(MUSIC PLAYING) - THESE AREN'T WELL-KNOWN STORIES OF INDIGENOUS SLAVERY AND THAT THIS IS KIND OF THE EPICENTER OF WHERE THAT HAPPENED.

- THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER THAT REALLY FEEDS THE COMMUNITY AND MAKES IT GROW.

- IT'S A PROJECT ABOUT HEALING THIS PLACE.

AND HOW DO WE TELL THE STORY AND UNCOVER THOSE TRUTHS?

(MUSIC PLAYING) - THIS IS SUCH A COMPLICATED, NUANCED STORY.

- WE DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT.

WE DON'T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT.

I THINK THAT'S IT.

- THIS EXHIBIT REALLY DISCUSSES AND EXPLORES THE HISTORY OF INDIGENOUS CAPTIVITY THAT WE KNOW TOOK PLACE IN THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND IN SOUTHERN COLORADO.

THE WAY THAT WE HAVE UNCOVERED A LOT OF THIS HISTORY IS THROUGH LISTENING TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THIS.

IN SOME FAMILIES, THIS MAYBE WASN'T TALKED ABOUT.

- WE'VE BEEN FINDING THESE STORIES, AND MAKING THOSE CONNECTIONS, AND HELPING THEM TO UNDERSTAND THE PAST SO THAT THEY CAN COME TO TERMS WITH IT, OR TO ACTUALLY BE VALIDATED BY THESE STORIES, THAT THEY WERE TRUE.

- THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO USE ART TO GIVE PEOPLE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A CONVERSATION THAT THE POWERS THAT BE DON'T WANT TO BE HAD.

- THEY JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE HAPPY OUTCOME.

AND THAT WASN'T TRUE FOR EVERYBODY WHO WAS IN THIS REGION.

THERE WERE NO HAPPY OUTCOMES FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WERE DISPLACED AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR CULTURE AND THEIR TRADITIONS AND THEIR LIVELIHOODS.

- PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THIS HISTORY.

(MUSIC PLAYING) - FOR THE PAST 68 YEARS, THIS SPACE HAS BEEN AN EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO THE COLONIALIST SETTLER NARRATIVE.

AND AFTER 68 YEARS, THEY DECIDED TO CENTER A DIFFERENT NARRATIVE.

- WE HAVE CHANGED DIRECTION.

WE ORIGINALLY HAD A KIT CARSON EXHIBIT THROUGHOUT THIS SPACE, AND REPRESENTATION OF HIS LIFE AND WHAT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE HERE.

WE ARE NOW SHIFTING THE FOCUS FROM KIT CARSON TO THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY LIVED HERE AND HAD THEIR LIVES AFFECTED.

- WE KNOW THAT WHERE WE WERE AT WAS HOME TO DIFFERENT INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES, OF COURSE THE UTE, THE APACHE.

THE FORT SITS IN THE SHADOW OF MOUNTA BLANCA, OR SISNAAJINI, WHICH IS ONE OF THE FOUR SACRED MOUNTAINS OF THE NAVAJO.

WE KNOW THAT THIS SPACE THAT WE'RE IN IS THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THE SPANISH FRONTIER.

IT WAS LATER MEXICO.

AND THEN, AFTER THE TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO BECOMES THE UNITED STATES.

- AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE WERE PART OF THE TRADE.

THEY WERE CONSIDERED COMMODITIES, AND THEY WERE SOLD, BOUGHT AND SOLD.

RAIDS WERE MADE UPON THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE.

AND THEY WERE SOLD TO WEALTHY PEOPLE WHO COULD AFFORD TO HAVE DOMESTIC HELP, AND ALSO LABOR.

AND SO, THEY WERE TAKEN FROM THEIR TRIBES AND ASSIMILATED INTO SPANISH LIFE, OR WHETHER IT WAS A DIFFERENT TRIBE'S LIFE, AND JUST BASICALLY ROBBED OF ANY OF THEIR INDIGENOUS CULTURES THAT THEY CARRIED WITH THEM.

I HAVE A PERSONAL CONNECTION TO THAT HISTORY.

I HAVE AN ANCESTOR WHO WAS AN INDIGENOUS CAPTIVE.

