Indigenous peoples connected to the places we call home seems to me a simple act of respect—and an opportunity to learn.
For me, this is personal. I have friends from the Tigua community in El Paso and often visit the Mescalero Apache Reservation in New Mexico. These connections remind me that Indigenous history continues today through living communities, families, traditions, and relationships with the land.
How often do we consider those relationships when we look at the Rio Grande, walk through the desert, or admire our mountains? How much do we know about the people whose ancestral homelands surround us?
One of the sponsors of our upcoming Chihuahuan Desert Conference offers an example of recognition becoming action. People of La Junta for Preservation is an Indigenous-led nonprofit based in Presidio, Texas. Its work includes protecting ancestral lands and burial grounds, restoring native plants, and sustaining cultural knowledge in La Junta de los Ríos and the greater Big Bend region.
Their efforts remind us that caring for a landscape can also mean caring for the histories, sacred places, and continuing relationships that give it meaning.
I believe El Paso could benefit from a broader conversation about acknowledging ancestral lands. Indigenous communities should help guide that conversation, sharing what they want their neighbors to understand and how recognition can lead to meaningful support.
We can begin by listening, learning whose homelands we inhabit, and making room for Indigenous voices in our schools, public events, and conservation programs.
Over the years, I have attended several coming-of-age celebrations on the Mescalero Apache Reservation in New Mexico. This photograph recalls one of those visits—a chance to witness traditions that hold deep meaning for families and the community. The public is sometimes welcomed to observe portions of these celebrations, offering visitors an opportunity to learn while respecting the sacred nature of the ceremonies and following their hosts’ guidance. Photo by Rick LoBello.