Looking to the Mountain: Sacred Lands, Healing Cultures
March 1, 2024 - Irene Gray & Geneva Sandoval
In celebration of the Gila Wilderness’ centennial anniversary, our connection to the land will be honored through music, poetry, art, and education during a special public event at the Albuquerque BioPark. Looking to the Mountains: Sacred Hearts, Healing Cultures will take place on Friday, March 8 at the Albuquerque Botanical Gardens with a series of events intended to inspire and reconnect the public to their place within the land.
From a land blessing by Drs. Cheo Torres and Mario del Angel Guevarra Torres from the Department of Chicana & Chicano Studies (CCS) to performances by the UNM Danza (dance) group, and music from CCS’ San Jarocho group, attendees can expect a full day of engaging activities.
As part of this special day, a healing circle will be led by Roseanne Rosenthal, Ph.D. candidate in cultural anthropology at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). Rosenthal’s session will honor the connections between land, culture, and healing.
Prior to entering her Ph.D. program, Rosenthal was a forensic nurse and crime scene investigator. Her research focuses on intergenerational trauma and the impact that laws like the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) have on Native communities.
Rosenthal was born and raised in Los Angeles, California but is an enrolled member of the Chiricahua Apache tribe in Silver Springs, New Mexico. As a child, she and her family visited the village of Tortugas, New Mexico several times a year. This is where her maternal grandfather raised his family.
“When I visited Tortugas as a little girl at the age of five, I would proclaim that when I grew up, I would take care of the Indians (a term we used to identify ourselves in that generation). I guess I kept my promise.”
Rosenthal describes the talking circle as a “traditional Native American way of sharing and gaining knowledge. In a talking circle, all are equal making a safe and welcoming environment to learn and share knowledge.”
She continues, “‘Land is Medicine’ is the core of Native ideology. We get life from the land from food, medicinal plants, spirituality, and in some tribes some of the words in their language. We depend on the land for all our needs including mental health which is my focus as an anthropologist.”
In 1924, the Aldo Leopold Wilderness in southwestern New Mexico became America’s first designated wilderness, predating the Wilderness Act by four decades. In recognition of the 100th anniversary of this significant milestone in our country’s history of conservation, organizations throughout the state are coming together to honor its rich natural and cultural heritage in a months-long celebration.
In addition to the Gila Wilderness, Leopold also advocated for the preservation of several open spaces throughout New Mexico, including the ABQ BioPark and the Rio Grande Nature Center.
The Gila Wilderness Centennial is sponsored in part by the UNM College of Arts & Sciences, the Institute for American Indian Research (IFAIR), the Sustainability Studies program, the R.H. Mallory Center for Community Geography, the Southwest Hispanic Research Institute, the Department of Chicana & Chicano Studies, the Center for Regional Studies, and the Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies. For a full list of sponsors, please click here.
Rosenthal’s talking circle is scheduled for March 8 at 3:15 pm in the Rose Garden Atrium of the Botanical Gardens.
For UNM students, staff, and faculty, complimentary tickets to Looking to the Mountains will be available at the UNM admissions table beginning at 11 on March 8 for as long as they last. All attendees are encouraged to bring lunch and a blanket to sit in the gardens and enjoy the festivities.
For a full list of events in honor of the Gila Wilderness Centennial, please go to GilaWildernessCentennial.wordpress.com.
