100 Years And Still Isleta Strong! My interview with Alberta Lente

Life of a Dog on the Rez

Today I'm honored to bring you my interview with Mrs. Alberta Lente of Isleta Pueblo. Alberta just celebrated her 100th year on mother earth back in July and is still going strong. I came to know Alberta through her grandson David who I became friends with after meeting him down in Phoenix at the Heard Museum Indian Market back in March of this year. David invited me down to Isleta for a visit. We made moccasins sang pueblo songs, talked about our lives growing up on the reservation and David mentioned to me about his grandmother and all the stories she has about growing up in Isleta Pueblo. The stars aligned and the spirits blessed me with the opportunity to visit Alberta at her home and do this amazing interview. I humble myself to the life that Alberta lived and continues to live. She is an absolute treasure to her family, her people and to the world. Alberta truly seen the old ways and expressed to me that it's bittersweet because she was able to see it with her own eyes but is sadden that her great grandchildren will never get the opportunity to see it the way it was. With the deep cultural knowledge and understanding, Alberta parted me with this insight, "We can never go backwards, only continue forward with what we still have and do all we can to insure that the people know that it’s because of love for everything we hold dear that our way of life will continue forever." Sit back, relax and let the spirit of Alberta’s words bless you with life, happiness, and joy.
The music for today's episode was provided by my friend and gifted singer Kensi Bowekaty accompanied by her brother John Niiha from the Pueblo of Zuni. Kensi blessed me with this beautiful song about the Shumak’olo:wa (Dragonflies). Kensi provided me with this description of her work with the Zuni Youth Enrichment Program (ZYEP). "During the 2022 ZYEP summer camp, our food sovereignty team met with campers at the Zuni Pueblo School District green house where they learned about agriculture connected to cultural traditions. One activity was making shumak'olo:wa (dragonflies). Campers learned about the significance of shumak'olo:wa and its purpose in bringing rain to our fields for the blessing of abundance in food. We also had powerful conversations about life lessons that shumak'olo:wa teaches us. Sometimes we hear stories or songs that teach very powerful lessons or tell great messages from our ancestors. We remind our children that just because these stories, prayers, songs and words were created long ago by our elders, does not mean that they can’t bring all the same greatness into our world today. During this lesson, campers paired up with one another and brought shumak'olo:wa to life. Followed by garden care, they tended to their plants and shared good energy amongst one another. We explained to our children that if we are lucky, our ancestors will see their efforts and reward us with the blessings we ask for; rain and clouds. We want our children who took part in the summer camp to know that , it may not happen in the snap of a finger, it takes patience and time to see the blessings they asked for. This year we have been blessed with so much rain, which leaves us with happy hearts to see our fields flourishing with life. It shows that our ancestors granted our children with the blessings they asked for and they had a part in bringing greatness into this planting season, just as it was done long ago in story, prayer and song."
Posted below is a link to a YouTube video created that captures this amazing event that took place and shows what the Zuni children are capable of.
Credits: Song inspired by the teachings from our ancestors. Song sung by Kenzi Bowekaty and John Niiha. Video by Kenzi Bowekaty
https://youtu.be/4nKvJWjdeLQ