by Mark Schaaf
Daily Lobo
Minus 20-degree weather, snow and heavy winds are all part of Jicarilla Apache youth learning the ways of their ancestors, said Mariann Skahan.
Skahan, winner of the annual New Mexico Folk Lore Scholars Endowment, presented to about 30 people in the Hibben Center on Tuesday.
Her hour-long lecture, "You Can't Teach Kids From a Book," focused on seasonal culture camps the tribe created as a way for youths to understand their heritage.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
"We do this in order to remember how our ancestors struggled to survive," said Keith Basso, an audience member. "They were tough people."
The seasonal camps are held several times a year and include activities such as sleeping and cooking outdoors.
The camps were also created to revitalize the old Apache language, Skahan said.
Very few of the youths are fluent in Apache, she said.
The camps were organized after adults in the community saw problems with Apache youths, who did not know how to talk to adults and lacked knowledge of their history, Skahan said.
Older Apaches also told her that youths were too occupied with TV and video games, and they needed to cultivate certain skills, such as building fires or shelter.
They also mentioned how Apaches used to eat from the same bowl, while today's generation is too obsessed with germs.
"They take a lot of things for granted," Basso said.
Skahan spoke about her experience at the camp with the children. At the camp, children are split into groups by gender.
In the question-and-answer session after the speech, she said some of the older children got a lot out of the camps, giving an example of a girl who scolded others who wanted to get out of the freezing temperatures.
At the camps, which last for three days, the boys learn to make things like bows, arrows and slings. The girls, who occasionally join the boys, learn things like cooking food and making necklaces.
At night, the adults gather around a campfire while the children are asleep and discuss a variety of different topics, including past camp experiences.
David Velarde Jr., a member of the Jicarilla Apache tribe, also took questions from the audience.
UNM student Tonya Carbajal said Velarde added to the presentation.
"It was a really good presentation," Carbajal said. "I thought it was really interesting to have someone here actually from the Apache (tribe)."
Graduate student Jay Williams said he was also impressed with the lecture.
"It was excellent insight into the history of Apache culture," Williams said.
