“They’re intertwined into who we are, you know, as a Pueblo person,” Thomas Armijo said. He works as a cultural resource technician with the Tribal Historic Preservation Office for the Santa Ana Pueblo. As a member of the pueblo, this is a case that hits many people hard. “Knowing that they were taken…it’s just like a member of your community missing,” Armijo said. This dates back to 1984 when a series of burglaries happened at a local village in the Pueblo. 150 items were reported missing and even though the people behind these burglaries were arrested, none of the items were ever found — until now. A pottery bowl was recently retrieved from their investigation. The Historical Preservation Office says the next item on their list is a historical shield that they believe is more than 100 years old and is located somewhere in Canada. The office has been working closely with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the FBI to dig up information surrounding this case. Preservation Officer Monica Murrell said, “Once we had the full case files in hand, we all spent a lot of time studying the case files, making an exhaustive list of everything that was stolen.”The work is far from over. Officers with the Pueblo say they are working tirelessly to find leads on the other missing artifacts. For Armijo, this case is about more than just physical items.”I’ll be able to pass on, you know, to future generations,” Armijo said. “I’m helping to preserve and protect the culture of Santa Ana Pueblo.”Historic preservation experts tell KOAT they have several tips on at least a dozen other artifacts they are tracking across the country.
“They’re intertwined into who we are, you know, as a Pueblo person,” Thomas Armijo said.
He works as a cultural resource technician with the Tribal Historic Preservation Office for the Santa Ana Pueblo. As a member of the pueblo, this is a case that hits many people hard.
“Knowing that they were taken…it’s just like a member of your community missing,” Armijo said.
This dates back to 1984 when a series of burglaries happened at a local village in the Pueblo. 150 items were reported missing and even though the people behind these burglaries were arrested, none of the items were ever found — until now.
A pottery bowl was recently retrieved from their investigation. The Historical Preservation Office says the next item on their list is a historical shield that they believe is more than 100 years old and is located somewhere in Canada.
The office has been working closely with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the FBI to dig up information surrounding this case.
Preservation Officer Monica Murrell said, “Once we had the full case files in hand, we all spent a lot of time studying the case files, making an exhaustive list of everything that was stolen.”
The work is far from over. Officers with the Pueblo say they are working tirelessly to find leads on the other missing artifacts. For Armijo, this case is about more than just physical items.
“I’ll be able to pass on, you know, to future generations,” Armijo said. “I’m helping to preserve and protect the culture of Santa Ana Pueblo.”
Historic preservation experts tell KOAT they have several tips on at least a dozen other artifacts they are tracking across the country.