MY GREAT-GREAT GRANDMOTHER, HER WHOLE FAMILY WAS KILLED EXCEPT FOR HER AND HER YOUNG DAUGHTER.

AND SO, SHE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO GO BACK TO ONCE THEY DID SELL HER OFF.

HOWEVER, SHE KNEW SHE DIDN'T WANT TO BE THERE.

AND SHE RAN AWAY SEVERAL TIMES.

AND THEY KEPT BRINGING HER BACK.

AT SOME POINT, SHE HAD TO ACCEPT HER FATE AND THAT SHE WASN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO LEAVE OR ESCAPE AND GO BACK TO WHERE SHE CAME FROM.

I FEEL LIKE THERE ARE A LOT OF STORIES SIMILAR TO THAT.

AND SO, WE STARTED THIS WORK TO FIND THOSE STORIES.

KIT CARSON WAS PART OF THAT STORY BECAUSE HE DID HAVE HIS OWN INDIGENOUS SON, AS WELL, ASSIMILATED INTO HIS OWN FAMILY.

- JUAN CARSON WAS ENSLAVED BY KIT CARSON.

ABOUT 1870 JUAN SAT FOR A PORTRAIT.

HE BELONGS IN THIS HOUSE IN A BIG, POWERFUL WAY, HAVING LIVED HERE.

ON THE RIGHT IS GABRIEL WOODSON.

HE WAS 12 WHEN THAT PHOTO WAS TAKEN, AND WITHIN A FEW YEARS HAD BECOME A HARDCORE ALCOHOLIC WHO, BY HIS LATE TEENS, I THINK, HAD BEEN SHOT AND MURDERED IN A BAR FIGHT.

IT'S FASCINATING COMING FROM A HISTORY OF ENSLAVED PEOPLE AND REALIZING THAT BOTH PRE-DATING AFRICAN SLAVERY AND POST-DATING AFRICAN SLAVERY WAS THE MOVEMENT OF NATIVE PEOPLE.

- AFTER THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION, THERE IS RUMOR OR WORD IN WASHINGTON D.C. THAT THERE'S THIS PRACTICE IN THE WEST OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES BEING HELD CAPTIVE.

DIRECTIONS WERE GIVEN TO INDIAN AGENTS IN THE WEST TO REALLY TRY TO UNDERSTAND HOW WIDESPREAD THIS PRACTICE WAS.

THIS IS A LIST OF INDIAN CAPTIVES WHO HAVE BEEN PURCHASED FOR THE SERVICES OF THE CITIZENS OF CONEJOS COUNTY, OR THE CITIZENS OF COSTILLA COUNTY.

UNDER THE COLUMN THAT IS LABELED "NAME OF INDIAN," THESE ARE SPANISH NAMES, OR, IN SOME CASES, MAYBE AN ANGLO NAME, CERTAINLY NOT THE PERSON'S GIVEN NAME.

AND SO, IMMEDIATELY, WE CAN THINK ABOUT IDENTITY BEING STRIPPED AWAY AND THAT DISCONNECTION FROM WHERE SOMEONE IS FROM.

THIS DOCUMENT IS A CENSUS THAT WAS TAKEN IN 1865 BY LAFAYETTE HEAD, WHO IS THE INDIAN AGENT IN CONEJOS COUNTY.

- HE WAS RESPONSIBLE IN SOME WAYS AS AN AMBASSADOR TO THE UTES.

BUT AS AN AMBASSADOR, HE WAS ALSO COMPLICIT IN MAYBE KEEPING THE UTES SORT OF IN A REALLY FRAGILE STATE, NEAR STARVATION, IN A WELFARE STATE, REALLY.

- WE KNOW NOW THAT HE HAD CAPTIVES IN HIS HOME.

BUT THOSE DON'T APPEAR ON THE CENSUS.

NOT ONLY DOES HE NOT LIST HIS OWN CAPTIVES ON THE LIST, BUT IN THE LETTER THAT HE WRITES TO GOVERNOR EVANS, HE CALLS THIS PRACTICE BARBAROUS AND INHUMANE, AND INDICATES THAT THIS IS A PRACTICE THAT HAS BEEN PRACTICED BY MEXICANS FOR GENERATIONS.

