麻豆精品

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 麻豆精品 Newsletter

The youngest school kids in New Mexico are one step closer to seeing commitments to teach cultural education in tribal head start programs.

mandates the New Mexico Early Childhood and Education Department work with tribes through intergovernmental agreements to administer and provide funding for early childhood programs using a tribe鈥檚 cultural teachings on tribal lands.

This bill, sponsored by Rep. Derrick Lente (D-Sandia Pueblo) also gives tribes the ability to determine if the tribal government wants to enter into these programs with the state.

Rep. Wonda Johnson (D-Rehoboth) who is Din茅, supports the bill because it helps preserve Native language and cultures

鈥淚 think this affords us a seat at the table to help administer those agreements, to help plan our early childhood programs with our nation鈥檚 tribes and Pueblos,鈥� she said.

Lente said the approach that Native Americans are dictated by western government leaders to do 鈥渨hat鈥檚 best for them鈥� can change with this type of legislation.

鈥淚 think as Native Americans today, in the 21st century, we understand that we鈥檝e been a victim of that, that we have lost so many of our languages and cultures, trying to be more like mainstream society of America,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut the point being is that we know what鈥檚 best in our communities, we know how to raise our children.鈥�

Seeing Native American representation in an educational setting is crucial for young Native children who are starting their education, according to Lente.

鈥淲hen you can begin your education knowing that you鈥檙e being taught by people around you from your community, or you鈥檙e being taught by those that look like you and act like you and maybe know your parents, or you can be taught by practices that respect where you come from, and the history behind you,鈥� he said,鈥滱nd the languages and the cultures behind where you come from. It makes you feel included.鈥�

Native youth could be at risk of becoming victims of a negative cycle in education where they don鈥檛 see themselves represented, Lente affirmed. That point is also part of the education reform mandated through the judgment made in the Yazzie-Martinez lawsuit.

鈥淲hen they don鈥檛 see themselves represented by their teachers, or by people in educational positions. They just feel invisible. And they feel like there鈥檚 nothing really to do except stay at home and become a statistic,鈥� Lente said.

Lente said his legislative priorities are an attempt to break this cycle of helplessness and hopelessness.

鈥淚f we can provide a mechanism by wave where they can begin to pull themselves up, not looking for a handout, but for a hand up to create this change, that鈥檚 going to prove successful for our people,鈥� he said.

HB148 passed unanimously in the House and Senate and now heads to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

鈥淥ur desire is to raise our children in the most holistic, balanced, beauty way of life that we know how,鈥� Johnson said.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Shaun Griswold for questions: [email protected]. Follow Source New Mexico on and .

Did you use this article in your work?

We鈥檇 love to hear how 麻豆精品鈥檚 reporting is helping educators, researchers, and policymakers.