FLAGSTAFF, Arizona (AP) – For American Indians, Deb Haaland is more than an elected official on his way to becoming the Interior Department’s first indigenous secretary. She is a sister, an aunt and a fierce pueblo whose political positions have been shaped by her upbringing.
The news of his historic appointment electrified the Indian country. Tribal leaders and organizations for weeks have asked people to write and call American senators, who will decide whether to lead the agency that oversees American Indian affairs and energy development.
On Tuesday, Haaland’s confirmation hearing will be closely watched in tribal communities across the United States, with virtual parties in the midst of a pandemic. The day before, a photo of the New Mexico Congresswoman was projected on the side of the Interior building with the text “The dreams of our ancestors come true.”
Many Native Americans see Haaland as a reflection of themselves, someone who will raise their voices and protect the environment and the rights of tribes. Here are the stories of their impact:
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‘TWEETY’ FLIP SUAZO, 66, LAGUNA AND ACCOMMODATES PUEBLOS IN NEW MEXICO
Suazo met Haaland when they were campaigning for Barack Obama, walking from door to door in the pueblos of New Mexico.
When Haaland herself was chosen to represent New Mexico as one of the first two Native American women to be elected to Congress, she turned to Suazo and the state’s Native American Democrats Group to make treats to distribute at a reception.
They made hundreds of pueblo pies, or pastelitos, and cookies, froze them and took them to Washington, DC Wearing traditional black dresses, they handed out the treats with a thank you note from Haaland.
Suazo said he admired Haaland because she is eloquent and intelligent, “bluntly”, and she is a member of Laguna Pueblo who returned there to dance as a form of prayer.
When she heard that Haaland was appointed secretary of the interior shortly after winning a second term in Congress, Suazo was not very happy.
“Oh my God, she is going there, and who is going to represent us?” said Suazo, who lives in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. “Who is going to represent New Mexico? There goes our only Indian representative. “
She wanted to be sure that Haaland would be replaced by someone so dynamic that she would work hard to protect the environment, face an epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women and expand broadband, she said.
“I was happy, but I was scared. I didn’t want to lose it, ”said Suazo.
But she sees the meaning and importance, she said, of having a Native American oversee an agency that touches almost every aspect of Native American life. Suazo said he will be watching, ready to shout on the screen if anyone questions Haaland’s qualifications.
And for Haaland, she sends the message: Gumeh, meaning a strong woman.
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BRANDI LIBERTY, 42, IOWA TRIBE OF KANSAS AND NEBRASKA
When Liberty saw a photo of Haaland in a traditional ribbon skirt and loafers for Joe Biden’s possession, she cried.
She thought of her grandmother Ethil Simmonds Liberty, who did not become a citizen of the United States until she was 9, despite being born in the United States on the reservation of her tribe that lies between Kansas and Nebraska. Her grandmother was a powerful defender of her people, petitioning to turn a pigsty into a playground, writing letters to US presidents and paving the way to pave a road to the reserve, she said.
Brandi Liberty thought of her own daughter, who she hopes to continue her legacy by working with tribes and embracing her heritage.
She thought about her time in college, doing a master’s degree and seeing single mothers taking their children to class, each understanding that it was not a burden, but a necessity. Later, she became a single mother like Haaland, who always talked about the experience, relying on food stamps and accumulating debts while working at college.
Liberty also thought about other tribal nations and what Haaland could do in terms of moving them in the right direction and connecting them to Washington, DC. Essentially, Liberty’s grandmother on a larger scale.
“This is no different than when Obama became the first black president and what it meant,” said Liberty, who lives in New Orleans. “This is a milestone for the Indian country as a whole.”
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ZACHARIAH PASSES TO PORTA, 21, BLACK TRIBE OF MONTANA
Rides At The Door is studying environmental science and sustainability, and fire science as a third-year student at the University of Montana in Missoula.
He brings a perspective to his studies that Haaland has proclaimed as something unique in the indigenous country – that everything is alive and must be treated with respect and that people should take care of the land, rather than having dominion over it.
In high school, he learned about the mining industry and how it impacted the locations that are part of the Blackfeet creation story. He learned about the positions of the American Indigenous Movement in the struggle for equality and the recognition of tribal sovereignty. He also recently learned that the United States had a Native American vice president from 1929 to 1933, Charles Curtis.
Seeing Haaland’s political rise is inspiring, he said.
“It’s a great way for younger natives to say, ‘Okay, our foot is at the door. There is a chance we can get higher positions, ‘”he said.
He’s still not sure what he wants to do when he finishes college. But he knows he wants to learn the Blackfeet language, and maybe become a firefighter or work on projects that target buffalo to the Blackfeet Reserve.
He plans to listen to at least part of Haaland’s confirmation at home, in the hope that it will be successful and can challenge Western ideology.
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DEBBIE NEZ-MANUEL, 49, NAVAJO IN ARIZONA, NEW MEXICO AND UTAH
During his recent campaign for a legislative seat in Arizona, Nez-Manuel sought Haaland’s endorsement. I was looking for someone whose values were aligned with hers: grounded in beliefs, grounded, consistent and strong leadership, unchanged by politics.
After several investigations, she got the endorsement and planned to announce it at a rally to get votes in the Gila River Indigenous Community in Arizona, featuring Haaland. It was also a chance for the two women to take a photo together.
Then, the event was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Nez-Manuel was devastated.
Days before his meeting with Haaland, Nez-Manuel was sitting at home when his phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number, but she answered it anyway.
“Hey, Debbie, this is Deb,” said the voice on the phone.
“Who?” Asked Nez-Manuel.
The interlocutor replied: “Deb Haaland. Good morning. I’m calling from New Mexico. I’m sitting in my kitchen. “
Nez-Manuel’s heart was racing and she struggled to put into words all the thoughts she had written so carefully for that meeting. Haaland, she said, was patient and shared stories about life in and out of a reservation – something that resonated with Nez-Manuel – and reaffirmed that Haaland has not forgotten his roots.
“It’s like talking to an aunt,” she said. “She is very practical.”
Nez-Manuel joked about getting a plane ticket to attend Haaland’s confirmation hearing in person to get that elusive photo.
Instead, she and her husband, Royce, will be watching from home in the Salt-River Pima Maricopa community, northeast of Phoenix. They encouraged their children’s teachers to incorporate the audience into lesson plans and tribes to help answer questions about the process.
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This story has been corrected to show that Brandi Liberty is 42 years old.
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Fonseca is a member of the AP Race and Ethnicity team. Follow her at https://twitter.com/FonsecaAP