ZUNI, NM (Dec. 22, 2023) — The Zuni Youth Enrichment Project has announced that registration for the 6th annual Delapna:we Project is closing today, Friday, Dec. 22, and preparations for this year’s project are now under way. Made possible with support from the U.S. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), New Mexico Arts (a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs) and countless individual donors, this innovative project brings the Zuni people’s traditional oral stories to life through the performing arts.
A collaboration between the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project, A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center, Edaakie Arts, ShiwiSun Productions, Zuni Public Library, KSHI Radio and other Zuni community members, the Delapna:we Project brings traditional Zuni stories to life through the performing arts. According to Tahlia Natachu-Eriacho, ZYEP’s executive director, the 2023-24 Delapna:we Project will return to its roots with a traditional stage production.
“The first year of Covid, we transformed the delapnanne (story; singular of delapna:we) into a series of animations that we shared with the community through Zoom,” she said. “People loved them, so the following year, we decided to do a movie called ‘Turkey Girl.’ Last year, we let the kids choose between storyboarding, puppets, creative writing or film.
“Now we’re ready to return to the stage, and everyone is really excited for the live performance,” she continued. “Our project leaders and partner organizations are currently meeting to select the stories.”
These stories are priceless treasures for the Zuni people. After being shared and passed down for generations, they were in danger of being lost forever by the mid-20th century. Fortunately, the Doris Duke Foundation in New York provided necessary funding in the 1960s so the Zuni community could record 19 elders sharing more than 800 stories.
Curtis Quam, curator of the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center, digitized nearly 400 hours of those archived stories. He approached ZYEP in 2018 to see if there might be a way to bring the stories to life through the performing arts, which would bridge the learning gap between the elders from more than half a century ago and Zuni’s younger generations.
“Those recordings captured Zuni stories from elders who are no longer with us,” Natachu-Eriacho said. “It is our responsibility to care for them, and share them during the traditional winter storytelling time, so the next generation can carry them forward.”
Once registration closes, work on the 2023-24 Delapna:we Project will begin. The selected stories will inform the scriptwriting process. Participants will engage in theater workshops, where they will learn about stagecraft and the cultural context around the stories; they also will hear the voices of the elders, captured so long ago.
What’s more, participants will have opportunities to learn and practice the Zuni language in a safe, encouraging space.
“Last year’s puppet show was 100 percent in Zuni,” Natachu-Eriacho said. “That’s our goal for the play this year.”
Participants also will design sets, create costumes, and prepare for full rehearsals in advance of the February performance. Natachu-Eriacho said project organizers and participants alike are looking forward to another fulfilling season.
“Last year, 75 percent of parents and guardians reported that their children spoke more Zuni at home during the project, and 83.3 percent said their children connected with positive role models while they were with us,” she said. “One hundred percent said their children had fun and were positively impacted by the project.
“The youth told us the same thing, with more than 90 percent telling us they felt more hopeful about the future,” she continued. “After last year’s project, more than 90 percent also said they also said they had positive role models in their lives, and believed that speaking Zuni is important. All of them, 100 percent, said traditional Zuni stories are important to them.”
To learn more about the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project and its programs, and for information about making donations, partnering with ZYEP, and volunteering, call (505) 782-8000 or visit zyep.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest news and events, follow the nonprofit youth organization on Facebook (/zuniyouthenrichmentproject), Instagram (@zuniyouthenrichmentproject), YouTube (/ZuniYouth), and TikTok (/zyep09)
Founded in 2009, the nonprofit Zuni Youth Enrichment Project is dedicated to promoting resilience among Zuni youth so they will grow into strong, healthy adults who are connected with Zuni traditions. ZYEP fulfills its mission by providing positive role models, enriching programs, and nurturing spaces that contribute to the healthy development of Zuni youth. ZYEP strives to provide every child with the encouragement and opportunities they need to reach their full potential
