Across Laguna’s six villages, Mesita, where Haaland calls home, remains our Pueblo’s most traditional; where women are not allowed in village meetings, and by virtue of this protocol, are prevented from serving on the Pueblo Council. Over the years, these measures have been relaxed reservation-wide, except for one - a big one: Laguna women cannot serve our Pueblo’s highest office as Governor.
“I really do see that Deb was trying to figure out a way to get a woman's voice heard,” said Shayai Lucero, a Laguna family woman and florist who’s lived on the Pueblo most of her life. She believes Haaland’s pathway in politics - in Congress, and now the Interior - has been shaped by limitations closer to home. “She chose this political arena for us women but also to bring Native American issues to the table.”
But these gender roles, steeped in centuries-old religious Pueblo patriarchy, can be simplistically characterized as “sexist,” with little regard for Indigenous context. Consider the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg who, in the 1970s, advocated for gender equality over tribal sovereignty in the lead-up to a landmark legal victory for tribes, Santa Clara Pueblo v. Martinez. Years later, she was criticized as being “culturally closed” to tribal rights.
None of this is lost on Haaland, least of which the historic weight of her nomination. As white men worked to frame her as a “radical,” a lawbreaker, and a suggested drug peddler - she did what Pueblo women do: listen and let the words fall around her. More than anything, she centered the Indigenous narrative in ways that even her adversaries could understand. “If an Indigenous woman from humble beginnings can be confirmed as Secretary of the Interior,” Haaland told the Committee. “Our country holds promise for everyone.”
“For her to have that kind of grace under pressure, to react and use her words wisely - that is a Pueblo reaction,” said Shayai.
It’s also an honorable one.
There are more highlights from Haaland’s two-day historic confirmation hearing which appears to be headed for confirmation. Indianz.com did an excellent job live-tweeting the event here and here. C-Span has a collection of select clips, including Haaland’s exchange with Sen. Steve Daines over “caring about the bears” of Montana. And then for fun background, see if you can spot Shayai in the former Miss Indian World roster. Won’t be hard. She shines.
Be Fierce,
Jenni
P.S. Here’s me claiming in 2018 how Haaland challenges my journalistic integrity 🙃
