Indigenous Notions of Ownership and Libraries, Archives and Museums by Camille Callison Loriene Roy Gretchen Alice LeCheminant

Author:Camille Callison, Loriene Roy, Gretchen Alice LeCheminant
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Published: 2016-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

Poeh Center

The Pueblo of Pojoaque, located approximately twenty minutes outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, formally approved the Poeh Cultural Center and Museum by tribal council resolution in 1988, with initial support from the Administration for Native Americans. The project consisted of three components: the Poeh Center, the Poeh Museum, and Poeh Arts. The planning process was lengthy and necessary due to the vision of the museum and cultural centre to perpetuate and preserve traditional and contemporary art and culture of all six of the Tewa-speaking Pueblos of Northern New Mexico. The early involvement of a number of advisory groups, multi-generational community members and representatives of other pueblos, and other regional interests was part of the strategic process to make the Poeh Center a meaningful and productive part of Pojoaque.

Similar to the Ak- Chin Him-Dak Eco-Museum, the Poeh Center expressed collective ownership in its planning process employing the voices of other Pueblo communities to develop a culturally based enterprise that would serve as the platform for the varied and continued expression of traditional knowledge. Pueblo community vision identified several areas they deemed important to feature in the Poeh Cultural Center and Poeh Museum – all examples of cultural practice. These areas included traditional architecture, transmission of artistic vision and technique to younger generations, and Pueblo interpretation of history and culture.

The early planners recognized that real sustainability of the Poeh Center would depend upon its role in the perpetuation of indigenous knowledge and cultural traditions. Building on the success of Pojoaque Pueblo in creating culturally rich and sustainable ventures, a resolution was passed to formalize a partnership with the for-profit organization Pojoaque Pueblo Construction Services Corporation. There were multiple goals to this partnership. The first goal was to incorporate traditional adobe construction and siting in the building and design of the centre. The second goal was to train community members in practical building skills that would include Pueblo cultural practice in the technology and application of adobe. In other words, students would learn about the culturally appropriate relationship and spiritual connection to the earthen clay and the proper mindset to use when using it to construct a dwelling.

The Poeh Center, which resembles a traditional village with its adjacent buildings and outdoor gathering areas, would ultimately become a training facility to educate members of Pojoaque and surrounding Pueblos in vocational skills such as exhibit fabrication that could be used in the Poeh Museum and in fine arts instruction and technology for pottery, jewelry making, and sculpture that could later be shown and sold in the gallery of Poeh Arts. By creating a place where traditional art can be made, the Poeh Center and Poeh Arts are ensuring the transmission of Pueblo artistic expression.

The permanent exhibit in the Poeh Museum tells the story of Pueblo history using sculpture by renowned artist Roxanne Swentzell (Santa Clara Pueblo) and muralist Marcellus Medina (Zia Pueblo). Community input and cultural practice is uniquely expressed by the conscious decision to not use any written labels to aid in exhibit interpretation.

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