AND SO, HE'S REALLY OUTRAGED IN THIS LETTER TO THE GOVERNOR, AND YET, ISN'T COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT.

WE KNOW JUST FROM THAT EXAMPLE THAT THIS LIST IS INCOMPLETE.

- AT ONE TIME, THE MILITARY THOUGHT THAT HEAD MADE MOST OF HIS MONEY BASED ON THE SALE OF INDIGENOUS SLAVES.

SO, THAT MAY BE ONE MOTIVATION.

BY 1870, HE WAS THE RICHEST MAN IN CONEJOS COUNTY.

ALL THREE OF THESE REPORTS ARE NATIONAL ARCHIVES.

THERE'S A NOTE IN THE ARCHIVES THAT IS JUST A HALF-PAGE LONG, AND ALL IT SAYS ON IT IS THAT HE'S ACCUSED OF SELLING NAVAJO CHILDREN.

AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT TED HAD WITHHELD GOVERNMENT PROVISIONS FROM THE INDIANS, HAD SPECULATED IN GOVERNMENT PROPERTY, AND THAT HIS INTERPRETER WAS NOT PROFICIENT AT SPEAKING UTE.

IN THIS CAPTIVES RESEARCH, AND DUE TO GENETICS TODAY, WE KNOW THAT HE HAD HAD SEVERAL ILLEGITIMATE CHILDREN BY INDIAN INDIGENOUS PERSONS AND HISPANO.

AND HE WAS THE LONGEST-RUNNING INDIAN AGENT IN COLORADO.

HE HELD THAT POSITION FOR EIGHT YEARS.

- I KNEW OF LAFAYETTE HEAD, BUT I NEVER KNEW THAT HIS HOUSE WAS HERE.

WE ARE SITTING IN A BUILDING THAT'S PART OF THE COMPOUND THAT WAS CALLED THE CONEJOS INDIAN AGENCY.

THERE'S THE SAWMILL AND GRISTMILL THAT WAS JUST RIGHT THERE.

LAFAYETTE HEAD DOCUMENTED INDIGENOUS SLAVERY IN CONEJOS AND COSTILLA COUNTY AND IN NORTHERN NEW MEXICO.

AND IT'S IN THIS HOUSE THAT HE MADE THOSE LISTS OF ALL THE CHILDREN WHO WERE HELD IN THE HOUSEHOLDS THROUGHOUT THIS REGION.

MY FAMILY HAS LIVED IN CONEJOS COUNTY FOR AT LEAST SIX OR SEVEN GENERATIONS.

AND WE STILL LIVE IN THE SAME VILLAGE.

I WOULD SAY THAT I GREW UP FAIRLY TRADITIONALLY.

THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE SPOKE SPANISH AS A FIRST LANGUAGE.

AND MANY PEOPLE DIDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH, MY GRANDPARENTS, MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS.

AFTER THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR, THERE WAS A LOT OF OPPOSITION FOR ANYTHING SOUTH OF THE ARKANSAS RIVER TO BE PART OF THE STATE BECAUSE IT WAS CONSIDERED TOO MEXICAN.

AND OF COURSE, NEW MEXICO TOOK A LONG TIME TO BECOME A STATE ALSO BECAUSE IT WAS ALSO CONSIDERED TOO MEXICAN.

IT WAS LIKE THE PUERTO RICO OF THE TIME, LIKE IT'S SOMETHING ELSE.

WE ARE NOT ONLY PEOPLE WHO IDENTIFY AS MEXICANOS, BUT IN THAT WORD, IT'S SO CHARGED WITH LOTS OF DIFFERENT MEANING OF OUR MESTIZAJE, OUR MIXED INDIGENOUS HERITAGE, OUR SPANISH COLONIAL HERITAGE.

AND THE CONFLICTS THAT I THINK EXIST WITHIN ALL OF US RELATED TO THOSE TWO LINEAGES COMING TOGETHER.

I THINK IT'S WITHIN THESE COMPLEX STORIES THAT THIS PROPERTY AND THIS COMPOUND EMERGES.

THIS IS A SITE OF TRAUMA IN A NUMBER OF WAYS, SPIRITUALLY, CULTURALLY.

THE ROOM THAT WE'RE IN NOW WAS THOUGHT TO BE THE SLAVE QUARTERS.

