Protecting Ancestral Lands: Nanbé Owingeh Installs Fence to Safeguard an Ancestral Pueblo
By Sean O’Meara and Michael Spears, Principal Investigators at MOS Research, LLC
April 15, 2025
The Pueblo of Nambé recently completed an important site protection project at one of their ancestral Pueblos with support from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Archaeology Southwest’s Save History & ARPA Assistance Initiative. For decades, this ancestral Pueblo had experienced repeated vandalism, unauthorized recreational use, and looting because of its proximity to county-maintained roads, private inholdings within the reservation, and private lands adjacent to the reservation.
To proactively prevent further Archaeological Resources Protection Act violations at this ancestral Pueblo, the Pueblo of Nambé collaborated with community partners to construct a 3,700-foot fence around the main portion of the ancestral Pueblo. This fence was built specifically to deter unauthorized ATV and pedestrian traffic, but it also serves as an important act of stewardship for the Pueblo of Nambé, as Angelo Walsh described, “It’s important that we protect our cultural sites and our land, our water, and our animals … for the future generations and the ones that haven’t come yet.”
The fencing project included repairing old sections of barbed wire fence, building H-braces, installing more than 800 T-posts, and stretching and hanging four new strands of barbed wire. The fence work was carried out by a dedicated field crew of eight team members representing three Pueblos, and their efforts were greatly bolstered by Special Agent Franklin Chavez of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Pueblo of Nambé also developed trilingual signage, which included text in Tewa, English, and Spanish, for the fence. This signage asks people not to enter the ancestral Pueblo because of its importance for Nambé people and also highlights the criminal penalties that come with committing archaeological resource crimes on Tribal lands. The signage also aims to educate those who would access the site by providing a QR code that links to savehistory.org.
The success of this project reflects the power of collaborative community-driven projects and embodies the essence of the Save History Movement that seeks to end archaeological resource crimes on Tribal lands and raise the public’s awareness to importance of protecting sacred places. As Andrew Gonzales of the Pueblo of Nambé expressed to the project team, “We’re very thankful for you guys being a part of our lives and helping us preserve a part of our history, a part of our Pueblo, so nothing gets taken from us.”
In the end, the Pueblo of Nambé saw this project not only as protecting the Pueblo’s history but as writing a new chapter of their history. William Yates of the Pueblo of Nambé described, “I am honored to have been able to get this opportunity in making history by putting up a fence on land that still is our ancestors’ land. To me, I felt good in my heart. … I just would like to thank everyone for the opportunity … to get this project done and make history for our people yet to come.”
A well-worn social trail developed on top of the Ancestral Pueblo. Image: Michael Spears, August 23, 2024.
Members of the fencing crew after a long day of installing t-posts at the Ancestral Pueblo. From left to right: Jaydin Loretto, Frank Loretto, Kevin Naranjo, Andrew Gonzales, Angelo Walsh, Joe Martin, Franklin Chavez, and William Yates. Image: Sean O’Meara, March 28, 2025.
The fencing crew loading materials onto an ATV at the staging area for transport up to the site. From left to right: Kevin Naranjo, Franklin Chavez, and Joe Martin. Image: Sean O’Meara, March 28, 2025.
Angelo Walsh and William Yates of the Pueblo of Nambé installing fencing stays along a former social trail to the Ancestral Pueblo. Brush that was cleared for the barbed wire fence was used to create a brush fence deterrent along former social trails and for erosion control along the slopes of the mesa. Image: Sean O’Meara, March 30, 2025.
Tensioning the cross wires during construction of an H-post. From Left to right: Andrew Gonzales, Angelo Walsh, Dillan Naranjo, and William Yates. Image: Sean O’Meara, March 30, 2025.
The fencing crew preparing the ground for installing H-posts using a gasoline powered auger and hand tools purchased as part of the project. From left to right: William Yates, Joe Martin, Jaydin Loretto, Dillan Naranjo, Frank Loretto, Kevin Naranjo, Andrew Gonzales, and Angelo Walsh. Image: Sean O’Meara, March 30, 2025.
Kevin Naranjo, Angelo Walsh, and Sean O’Meara closing off ATV access by integrating the new fence with an existing one. Image: Michael Spears, April 3, 2025.
Angelo Walsh walking a portion of the fence prior to the installation of the barbed wire. Image Sean O’Meara, March 28, 2025.