Produced by Miguel Santistevan in collaboration with Cultural Energy (www.culturalenergy.org). Made possible with grants from the Panta Rhea and Christensen Foundations.

In show #32 you can hear the first presentation of the 3rd Annual Ben Lujan Leadership and Public Policy Institute held at New Mexico Highlands University on May 19 & 20, 2008 by the youth leaders of the Sembrando Semillas Acequia Youth Project: Toribio Garcia, DJ Duran, and Margaret Garcia. The objectives for the Institute are to convene community leaders, youth, and students to learn from successful projects and campaigns to protect land and water rights, to discuss ways to replicate projects that demonstrate the viability of land-based livelihoods, and to identify strategies to integrate community interests and knowledge into the educational system.

Special thanks to Cipriano Vigil for our theme music and the B-Side Players for this month’s musical selection.

Download episode: 32quevivan.mp3

Augustine Gonzales learns how to use the cutter bar on the tiller while Donne Gonzales (back left) helps her mom Juliet remove the flowers from the plants. Removing the flowers from the plants is said to help the potatoes grow bigger.

After a day’s work, the field looks nice! Ready for some papas?

Photo by Donne Gonzales.

From L to R: Rory Pino, Andrew and Samantha Mascareñas, and DJ Duran check out Window Rock

Hopi farmer David (left) and Andrew make a personal connection and later exchange seeds…

Can you believe his corn is planted 1.5 feet deep and never gets irrigated? Believe it!

We learned that even though we are from different places with different histories, we have a lot in common…

After our trip to Hopi, we went to the Grand Canyon…

Pictured at top, left to right: Lucille Trujillo, Pam Garcia, Miguel Santistevan, DJ Duran, & Samantha Mascareñas. At bottom: Paula Garcia, Travis McKenzie, Rory Pino, and Andrew Mascareñas. Not pictured: Christina Garcia.

Sembrando Semillas members Toribio Garcia, Eric Casados, and Augustine Gonzales are busy burying potatoes while mentors Edward Gonzales, Crestino Gonzales, and Rudy Sanchez plant. This is the first time this field has been planted in crops, having been pasture for many years. Thanks to Toribio’s grandfather for plowing and discing the land.

Toribio uses a small tractor to cover the potatoes while Eric and Augustine make sure they are covered completely.

DJ stands with his family at the ESE! (Espanola Showing Excellence) Film Festival.

From left to right: DJ’s grandma Lucille, DJ, and DJ’s dad

!!! CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO !!!

DJ Duran, junior at West Las Vegas High School, is going for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place at the ¡ESE! (Espanola Showing Excellence!) Film Festival to be held FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2008 in the ‘Cultural Documentary‘ category. His film is entitled ‘Cattle Driven’ and features information about his cattle ranching traditions in Chacon, New Mexico. In his film you will get to see rare footage of taking cattle to mountain pasture, acequia irrigation, and other cattle ranching traditions. Come to the film festival and vote for your favorite entries!

Date: Friday, April 18, 2008

Time: 7-9 pm

Place: Northern new Mexico College, Center for the Arts Auditorium

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ABOUT CATTLE RANCHING IN THE MORA AREA

and

!!! CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO !!!

This show features interviews of Sembrando Semillas members, mentors, and chaperones from a La Jicarita backpacking trip held July 16 & 17, 2007. In this program we talk about hiking to La Jicarita peak, the source of our water and the watershed, and being silent in nature. Participants include:

Celestino Chavez, Taos

RJ Chavez, Taos

Toribio Garcia, Chamisal

Joshua Rivera, Mora

Angel Martinez, Taos

Andrew Mascareñas, Urraca

Augustine Gonzales, Chamisal

Done Gonzales, Chamisal

James Duran, Chacon

Dominic Chavez, Taos

Mentor and chaperone Victor Mascareñas

Chaperone Reynaldo Santistevan

and

Mentor and chaperone Margarita Garcia.

A special thanks to The Center for Whole Communities in Vermont for helping to fund this backpacking trip. Additional thanks to Rocky Mountain Youth Corp in Taos for lending us backpacking equipment for this trip.

Theme music by Cipriano Vigil and this month’s musical selection, “Esperanza,” by the B-Side Players.

Download episode: 27quevivan.mp3

This show features a Sembrando Semillas workshop held on October 20, 2007 in Chamisal, New Mexico.  In this program you can hear the Sembrando Semillas team learn how to make posole from blue corn.  Featured in this show are:

Maximiliano Garcia: mentor in the making of posole.

Miguel Santistevan: recorder and interviewer.

Margaret Garcia: youth mentor.

Victor Mascareñas, Taos Sembrando Semillas mentor.

AND Youth participants:

RJ Chavez, Taos High School senior.

Juan Felipe Roybal, Peñasco High School junior.
Adam Casados, Peñasco High School.

Karen Mirabal, Taos college student.

Toribio Garcia, Peñasco High School junior.

Michael Fresquez, Peñasco High School.

Music by Cipriano Vigil and David Garcia y su conjunto.

Download episode: 25quevivan.mp3

On Saturday, October 20, 2007, the Sembrando Semillas team gathered in Chamisal to learn how to make posole from blue corn. This workshop was led by our mentor Maximiliano Garcia with great support from his family. The workshop was attended by Taos’ RJ Chavez, Karen Mirabal, as well as Questa’s Andrew, Samantha, Jordan, and Lauren Mascareñas. Penasco Semillas included Toribio Garcia, Michael Fresquez, Juan Felipe Roybal, Adam & Eric Casados, and Donne, Augustine, & Ignacio Gonzales.

We learned about the entire process of making posole, starting with the planting and harvesting of blue corn last year. The workshop consisted of desgranando el maiz, aigriandolo, lavandolo, and boiling the corn with cal (slake lime) until it turned orange and the seed shell started coming off. It then had to be rinsed several times to remove the cal. At that point it was frozen or could also be dried for later use. Posole, like chicos, is a fundamental food in northern New Mexico culture so having this knowledge is important. You will be able to hear about this workshop on the November edition of “¡Que Vivan las Acequias!”

!!! CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ABOUT THIS DAY !!!

and

!!! CLICK HERE TO SEE A VIDEO ABOUT POSOLE MAKING !!!

All of us made it!

HEAR ABOUT THIS TRIP BY CLICKING BELOW!