AND THAT'S THROUGH ORAL HISTORY THAT THAT STORY HAS CONTINUED.

I ACTUALLY WANT TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE'RE EXCAVATING THOSE TRUTHS, AND REVEALING THEM, AND TALKING ABOUT THINGS THAT MIGHT BE PAINFUL TO TALK ABOUT.

TO SPEAK THAT TRUTH, I THINK, IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN HEALING.

I THINK SHARE THAT STORY ALSO THROUGH CREATIVITY AND ART AND DESIGN.

I AM AN ARTIST, A PROFESSOR.

I HAVE THIS DEEP INTEREST IN JUST THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE REGION.

GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE.

COULD EVERYONE COME IN CLOSER HERE?

THE NEXT THING WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING IS DOING AN EARTH PLASTER WORKSHOP ON THE OUTSIDE.

PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE ARE GOING TO COME AND REAPPLY MUD TO THIS ENTIRE BUILDING.

WE CAN TAKE ON OUR TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE TO HEAL THESE BUILDINGS.

(MUSIC PLAYING) - WE ARE STANDING BEHIND THE LAFAYETTE HEAD HOME AND UTE INDIAN AGENCY , WHICH IS ONE OF THE OLDEST SITES IN COLORADO, AND A VERY IMPORTANT AND MULTI-LAYERED SITE.

ONE THAT'S SORT OF FRAUGHT WITH ALL THE TENSIONS OF HISTORY AND THE BORDERLANDS.

BUT IT'S A SITE THAT WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO WORK WITH.

AND SO, WE'RE MAKING SOME EARLY PROGRESS ON THIS WHILE ALSO TEACHING PEOPLE SOME HANDS-ON PRESERVATION TECHNIQUES.

- THIS WAS BUILT IN 1854.

SETTLED BY LAFAYETTE HEAD, WHO'S THOUGHT TO BE THE FOUNDER OF CONEJOS, WHO LED FAMILIES FROM OJO CALIENTE AND ABIQUIU, NEW MEXICO TO SETTLE THE CONEJOS LAND GRANT.

AND THERE WERE SEVERAL THOUSAND TABEGUACHE UTE, AND DIFFERENT TRIBES OF UTE, LIVING RIGHT HERE IN CONEJOS COUNTY.

THE COMPLEXITY OF THE STORY IS BASICALLY THAT YOU HAVE A WHITE SOLDIER FIGHTING IN THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR, WHO MARRIES WHAT IS SAID TO BE A SPANISH WOMAN, LIVING IN ABIQUIU.

ABIQUIU IS A GEN ÍZARO SETTLEMENT.

GEN ÍZAROS WERE HISPANICIZED INDIGENOUS PEOPLE WHO WERE ONCE HELD IN SERVITUDE FORCIBLY.

THERE WERE 11 CAPTIVES HELD IN THIS HOME.

THERE ARE ACCOUNTS OF HIM CONSIDERING THEM HIS CHILDREN.

BUT THERE ARE ALSO ACCOUNTS OF HOW CRUELLY SOME OF THESE CHILDREN WERE TREATED.

LAFAYETTE HEAD'S SISTER IS ENRAGED BY THE TREATMENT OF A YOUNG NAVAJO GIRL ON THIS PROPERTY.

SHE'S TREATED VERY CRUELLY, AND SHE'S LOCKED UP INSIDE THE BUILDING AT NIGHT SO SHE DOESN'T ESCAPE .

SHE PLACES THE LITTLE GIRL ON A HORSE AND SENDS HER OFF.

THE HORSE RETURNS A FEW DAYS LATER WITH A CRUDELY WRITTEN NOTE SAYING "THANK YOU."

AND NO ONE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS GIRL AT THAT TIME.

BUT IT TURNS OUT, SHE ENDED UP ON THE UTE INDIAN RESERVATION NEAR FOUR CORNERS.

AND HER STORY HAS CONTINUED TO BE TOLD TO THIS DAY.

ONE OF THE STORIES THAT IS TOLD HERE, AND THIS IS AN ACCOUNT BY SOMEONE WHO HEARD IT FIRSTHAND FROM HIS GREAT GRANDFATHER, AND THEN HE SHARED IT WITH ME.

