Our sovereignty is inherent

We have always been a sovereign people and one with the earth since the beginning of time.

By Anthony S. from Zuni High School in New Mexico

Our ancestors, hom a:Łashhina:wona, lived off the land before there were any reservation boundaries. They respected our Mother Earth, lived by our religion and sets of laws we as Ashiwi follow. The laws we follow are based on the respect we have for each other and the natural world to uphold to our Mother Earth. 

More posts from this author

Zuni High School

Smith-Dual Credit

Dual Credit with NTU and ZHS

Tribal Sovereignty: Washed Faces

As the children are fed along a river, they find gratitude in the heart of the land. From one corn stalk to the next, the seed grows and the root stretches into the underworld, grasping the soul of their ancestors. A mother's sovereignty.

Tribal Sovereignty in Zuni

Tribal Soverignty can be seen in plain sight around Zuni Pueblo.

Humans of Zuni: Cody Seciwa-Koons

Personal stories define who a person by describing how certain events shaped their personality. This is Cody Seciwa-Koons' story.

Secret lands of the Zuni Pueblo

No skyscrapers in sight, no blur from the smog. Only a beautiful landscape captured in the morning that comes with freezing your fingers off to greet our Father Sun. Defining peace and sovereignty found here only in the Zuni Pueblo.

Humans of Zuni: Jodi Kallestewa

This is Jodi Kallestewa's story. How she has overcome adversity and struggle to become more confident and outgoing.

A Spirit's Path Home

For thousands of years, my people and our ancestors have inhabited the land, reciprocating blessings between ourselves and spirits of the animals. Our identity could have vanished long ago, but the walls that structure our protection still stand.

Culture Is Not Mass-Produced

The story behind two Zuni silversmiths and their efforts to market their jewelry in the face of non-Native opportunists who steal authentic designs to mass produce for a global market.

Tribal Sovereignty

Sacred Earthlings with sacred practices. We as A:shiwi (Zuni) people keep our religion sacred. And with this comes a law created by the Tribal Government. The No Flash Photography law that is abided by us as well as nonmembers of the community.

Humans of Zuni: Anthony Sice

In the Pueblo of Zuni, we open ourselves to windows of opportunity to grow and prosper. Anthony found his passion for baseball in the red dirt fields, playing with family, uncovering a talent he didn't know he had, and nurturing that talent.

Humans of Zuni: Kameron Eustace

This is Kameron. Taking a glimpse at the world of his ambitions and dreams.

Humans of Zuni: Joshua Mahkee

With life bringing many challenges and problems, you can always find a person smiling through it all. Here is the story of my brother Joshua and his journey of self-introspection and finding happiness.

Culture Preservation and Native Americans

Native Americans have endured so much abuse for far too long. Now something must be done about it and we must be heard.

"Rez''ilient Education

Our tribal sovereigntypaves the way for us to developa unique education system that is the foundation for ensuring we support and enrich the deep culture we have within our community.

Protection of sacred lands

It took little for the United States government to take 99% of Native lands along with the lands and resources well they and private corporations continue to exploit. These corporations don't understand that these lands are our place or worship.

No More killing, Save the Indian

"kill the Indian, save the man" -Richard Henry Pratt

Red Road of Connection

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." -Chief Seattle of the Duwamish Tribe

Sustainability for Sovereign Native Communities

When people think about Native communities, they think about the poverty levels and the stereotypes. I wanted to show how sovereign Native communities can continue to sustain themselves and thrive through the reclamation of ancestral traditions.

Sovereignty: The Backbones of Our Community

The importance of women in our culture and in my life

Humans of Zuni: Chasady Simplicio

Peering into the ocean of wandering waves, for the mind seeks beyond the shores and piers, past the blue horizons, and into the welcoming skies of the next morning.

Humans of Zuni: Ian Bowekaty

Behold my friend, classmate, most proud to say: my brother.

My Dawg on The Rez

A rez dog is a dog that is mixed breed, basically a mutt. They have no real home and roam around the rez with no real purpose. My dog is a rez dog and has been able to survive the harsh conditions we call home here in Zuni land.

Tribal Sovereignty and Writing the Op-Ed

The fight to have our voices heard to bring back Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

Humans of Zuni :Kyle Awelagte

This is Kyle Awelagte's story of his journey, becoming who he is today and the help of his family.

Humans of Zuni: Kristyn Eriacho

How sports have gotten Kristyn through lifes hardships

Earth as a part of tribal sovereignty

The land has a deeply rooted connection to the A:shiwi people. They have had many obstacles but remain on their sacred land.

More posts from Zuni High School

Surprise Me

Dealing with trauma

Jerome talks about his childhood trauma.

Irresponsible Dog Breeding in Zuni, NM

Rez dogs have started costing people and the community too much.

Dear Teenagers of Zuni

Letter to the Editor of the Independent.

Experience of Las Vegas, NV

Sienna's experience in Las Vegas

Pueblo Pottery

Wound through time, native pottery coils through history and into the future.

BIA- Bureau of Indian Affairs

BIA represents the federal branch of the tribal government by assisting in local fires, forestry, wildlife management, help with fire wood and job opportunities. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Zuni New Mexico, October 28, 2021.

