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Speaking our language

by JACK JACKSON

The power and significance of language and tradition defines many people.  For Onawa Lacy the strength of her native Navajo culture inspires and drives her.

By Jack Jackson

Onawa Lacy sits in her traditional dress

Lacy is a public relations liaison for a number of cross-cultural organizations both within the United States and internationally.  Lacy said that her goal is to bridge the gap between cultures and teach them how to embrace each other. 

Lacy is telling tall tales to a group of small children at the Pueblo of Tamaya, also known as Santa Ana Pueblo.  Her enthusiasm in telling the stories, which she has told many times before, shows how passionate she is about her native culture.

It has become an important personal choice for Lacy to pursue a career that entales the delivering of her and other native cultural traditions to the forefront for recognition. 

“I didn’t hear my stories when I was young, I didn’t learn my language,” Lacy said. “Storytelling is a way of educating both native people and non-native people about these histories that I have worked so hard to learn.”

“I can’t tell you how much it means to me to see the children and even adults learning and enjoying the stories of my people” Lacy said. 

Her manager of eight years, Melissa Sanchez, looks on, off to the side, with a smile of approval.

“I’ve seen her grow so much these past years.” Sanchez said, “She has really turned into a passionate, focused, talent, woman.”  

The room is quiet and the children listen intently as Lacy brings the age old characters, like Grandma Spider and Sister Skunk, to life.

“These are the things that I didn’t have when I was growing up,” Lacy said.

Story teller and long time friend and mentor Emmett Garcia has been working with Lacy since she began to seriously take on her Native American studies.

“She has always had a flare for the stories,” Garcia said “but lately she has found a real feel for the details, she’s getting really good.”

Learned to love her culture
Lacy, 26, has been focused on the importance of her cultural history as a Native American for many years now and it strikes a nerve with her from her youth.

“I didn’t understand the importance of knowing where I am from and all the struggles and triumphs of my Ancestors,” Lacy said. “I wasn’t really exposed to my culture as much because my father isn’t native and didn’t appreciate the stories and traditions then.” 

Lacy said that she loves to tell children the old stories so much that she will probably always do so. 

Lacy began her career working her way through the world of pageantry.  She is a multiple crown winner from several different arenas.  She has been Miss Indian New Mexico, Miss Indian World and Miss New Mexico USA.

She was crowned Miss Indian world in 2003 at the Gathering of Nations Pow Wow in Albuquerque following her reign as Miss Indian New Mexico.

“Winning and reigning as Miss Indian World was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  I was able to travel to different parts of the country and into Canada” Lacy said. “I found myself learning not only my own culture and language, but those from other communities and tribes as well.”

Lacy took her career in pageantry from the native based competition to the state pageant level when she was crowned Miss New Mexico USA in 2005.

“Being Miss New Mexico was amazing but not as significant for me as it was that I was the first Native American to be crowned,” Lacy said. “It opened a lot of doors for me professionally, but being Miss Indian World was a more prestigious title for me.”

After becoming Miss New Mexico the next step for her was to run in the Miss USA pageant in Baltimore, M.D.

“I worked so incredibly hard to prepare for Miss USA,” Lacy said “It wasn’t the kind of preparation I was used to. I was training so physically for up to three hours everyday for the swimsuit competition alone.”

Onawa works in D.C.
The world of pageantry ended for Lacy when she focused on her interest in politics.  She became a lobbyist at Johnston & Associates LLC, a firm based in Washington, D.C., where she was able to play an essential role in establishing the National Alliance to Save Native Languages.

“I was working for free for this organization and realized how incredibly fulfilled I felt at the end of the day,” Lacy said “I had truly found my passion in life.”

By Jack Jackson

Onawa Lacy outside her office in Washington D.C.

While discovering her passion for language study and preservation, Onawa has become fascinated with the Te Reo Maori language and culture of New Zealand.

She returned home to New Mexico after a year in D.C. in a decision to relocate to New Zealand in order to further focus her study on the Maoris culture.

“The Maoris were the first group of Indigenous peoples to take on native language revitalization with much success,” Lacy said. “It’s not just learning and studying culture and language that interest me, it’s about discovering people’s identity.”

Lacy is intent on a temporary relocation to Hamilton, New Zealand in, order that she might better understand the Maori culture. 

“I fell in love with the people of New Zealand on a trip I took down there two years ago,” Lacy said. “It was amazing.”

Lacy’s future promises to be a rewarding, because of the enthusiasm she feels for preserving indigenous cultures throughout the world.

“I love what I do,” Lacy said “I have a goal and I aim to fulfill it no matter what kind of struggles I must endure” Lacy said.  “I’ll know when I’ve reaching my goal, when I’m a grandmother having a conversation with my grandkids speaking our language.”

_Written _April 22, 2008_________

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