APACHES WOULD BRING CHILDREN TO THE FRONT OF THE CHURCH AND CALL FOR THE PRIEST TO BUY THEM.

AND THE VERY FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED IN CONEJOS, THE PRIEST CAME OUT AND SAID, "WE ARE GOD'S PEOPLE.

WE DO NOT BUY CHILDREN."

AND THE APACHES SLAUGHTERED THE CHILDREN IN FRONT OF THE CHURCH.

AND A WEEK LATER OR SO, THEY CAME BACK WITH MORE CHILDREN, AND SAID, "ARE YOU GOING TO BUY THESE CHILDREN NOW?"

AND SO, THE PRIEST BOUGHT THE CHILDREN AND THEN DISTRIBUTED THEM THROUGH ADOPTION TO THE FAMILIES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.

AND SO, THERE ARE THESE ADOPTION RECORDS IN THE CHURCH.

PEOPLE DIDN'T WANT TO SEE THE KIND OF VIOLENCE THAT WAS OCCURRING, BUT THEY ALSO TOOK ADVANTAGE OF IT.

(MUSIC PLAYING) I THINK IN SOME WAYS, THIS SITE IS THE FOUNDING OF COLORADO, AND THE COMPLEXITY OF CULTURES THAT WERE COMING TOGETHER, AND THE WAY THAT THE TERRITORY WAS SHAPED AS PART OF A LARGER MANIFEST DESTINY PROJECT IN WHICH HE WAS ONE INDIVIDUAL WHO HAD A ROLE IN THAT.

THE MAJORITY OF THE BUILDING WAS LARGELY DESTROYED IN THE 1970S, AND SO I'VE BEEN WORKING ON WAYS TO SHARE THAT HISTORY, WHICH IS REALLY COMPLEX, AND ALSO IN DOING SO, MAYBE TRY TO PRESERVE THIS BUILDING IN SOME WAY.

- WHAT WE HAVE LEFT HERE IS JUST A FRACTION OF WHAT WAS HERE AT ONE TIME.

BUT IT'S ENOUGH TO TELL THE STORY, AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT STORY TO BE TOLD.

- ONE OF THE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT THIS PROJECT IS NOT JUST CREATING A MUSEUM THAT'S STUCK IN TIME, BUT CREATING A LIVING PLACE WHERE PEOPLE CAN INTERACT.

UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY, BUT ALSO, HOPEFULLY, THINK ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THE FUTURE, AND HOW DO WE NOT JUST LOSE THOSE ROOTS, AND BECOME A BEAUTIFUL PLACE THAT PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE HISTORY OF OR KNOW HOW IT CAME TO BE THE WAY IT IS.

THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FIRSTHAND.

HOW DO YOU CARE FOR THESE PLACES IN A REAL WAY?

THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE CAME TOGETHER UNDER THE AUSPICES OF COLORADO PRESERVATION, INC. TO THIS ADOBE WORKSHOP.

- ADOBE IS ONE OF THE OLDEST TANGIBLE TRADITIONS THAT WE HAVE IN THE SOUTHWEST OF THE UNITED STATES.

THE ADOBES ARE BRICKS MADE OF A MIXTURE OF CLAY, STRAW, SOMETIMES MANURE, AND WATER.

AND ADOBE , IT'S ALWAYS SUNDRIED.

BEHIND ME, YOU CAN SEE A WALL OF AN OLD HOUSE MADE OF ADOBE.

WHAT THEY'RE DOING HERE, THE PLASTERING, IT'S AN OLD TRADITION THAT SERVES TWO PURPOSES.

IT PROTECTS THE BUILDINGS AND GIVES BEAUTY AT THE SAME TIME.

AND IT'S A TRADITION THAT, SADLY, HAS BEEN--IT'S ALMOST GONE.

IT'S VANISHED.

THE TRADITION OF ADOBE IS THERE, THE KNOWLEDGE, BUT IT'S DORMANT.

AND I JUST STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT IT'S UP TO US, THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS OF ADOBEROS AND ADOBERAS AND ENJARADORAS TO MAINTAIN THE TRADITION.

WE SAY WE [SPEAKING SPANISH], YOU DO IT WITH YOUR FEET.

