On August 24, 2019, Russel Albert Daniels photographs a group of Genízaro riders during Abiquiu’s Santa Rosa de Lima feast day.
years researching these topics and traveling throughout the traditional tribal territories in the Intermountain West, Rocky Mountains and Colorado Plateau where many of these atrocities happened. The roads eventually pointed to the Pueblo of Abiquiú. This com- munity of Genízaro people of mixed Indian and Spanish heritage was established on the borderlands of the Spanish colonial slave traf- ficking region in northern New Mexico. To photograph and tell the story of the
people who live in Abiquiú for one of the National Museum of the American Indian’s “Developing Stories: Native Photographers in the Field” photo exhibitions (AmericanIn-
dian.si.edu/developingstories), I spent more than two and half months in 2019 as a guest among the Genízaro people. I rented a trailer on the dirt road that exits the pueblo from a generous Genízaro couple, Frankie and Car- men López. During my stay, I was able to
photograph many of the community’s resi- dents because I built trust with them by shar- ing my own vulnerability, my personal family story and my own trials and tribulations. I was invited to Rafaelita Martinez’s home
for a Sunday dinner of “carne adovada” (a red chile pork stew), “papas” (fried potatoes) and tortillas—one of the best meals I’ve ever had. I drank beers and ate “chicharróns” (fried pork skins) with Roberto Garcia down by the Rio Chama as he told me about his com- plex mixed Spanish and Hopi family history. I attended significant spiritual ceremonies and celebrations, including Sunday and Tues- day mass at the colonial-era Santo Tomás Catholic Parish and a community prayer and Catholic rosary ceremony at the Morada de Alto. I was shown the church’s collection of carved “bultos” (painted wooden saints), some dating back to the 1700s. I helped harvest Christmas trees for the community
and the church. I watched Genízaro youth conduct weekly dress rehearsals for the Santo Tomás feast day. These are all honors and privileges that I will never forget. Empathy and shared vulnerability can
create connections and open avenues of com- munication and collaboration that can aid in telling an accurate story. I hope those who see my photos and read about the people of Abiquiú will learn more about American Indian cultures and the effects of colonial vio- lence. I want people to question the inaccura- cies of the colonial historical narrative and the harmful stereotypes that encourage enmity. Ultimately, I hope they will be inspired to be- come allies for Native communities and causes because everyone in the Americas is standing on Native lands. This is medicine. X
Russel Albert Daniels (Diné and Ho-Chunk) is a freelance photographer based in Salt Lake City, Utah. His work focuses on Native Americans’ resilience and identity.
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