Diana Alba Soular

Las Cruces Sun-News

LAS CRUCES - Local officials last week expressed their support — and lack thereof — for the Piro-Manso-Tiwa Tribe's effort to gain formal federal recognition.

Two votes — one by the Las Cruces City Council and another by the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners — were characterized by contentious debate from two major factions, both of which have roots in the Tortugas Pueblo south of Las Cruces. The discussion exposed a painful divide that has simmered for the better part of a century.

The schism — fed by several major events and changes in local demographics — began in the early 20th century and revolved around control of tribe's identity, its direction, its religious practices and its property.

Changing tides

The late 19th century to mid-20th century brought big changes to tribal members' way of life, according to historians who've researched the Tortugas Pueblo. In 1881, the first railroad finished its line to Las Cruces, increasing settlement by Anglo Americans . By 1916, Elephant Butte Dam was finished, opening up farm land that drove further settlement of the Mesilla Valley by U.S. residents from outside New Mexico. This new population, in addition to the Hispanics who were settling in the region from Mexico, gobbled up land that at one time had been relied upon by Native Americans for sustenance. It also created a labor market, and tribal people shifted to relying upon jobs for income, according to experts.

Meanwhile, an influx of Mexicans who were of Native American heritage — or who were of mixed Native American-Spanish heritage — began to occur. These immigrants were filling the growing demand for agricultural labor in the region. Some of this population settled near or in Tortugas, a situation that eventually stirred tensions among tribal members who lived there.

There was an element of prestige among pueblo members in having a purer Native American heritage in contrast to having a lineage that was mixed with Spanish or Mexican heritage, writes Alan J. Oppenheimer, who documented the tribe's way of life in a 1957 thesis for the University of New Mexico. This was a reversal of a common prejudice that was found in Mexico, in which Hispanic or mixed heritage was more prestigious than a pure Native American bloodline, he noted.

The non-Native American community of Las Cruces tended to romanticize the Native American culture and viewed Tortugas residents favorably.

"Many of the neighbors of Tortugas would refer to an individual and say, 'He's a real Indian,' not without a certain fondness coming into their voices," Oppenheimer writes.

Nonprofit formed

In the late 1800s, both Native American and non-Native Americans were petitioning officials for land around Tortugas, which was part of the Doña Ana Bend Colony Grant, according to the tribe's application for federal recognition. In 1910, tribal members built a chapel in the community, shifting their yearly festival dances from Las Cruces to Tortugas. Eugene Van Patten, a prominent historical figure in the Mesilla Valley, was married to a woman who was of Piro heritage and became a benefactor to the Tortugas Pueblo. Van Patten was instrumental in seeking a portion of property from the Doña Ana land grant to be deeded in 1908 to Tortugas "commissioners," according to the tribe's application.

In 1914, the Tortugas community formed the Los Indigenes de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe nonprofit corporation, meant to handle the group's secular affairs, while the traditional role of cacique — the top leader of a pueblo — and tribal hierarchy oversaw the tribe's social and religious affairs, according to research included in the tribe's application.

Two factions took shape in Tortugas in the 1940s, according to historians. One group revolved around tribal Cacique Vicente Roybal and his brother, Victor Roybal, who was president of the corporation. Oppenheimer generally described this faction as a "conservative" group. The second group that emerged, described as "progressive" by Oppenheimer, was led by Miguel Fiero, a Mexican-born resident. Fierro claimed the presidency of the corporation at the same time it was held by Victor Roybal, who lived in California, according to Oppenheimer.

The progressive group had argued the the presidency was a lifetime position, while the conservative group contended one of its members should hold the office "to correct abuses," Oppenheimer writes.

"In 1948, Fiero, acting as President, sent deputy sheriff's to the house of Vicente Roybal to gather certain objects which, it was claimed, were the property of the pueblo, and which evolved to Fiero as custodian," he wrote.

There were disputes about whether to allow a carnival to take place on church property during the yearly Our Lady of Guadalupe Fiesta, a key celebration of the Tortugas Pueblo each December. The distribution of donations collected during the festival also was a point of friction, prompting a lawsuit. Ownership of a key parcel of land in Tortugas was disputed. The factions weren't clearly delineated along family lines, and people in either group claimed the opposing faction was comprised of "fake Indians," according to Oppenheimer.

The group affiliated with the Roybals parted ways with the corporation, retaining its line of caciques through the Roybal family and appointing its own tribal-based officers. It's known today as the Piro-Manso-Tiwa of the Pueblo of San Juan de Guadalupe — the group that's seeking to become formally recognized by the U.S. government as a tribe.