AND THERE IS A SOUND THAT THE ZOQUETE, THE CLAY, MAKES.

ONCE THAT SOUND IS, YOU KNOW IT'S READY.

YOU KNOW THE SOUND WITH YOUR FOOT.

- THIS WORKSHOP WE WERE FOCUSING ON MUD PLASTERING AND PUTTING THE MUD KIND OF IN SPOTS THAT REALLY NEEDED TO BE FILLED IN.

PEOPLE ALSO WORKED WITH WOODEN TROUGHS AND METAL TROUGHS.

AND UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORICAL RELEVANCE OF THIS SPACE BECAUSE IT'S...

IT'S VERY COMPLEX.

- THIS USED TO BE MY FORMER HOME.

I WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE.

I HAD A WONDERFUL CHILDHOOD HERE.

WE USED TO FIND OLD COINS AS A FAMILY.

NOBODY HAD TO TELL ME.

IT SPOKE TO ME, AS I WAS GROWING UP AND THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, WHAT IT WAS ALL ABOUT.

THIS PLACE DESERVES TO BE RECOGNIZED.

IT'S A VERY SPECIAL PLACE.

- TAKING A US HISTORY CLASS, THE HISTORY IS TOLD FROM AN EASTERN PERSPECTIVE, THE 13 COLONIES, AS THOUGH NOTHING WAS HAPPENING IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD.

BUT TO BE ABLE TO KIND OF REFRAME THAT AROUND WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE VALLEY, NORTHERN NEW MEXICO, AS IT BECOMES PART OF DIFFERENT SYSTEMS OVER TIME.

STARTED LEARNING A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE LAFAYETTE HEAD HOUSE.

VERY HAPPY NOW THAT IT'S ONE OF COLORADO'S MOST ENDANGERED PLACES, WHICH, DESPITE THE NAME, MEANS THAT IT'S ON TRACK TO BE SAVED AND PRESERVED FOR YEARS TO COME.

- IF ADOBES ARE WELL PRESERVED, THEY CAN OUTLIVE YOU FOR GENERATIONS.

I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN THE COMMUNITY INVOLVED.

AND YOU GET A LOT OF WORK DONE.

- I GUESS I'M ALWAYS HEARTENED BY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE COME TOGETHER TO ACCOMPLISH SOMETHING.

JUST SEEING PEOPLE TAKE CARE OF ONE ANOTHER AND MEET EACH OTHER WHERE THEY'RE AT, I THINK IS REALLY HEARTENING.

- IT'S A HISTORY OF COMMUNITY, THE NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES THAT WERE HERE, THE HISPANOS, THE ANGLOS THAT CAME.

AND JUST--YOU CAN JUST IMAGINE THE CONTENTION, BUT ALSO SO MUCH THAT GREW OUT OF THAT.

YOU REALLY CAN'T HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE HISTORY.

AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS BEEN MISSING.

A LOT OF THE ELDERS ARE PASSING WITHOUT US CAPTURING ALL OF THEIR STORIES.

AND SO, I REALLY THINK THIS IS GREAT TO HAVE THIS RESTORED AND TO JUST NOT ONLY BRING ATTENTION TO WHAT AN INTERESTING AREA THIS IS, BUT ALSO TO REMIND THE PEOPLE WHO CAME FROM HERE THAT THESE ARE YOUR ROOTS, THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE EVERYTHING.

AND IT'S JUST, I THINK, IMPORTANT FOR US TO KEEP THAT ALIVE.

IT'S NOT UNTIL WE KNOW THAT THAT WE CAN HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND THINK ABOUT WHO WE ARE.

AND THEN, IT'S THE HEALING AND THE RECONCILING AND MOVING FORWARD.

I ACTUALLY GOT TO... WHAT DO YOU CALL IT?

DANCE AROUND IN THE MUD, KIND OF MIX IT WITH MY FEET.

IT WAS REALLY FUN.

AND I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE ENJOYED ABOUT IT, IS THIS COMMUNITY.

THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT WORKING TOGETHER AND HELPING SOMEONE ELSE THAT REALLY FEEDS THE COMMUNITY AND MAKES IT GROW.

