Agin: Beyond the Jersey
Centered on the Tewa word “Agin” — Pueblo artist Evone Martinez weaves tribal history and an MMIP prayer into the Isotopes’ first Native American Heritage Night jerseys.
SAN ILDEFONSO PUEBLO, N.M. —
SAN ILDEFONSO PUEBLO, N.M. — When the Albuquerque Isotopes called Pueblo potter Evone “Snowflake” Martinez to design their first Native American Heritage Night jerseys, her first reaction was pure disbelief.
“Really? Me?!” Martinez said, laughing.
Long before she ever picked up a pencil or drew a single line, Martinez thought, How do I go about this?
She dropped her head to pray.
Her initial shock quickly transformed into a spiritual mission.
The answer she received wasn’t about sports, runs or strikes. It was about her ancestors, her relatives, the pueblos.
“I wanted to use this (opportunity) to represent my people, but also wanted them to represent themselves,” Martinez said. “Our roots are grounded into the earth, and they go very, very deep.”
Stitched in History
From the hats to the uniform trim, every single design element on the upcoming Native American Heritage Night jerseys carries depth.
To design the jersey numbers, Martinez went straight to the Pueblo library. She pulled ancestral pottery patterns to ensure as many families as possible were physically represented in the fabrics.
One of the moments that stood out was the way Martinez wanted to tie the past to the future, so she had her daughter step in to help design three of the jersey numbers. After all, children represent the future.
It was the eagle feathers circling the waist of the jersey that carried the heaviest prayer.
In Pueblo culture, the eagle is the messenger to the Creator. Placed deliberately on every single feather is a red dot — a plea for the eagle to carry to the Creator to find and protect the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP).
It’s an act to show they are not forgotten — a reality that weighs heavily on Martinez.
“This really hits hard because these are my people. These are my children, these are generations lost,” Martinez said as she tried to hold back tears. “They won’t, they will never hear their stories, and they can never pass stories on.”
A Seat at the Table
When the Isotopes take the field on Aug. 8, those uniforms will carry the weight, history and physical presence of all 23 New Mexico tribes.
It’s a milestone that goes far beyond a standard promotional game night.
“I hope fans take away a sense of pride because it represents all 23 tribes in New Mexico,” said Governor de San Ildefonso Pueblo Christoper Moquino. “The designs symbolize strength, protection, an outlook for the future and remembering our past.”
This historic Isotopes collaboration centers on a concept from Martinez’s native Tewa language: “Agin.”
It means respect.
Respect for the Pueblos, and for “those we can’t see, those we see, those who have left us, those who have still yet to come,” Martinez said.
A reminder that you don’t have to be Native to remember your roots or to honor where you come from.
If You Go: The Isotopes will wear the limited-edition uniforms this Saturday night at Isotopes Park. Fans looking to take a piece of history home can participate in an online auction for the game-worn jerseys, with 100% of proceeds benefiting the Bob Chavez Scholarship for the Arts. Additionally, 10% of all retail sales from the replica jerseys sold exclusively at the Isotopes Park Pro Shop will go toward the scholarship fund.
