At the New America School we acknowledge the ancestral homelands that belong to the Warm Springs Apache of the Chiricahua Apache Nation, the Mescalero Apache, the Piro, Manso, Tigua, Tortugas Pueblo, Suma, Jumano, Tapaxkolmeh and more Indigenous nations through time. We are encouraged to learn more about the land that Las Cruces now resides on. We believe that culture and history play an immeasurable role in shaping our communities.
The Las Cruces region has been cared for by these tribal peoples who are the original, historical, and current caretakers of this land. We would like to recognize and pay our respects to the Indigenous people and communities from whom many of our students also descend and who have been or have become a part of these lands and territories.
At our school, we work to accept and welcome all cultures in our diverse student body. During our time at New America School, we are given opportunities to learn about culture and Indigenous Peoples through History Classes, Gender and Ethnic Studies, Enlace, Internships in the community, and the NMDreamteam Club. We take actions in our community for transformational change that honors what we learn, such as painting a mural titled “Libera tus Raices Ancestrales (Liberate your Ancestral Roots),” presenting in conferences, hosting speakers (including local Indigenous peoples) in our classrooms, and sharing cultural foods together. It is because of our learning and action that we decided to create this land acknowledgment to honor and appreciate the hard work, love, and care that Indigenous Peoples have put into this place.
We honor Indigenous history and cultures and we seek greater awareness of the ways in which that legacy can guide us.
Libera tus Raices Ancestrales!
- New America School Students, July 2024