- IT WASN'T SO MUCH ABOUT PUTTING THE PLASTER ON THE WALL AS MUCH AS IT WERE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT PEOPLE HAD AROUND THE MUD PIT AND WHILE THEY WERE SIDE BY SIDE, PUTTING THE MUD ON THE WALL, AND THE THINGS THEY SHARED AND THE KIND OF CONNECTIONS THAT ARE MADE THAT WAY, THAT YOU'RE COMMUNITY-BUILDING, NOT ONLY BUILDING A BUILDING.

WE'RE MEANT TO DO THAT.

AND SO, IF YOU GROW UP WHEREVER YOU GROW UP IN THE WORLD, AND YOU'RE COMPLETELY DISCONNECTED FROM IT, YOU'RE PROBABLY NOT VERY MANY GENERATIONS OF SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY DID THAT.

AND WHEN YOU DO IT FOR THE FIRST TIME, I THINK IT MAKES SENSE.

I THINK THAT'S WHY PEOPLE LOVE IT.

- PEOPLE SAY, "HEY, SANDRO, I DON'T KNOW WHY I FIND THIS VERY SOOTHING, VERY WORKING WITH THE EARTH.

IT'S VERY SPIRITUAL."

AND MY OPINION IS THAT IT'S BECAUSE WE'RE WORKING WITH THE FOUR ELEMENTS.

IN MANY CULTURES, IN CEREMONIES, THAT'S THE FIRST THING THAT PRAYERS THAT ARE DONE TOWARDS, WHEN THERE'S GOING TO BE THE START OF SOMETHING, OF CREATION OR A CEREMONY, IS THE FOUR ELEMENTS AND THE FOUR CARDINAL POINTS.

AND IN AN ADOBE, YOU HAVE THE FOUR OF THEM, TIERRA, AGUA, AIRE, Y FUEGO.

AND YOU NEED ALL THOSE TO WORK WITH ADOBE.

- I THINK OF THIS PROJECT AS A PROJECT OF HEALING.

HEALING THIS PROPERTY AND MAYBE HEALING RELATIONSHIPS AND MENDING RELATIONSHIPS THAT HAVE BEEN SEVERED FOR A REALLY LONG TIME.

- THIS WORK HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN BRINGING PEOPLE TO THIS SAME POINT AND GETTING THEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR HISTORY WAS.

AND THEY WERE PART OF THIS HISTORY.

- WE'RE HOPING, THROUGH THIS EXHIBIT, WE'LL RAISE AWARENESS OF THE TOPIC, BUT ALSO INVITE IN COMMUNITY CONVERSATION AND DIALOGUE AROUND NOT JUST THE HISTORY BUT HOW THAT MIGHT STILL RESONATE AND IMPACT THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE HERE TODAY.

- WE STILL HAVE SLAVERY GOING ON.

WOMEN ARE--AND GIRLS ARE TAKEN INTO SLAVERY, AND THEY'RE USED FOR TRAFFICKING.

DO WE HAVE A RECORD OF HOW MANY, HOW MANY, HOW MANY HAVE DIED, HAVE COMMITTED SUICIDE DUE TO THEIR TRAUMAS?

- THIS STORY, I THINK, IS ONE OF THOSE BORDERLANDS STORIES.

WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT COMMUNITIES CONVERGING AND THE OUTCOME, SOMETIMES THERE'S INNOVATION AND COLLABORATION, REALLY AMAZING THINGS THAT COME THROUGH THOSE INTERACTIONS.

SOMETIMES THERE ARE REAL TRAGIC THINGS THAT COME OUT.

AND THIS IS ONE OF THOSE TRAGIC STORIES.

WE'VE GOT SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE COME FORWARD BECAUSE OF A RUMOR THAT THEY HAD HEARD FROM AN AUNT OR A GRANDMOTHER , THAT, WHEN THEY REACHED OUT TO US, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CONNECT THEM TO SCHOLARS, OR LOOK AT SOME OF OUR RESEARCH, AND SHARE THAT BACK, AND MAKE SOME OF THOSE CONNECTIONS, AND DRAW SOME OF THOSE LINES TOGETHER.

- I FEEL LIKE THE NATIONAL DISCOURSE HAS MADE THIS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT AND MORE RELEVANT.

I FEEL LIKE THE STORIES OF PEOPLE OF COLOR HAVE ALWAYS BEEN LEFT OUT OF THE NARRATIVE.