Supporters of what was initially the Fierro faction have continued as the Los Indigenes de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe corporation, also informally called Tortugas Pueblo. After the corporation's initial term ended in 1964, the corporation renewed itself. It has continued to organize and host the yearly Our Lady of Guadalupe Fiesta at Tortugas and pilgrimage up Tortugas "A" Mountain. It takes place each winter in conjunction with a Catholic-designated feast to mark the appearance of a spiritual figure — the Virgin of Guadalupe — to Juan Diego, a Native American peasant in Mexico in the 1500s. Members who stayed with that organization also appointed their own spiritual leadership, complete with caciques and captains.

Ed Roybal, cacique of the Piro-Manso-Tiwa Tribe, said the group has its own celebrations.

"We're doing our own honorings in our own ways; we celebrate in our own times," he said. "Whatever anybody wants to do, that's up to them. We're not stopping anybody from doing it. That seems to be the issue with this federal recognition — anybody can put a petition in."

Dispute ongoing

The Piro-Manso-Tiwa Tribe contends there was never a tribal split because the people remaining in the corporation weren't actual Native Americans. Rather, they claim the corporation consisted of people of Mexican and Hispanic descent who'd lived in the pueblo or who joined the corporation in the years since. The Piro-Manso-Tiwa group says it wanted to renew the focus upon actual Native American heritage and can trace its members' geneaologies in that regard. Tribal members claim the corporation wasn't created to exclusively benefit the Piro-Manso-Tiwas, the tribe states in its application.

"It is important to note at the outset that the said Los Indigenes (corporation) was not solely an instrumentality or creation of the tribe, nor was it the embodiment of tribal government," states an application of the tribe to the U.S. government. "Tortugas has been viewed a(s) the site of a colony of Piro/Manso/Tiwas, ... but Tortugas was never entirely a colony of the Las Cruces Piro/Manso/Tiwa Tribe. The tribe never emigrated there as a body, though it had close relations with members who did move there, and with the social and religious activities that transpired there."

Ed Roybal said last week: "Everybody on our tribal rolls — they have to have Indian blood from our tribe."

Members of the corporation also claim they have Native American heritage.

"I'm native, as well," said David Ferrales, third captain for Los Indigenes de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. "Being Native is not what I'm trying to be — being Native is what I am."

Arianna Fierro, president of the corporation, said that organization has "been the governing body of our pueblo since its inception and continues to do so, up until this day."

Ferrales said, depending on who is asked, the Piro-Manso-Tiwa group either was shunned from the corporation or left on its own in the mid-20th century, separating from the corporation in the midst of a controversy.

"They broke off and had a group, and in recent history, they even broke up," he said.

Two other smaller branch groups have splintered off and also claim Native American heritage. One Piro family has taken issue with leadership by the Roybals. A fourth group recently expressed support for reunification among different factions.

Corporation members say they doesn't dispute the Piro-Manso-Tiwa group's efforts to be a tribe — as long as there's a guarantee the attempt won't result in a takeover of the corporation property or members' property. They said they haven't received such a guarantee.

Ferrales said the corporation believes the Piro-Manso-Tiwa Tribe has its sights set on land within the community of Tortugas, land that has traditionally been passed from one generation to the next within members of the corporation. There's a concern that federal recognition could result in those lands being taken away, even though they're private property, he said. For the corporation and its members, the yearly fiesta and the land in Tortugas — including a cemetery — are immensely valued.

"I want my kids to be able to have a place (to bury me) when it's my time to go," he said.

Because of its concerns, the corporation — which until now hasn't pursued federal recognition as a tribe — will have to consider whether to seek the status on its own as a defense mechanism, Ferrales said.

The Las Cruces City Council held off on approving a statement of support for the Piro-Manso-Tiwa Tribe's efforts to gain federal recognition. County commissioners, however, passed a statement of support in a split vote.

A public comment period is set to close Sunday on the tribe's application for federal recognition. However, the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs website says that written comments post-marked as of Monday will be accepted.

Ed Roybal said the ultimate decision on the Piro-Manso-Tiwa Tribe's request — a process that's been ongoing since the 1970s — will be made at a higher level.

"It will be made by the federal government," he said.

The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs didn't respond to a request for an interview.

Diana Alba Soular may be reached at 575-541-5443, dalba@lcsun-news.com or @AlbaSoular on Twitter.