Deb Haaland brings the Turquoise Clan to the DNC stage

Interior Department Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) addresses the Democratic National Convention crowd on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. (Photo by Andi Murphy / Native America Calling)

CHICAGO — Deb Haaland brought Indigeneity front and center at the Democratic National Convention on its final night in a speech that presented an argument for environmental protections.

“Gu’wha’tzi,” Haaland said in the Keres language spoken by tribes in New Mexico, including Laguna Pueblo where she is from.

After the traditional introduction that asked the DNC delegation how it is doing, she introduced herself by her Keres name that she translated in English to “Crushed Turquoise,” and announced her Turquoise Clan, the direct lineage to her family in Laguna.

Then she went to a family story that explained the origin of her passion for the environment.

“My ancestors built lives in the high deserts of New Mexico,” Haaland said. “I am on this stage tonight because of them. While fishing with my dad and running through the desert, I learned that we have a responsibility to take care of our planet.”

Haaland is the first Native American Secretary of the Interior. The federal department is responsible for overseeing the Bureau of Indian Affairs and National Parks system.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs handles federal health care, education and the foundational support for the sovereignty of Native American people under the Indian Trusts Act passed in 1882.

Four years ago, President Joe Biden appointed Haaland, who at the time served as New Mexico’s congressional representative for a district covering Albuquerque and Bernalillo County.

“Let me go back to a lesson I learned in the deserts of the Southwest,” she said Thursday night. “We all have a role in protecting our future generations.”

Haaland said Vice President Kamala Harris “will fight for a future where we all have clean air, clean water and healthy communities.”

Her speech came in the 7 p.m. CST hour during the last night of the convention, where Harris is slated to give her nomination speech to the Democratic delegation in-person and millions of people watching on television.

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