AND I FEEL LIKE PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO FOCUS ON THESE PIECES.

AND PEOPLE ARE RELYING ON DNA A LOT THESE DAYS.

AND THEY'RE FINDING OUT THAT THEY ACTUALLY DO HAVE NATIVE AMERICAN INDIGENOUS BLOOD IN THEM, AND GROWN UP THINKING THEY WERE ONE PERSON, AND NOW FINDING OUT THEY'RE ANOTHER, AND THEN SEEKING OUT THAT HISTORY.

I THINK THAT THAT'S CHANGED AND HELPED US A LOT AS A NATION, TRY TO REDISCOVER OURSELVES AND MAKE THAT EQUITABLE ACROSS ALL HISTORICAL NARRATIVES.

- THESE AREN'T WELL-KNOWN STORIES OF INDIGENOUS SLAVERY, AND THAT THIS IS KIND OF THE EPICENTER OF WHERE THAT HAPPENED.

THOSE AREN'T WELL-KNOWN AT ALL.

I COULD GO ACROSS THE STREET AND TALK TO SOMEONE WHO GREW UP HERE ALL HIS LIFE, PROBABLY FOR SEVERAL GENERATIONS.

THEY MIGHT NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

AND SO, TO SPEAK THAT TRUTH, I THINK, IS AN IMPORTANT STEP IN HEALING.

- I WAS HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH ANOTHER DESCENDANT OUT THERE EARLIER, AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT WHAT THAT DOES TO EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT YOUR LIFE WAS LIKE, OR WHO YOUR FAMILY WAS.

AND IT'S LIKE FINDING OUT THAT THERE WAS A PIECE THAT WAS LOST THAT YOU COULD HAVE HAD, LIKE A PIECE OF YOUR HISTORY, LIKE A PIECE OF YOUR CULTURE THAT GOT LOST BECAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT.

BUT THEN, AT THE SAME TIME, YOU HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT YOU MAY NOT BE HERE IF THAT HADN'T BEEN WHAT THEY WENT THROUGH.

I FEEL LIKE I HAVE FOUND A PLACE OF WHERE I COME FROM NOW, INSTEAD OF ALWAYS FEELING LIKE NOT KNOWING WHERE YOU BELONG IN THIS LANDSCAPE AND WHAT YOUR STORY IS.

I FEEL LIKE THAT HAS BROUGHT THAT TO FRUITION FOR ME.

IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO DEFINE AND JUST TO SAY, "THIS IS WHO WE ARE."

RATHER, I THINK IT'S MORE IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE ALL OF THE PIECES AND PARTS THAT HAVE MADE US WHO WE ARE AT THIS MOMENT.

PEOPLE LIKE US ARE NOT NATIVE AMERICAN ENOUGH, AND WE'RE NOT AMERICAN ENOUGH, AND WE'RE NOT MEXICAN ENOUGH.

AND SO WE WALK THIS STRANGE LINE OF TRYING TO DECIPHER OUR IDENTITIES.

AND WE EXPRESS THEM IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

IF WE THINK ABOUT CHILD SEPARATION AT THE BORDER TODAY, WHERE CHILDREN ARE BEING SEPARATED FROM THEIR FAMILIES, IF WE LOOK BACK AT THIS LANDSCAPE THEN, CHILDREN WERE BEING TAKEN FROM THEIR FAMILIES, AS WELL.

ALL IN THE CONTEXT OF TERRITORIAL EXPANSION AND DEFINITION.

AND SO, I THINK THERE ARE LESSONS TO BE LEARNED ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW WE MIGHT NOT REPEAT THEM TODAY.

MAYBE I'M NOT CONFIDENT ABOUT ANY ASSERTION ABOUT WHO I AM, BUT I'M PRETTY COMFORTABLE ABOUT KNOWING WHERE I CAME FROM.

THERE'S A GRADIENT OF CULTURE THAT EXISTS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO THINK ABOUT THIS QUESTION THINK ABOUT IT ALL THEIR LIVES.

THEY TRY TO FIGURE OUT, WHO ARE WE, OR WHO AM I, IN A PLACE WHERE I'VE BEEN FOREVER?

(MUSIC PLAYING)