City celebrates Indigenous communities, hosts youth powwow

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Indigenous Life Celebration and Youth Powwow kicked off Saturday morning.

“We want to have a space where our Native youth can come to really celebrate their identity and be able to partake in a lot of different cultural activities and to really celebrate what they are,” said Dawn Begay, the CABQ native affairs coordinator.

Begay is an organizer of this year’s event at the Albuquerque Convention Center. The celebration in downtown Albuquerque aims to reach children, teens and families and promote traditional wellness.

Chenoa Scippio was the keynote speaker at the event. She said, as a young person, it’s important to pass along a strong message to younger people.

“To be, I guess, an Indigenous person, it makes me really proud to know who I am, to, you know, my community, my family, my ancestors, and all of this history, but also it’s a privilege for me to teach other people,” Scippio said. “It’s important to recognize and to celebrate that every single day, and to, you know, understand that we have a voice as Native people.”

The event will wrap up around 10 p.m. Saturday. Organizers said everyone is welcome and the event is free.