Native Bound Unbound is a non-profit organization led by Executive Director Dr. Estevan Rael-Galvez, anthropologist, historian, a native son of Questa, and Indigenous slavery scholar. Dr. Rael-Galvez has served as the state historian of New Mexico, the executive director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and senior vice president of historic sites at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Native Bound Unbound is working to uncover stories of Native American captivity and slavery. The current project is entitled “Breaking the Silence of Slavery.” The organization is looking to speak with people who have stories of slavery and captivity which have been passed down in their family. The organization is inviting members of the public to participate in a series of conversations and story-gathering events.
Dr. Rael-Gálvez says, “the story of Indigenous slavery has been quieted over the years by whispers as much as by silence, even by those who have inherited it. If there is any hope for transcendence and healing, we must first break this silence. This is the goal of these gatherings.”
Although “Breaking the Silence” gatherings are local, they are set within a hemispheric project, Native Bound Unbound—Archive of Indigenous Slavery (NBU). NBU was launched in 2022 with the support of the Mellon Foundation. The objective is to create a digital repository centered on the lives of the enslaved Indigenous people across the Americas, “name by name and story by story.” Individuals interested in participating in any of these gatherings are asked to bring stories, photographs, documents, and artifacts that may have been made or held by an ancestor.
“Recovering these stories is critical for both tribal communities, who were impacted by these tremendous losses, as well as for the descendants of those taken, who became their ancestors—and ‘Breaking the Silence of Slavery’ begins to bring together both of these communities,” said Rael-Gálvez.
Upcoming community meetings are listed below:
• Los Luceros Historic Site, Alcalde, NM – July 20, 2024, 2 – 4 p.m.
• New Mexico History Museum/Palace of the Governors, Santa Fe, NM, August 4, 2024, 2 – 4 p.m.
• Hacienda de los Martinez, Taos, NM, August 17, 2024, 2 – 4 p.m.
Anyone with questions or interested in attending is asked to RSVP by writing to info@nativeboundunbound.org.
The organization says these gatherings have been made possible thanks to funding from the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
