Old and new homes stand side by side in the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. Since 2005, the Pueblo has worked to restore its old homes. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

Owe’neh Bupingeh Preservation Project has restored 34 homes in the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, bringing life back into the Pueblo’s core. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

For more than 10 years, Ohkay Owingeh has experienced a profound transformation and this significant change will be shared with the community 5-7 p.m. Sept. 27 at Fuller Lodge.

In 2005, the Pueblo was in a tough spot. Only 12 families were living in the Pueblo’s plazas, which is the core, the heart of the Pueblo’s life. The historic homes were crumbling as people abandoned them in favor of newer houses the Indian Housing agency offered in 1970s along the periphery of Ohkay Owingeh.

But also in 2005, Executive Director of the Pueblo Housing Authority Tomasita Duran started the Owe’neh Bupingeh Preservation Project. The project has a dual purpose: cultural preservation and functional renovation. So far it has restored 34 homes and the hope is to finish the final 15 homes in the next two to three years.

Development Officer Leslie Colley said a lot of the work on the final homes is already done including infrastructure. “We’re really ready to hit the ground running with this final 15,” she said.

Things have changed dramatically in 12 years. Now 42 families are living in the core area of the Pueblo.

“We really feel that this is all tied to the fact that the Pueblo is not only providing homes but enriching the Pueblo-especially with the children,” Duran said.

She pointed out attendance to the Pueblo’s Feast Days and dances have increased since the project started.

Colley said the more vibrant Pueblo life shows “there’s a sense of pride and accomplishment about the project. The tribe is embracing and celebrating its traditions and culture and historical strengths.”

She credited Duran for achieving this transformation. “She had the idea that the Pueblo needed to have life breathed back into it.”

The project began with a $7,500 grant from the State Historic Preservation Office. Youth in the Pueblo were trained to map and document the village. Additionally, an oral history project was conducted, during which the Pueblo’s elders were interviewed. Work was also done to create a historic inventory and a preservation plan. In 2010, the first 20 homes were restored. The firm Atkin Olshin Schade Architects worked on the project.

As the project progressed, so did its funding. More than $9 million has been raised for the project, primarily from Federal sources. The goal is to raise another $3.5 million in private funding to complete the project. Several entities in the private sector have contributed including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Chamiza Foundation and the McCune Foundation. The project has also received a $500,000 award from the New Mexico Tax Credit Fund to incentivize donations from local individuals and businesses. Colley explained the Tax Credit Fund; if an individual or a corporation owes state tax and make a donation to the project, they get a credit equal to half that donation.

The housing project has also gained a lot of outside attention since its inception. It has been spotlighted in numerous publications and received a number of awards. “It has gotten a tremendous amount of recognition,” Duran said.

She added, “We have basically shared everything we’ve done. It’s looked at as a model by other tribes.”

Even more important is the change in the Pueblo life. “It is much more far reaching than just restoring a building, it’s restoring the core of the Ohkay Owingeh culture. It’s a beautiful Pueblo … I find it to be a compelling and beautiful project. (It is one of the) most innovative tribal housing projects in the nation,” Colley said. 

During the event Sept. 27 in Los Alamos, Colley said she is eager to share the project with the public. The event will feature a Buffalo Dance as well as Native American cuisine and information on the project. There is no admission fee to attend.

One of the plazas at Ohkay Owingeh. It has undergone a major transformation and now 42 families are living within the Pueblo core area whereras in 2005 only 12 families did. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com