Conjoining Zuni High and Middle School, Will It Work?

The plan to solve both the Zuni High School and Zuni Middle School's problem is to create one conjoined school where the high school is currently located. Will a conjoined school work or not?

Men's Mental Health

Men's mental health matters too.

Gender Equality in the Sports World and within Native American Communities

Women’s equality has evolved over the last hundred years, but has it really changed?

"My happiest moment"

Haiden's happiest moment is when she's with her sister.

Flower with freedom

This native flower symbolizes freedom because it grows wherever it wants without any law or restrictions for it to stop growing, it's a living thing that can grow freely unlike some humans that don’t get that much freedom like plants do.

Language Preservation of the A:shiwi

The Zuni (A:shiwi) people, like all Indigenous peoples, are valiantly endeavoring to save their sacred language.

More posts about "straightoutofshiwi"

Surprise Me

Humans of Zuni: Kristyn Eriacho

How sports have gotten Kristyn through lifes hardships

Tribal Sovereignty and Writing the Op-Ed

The fight to have our voices heard to bring back Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

Humans of Zuni: Ian Bowekaty

Behold my friend, classmate, most proud to say: my brother.

Culture Is Not Mass-Produced

The story behind two Zuni silversmiths and their efforts to market their jewelry in the face of non-Native opportunists who steal authentic designs to mass produce for a global market.

Democracy in Shiwi

This picture describes democracy in Zuni by showing a baseball field here at the high school, the school district had bought this baseball field so that we could play this sport.

No More killing, Save the Indian

"kill the Indian, save the man" -Richard Henry Pratt

Sun going down at Black Rock hill

A special moment at sunset.

Red Road of Connection

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." -Chief Seattle of the Duwamish Tribe

A Spirit's Path Home

For thousands of years, my people and our ancestors have inhabited the land, reciprocating blessings between ourselves and spirits of the animals. Our identity could have vanished long ago, but the walls that structure our protection still stand.

Secret lands of the Zuni Pueblo

No skyscrapers in sight, no blur from the smog. Only a beautiful landscape captured in the morning that comes with freezing your fingers off to greet our Father Sun. Defining peace and sovereignty found here only in the Zuni Pueblo.

Tribal Sovereignty in Zuni

Tribal Soverignty can be seen in plain sight around Zuni Pueblo.

Box Canyon

This is the spring at Box Canyon, near Nutria, where A:shiwi people stayed back then.

My Dawg on The Rez

A rez dog is a dog that is mixed breed, basically a mutt. They have no real home and roam around the rez with no real purpose. My dog is a rez dog and has been able to survive the harsh conditions we call home here in Zuni land.

Sovereignty: The Backbones of Our Community

The importance of women in our culture and in my life

Protection of sacred lands

It took little for the United States government to take 99% of Native lands along with the lands and resources well they and private corporations continue to exploit. These corporations don't understand that these lands are our place or worship.

Tribal Sovereignty

Sacred Earthlings with sacred practices. We as A:shiwi (Zuni) people keep our religion sacred. And with this comes a law created by the Tribal Government. The No Flash Photography law that is abided by us as well as nonmembers of the community.

Democracy: A fragile strength in America

Democracy nowadays is a lot like this ancient A:shiwi pottery piece from 1050 AD: broken and delicate. Although it has gone through years, decades or even centuries of hardships, it has still stayed somewhat intact.

Earth as a part of tribal sovereignty

The land has a deeply rooted connection to the A:shiwi people. They have had many obstacles but remain on their sacred land.

Humans of Zuni: Chasady Simplicio

Peering into the ocean of wandering waves, for the mind seeks beyond the shores and piers, past the blue horizons, and into the welcoming skies of the next morning.

BIA- Bureau of Indian Affairs

BIA represents the federal branch of the tribal government by assisting in local fires, forestry, wildlife management, help with fire wood and job opportunities. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Zuni New Mexico, October 28, 2021.

Humans of Zuni: Joshua Mahkee

With life bringing many challenges and problems, you can always find a person smiling through it all. Here is the story of my brother Joshua and his journey of self-introspection and finding happiness.

"Rez''ilient Education

Our tribal sovereigntypaves the way for us to developa unique education system that is the foundation for ensuring we support and enrich the deep culture we have within our community.

Sustainability for Sovereign Native Communities

When people think about Native communities, they think about the poverty levels and the stereotypes. I wanted to show how sovereign Native communities can continue to sustain themselves and thrive through the reclamation of ancestral traditions.

Humans of Zuni: Kameron Eustace

This is Kameron. Taking a glimpse at the world of his ambitions and dreams.

Civic Journalism for Rural Youth is part of the National Writing Project’s family of youth publishing projects, all gathered under the Writing Our Future initiative.

Writing Our Future projects are designed by educators for educators and the young people they work with. Intended for use in schools, libraries, and other educational settings. All projects are COPPA compliant and educator-managed. NWP is committed to supporting young people’s writing and civic participation by providing a safe and supportive environment for youth writing, media creation, sharing, and publishing.