“We’re Taking Responsibility for Our Destiny”
Taos Pueblo, a World Heritage Site, is perhaps the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States. This American Indian community is unique in that the people have been on this land for over a thousand years—and still carries on many of its original traditions including farming, continued use of Tiwa, the tribe’s language, and respect for tribe’s elders and its rich culture.
As a sovereign nation within the United States, the tribe has 2,500 members, many of them young, and is led by a traditional tribal government structure consisting of the Tribal Council, which appoints the Governor and the War Chief annually. The Tribal Governor and his staff are concerned with civil and business issues within the village and relations with the community outside Taos Pueblo. The War Chief and staff deal with the protection of natural resources.
In 2007, the Taos Pueblo Tribal Council took steps toward self-governance to give the tribe stronger, more independent control in setting its own goals and priorities. “We’ve taken on even more responsibility and are taking on the programs, functions and services to serve our people. We’re finding solutions that we’re familiar with and turning that into programs that work for our people,” said Shawn Duran, Tribal Programs Administrator for Taos Pueblo.
“We’re working to build a Culture of Health in our community by being inclusive, by sharing information with everyone that needs to have it and by seeking input...really looking at it holistically,” said Duran.