Special Session - Following the Manito Trail - Levi Romero

English 420/520.024 Following the Manito Trail: De Nuevo Mexico hasta Wyoming.

The migration of people from northern New Mexico to Wyoming, primarily the Mora Valley and the region around Las Vegas, New Mexico, is an important history in the diaspora of northern Nuevo Mexicano culture. It remains, however, an undocumented account. Wyoming’s rich and broad historical legacy has been impacted through the contributions of this cultural group of people. Who were these people and how did their language, foods, spiritual and religious traditions, and social customs survive outside of their cultural environment?

We will travel to Cheyenne, Wyoming and in collaboration with Laramie County Community College, our oral history project will document the stories and memories reflecting a peoples uprooting of themselves and their families in search of work and opportunity. The testimonials will come directly from persons who experienced the migration. We will also address issues of cultural identity and the preservation of cultural traditions through dialogues and discussions with Wyoming natives whose families originated in New Mexico. Classroom preparation will include oral history methodologies, field techniques, archiving, presentation, and other issues pertinent to oral history documentation. We will follow the 'manito trail making site seeing stops along the way and meet with scholars, historians, musicians, storytellers, and other people who will inform our investigation.

This course will be held from May 17 - May 31st, but it is listed as a Summer 2007 course. Students wishing to register will need to use the summer course schedule and search by course number.