Photo to come
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The elders tell us, "Accept your particular life, the whole of it, then celebrate it with joy, your connection to it, so you can give back, all that has been given to you."
ervant Leaders
Larry Littlebird
Founding Director
Larry Littlebird, is a Pueblo Indian from Laguna/Santo Domingo Pueblos. Larry’s coaching and mentoring style draws upon his multi-faceted background as a Native filmmaker, master storyteller, education specialist, life coach, wilderness facilitator, and his personal experience as a hunter-gatherer-farmer, informed by his rich Pueblo culture. Larry is a visionary social entrepreneur having founded a native owned business and three other nonprofits. His inspired programs have had a profound impact on many lives working with business executives, families, schools, foundations, churches, and community organizations. He is the author of Hunting Sacred—Everything Listens: A Pueblo Indian Man’s Oral Tradition Legacy, which introduces readers to a timeless story of living in correct relationship with all life and is Littlebird’s personal oral tradition legacy. For complete bio click here.
Deborah Littlebird
Executive Director and Co Founder
Deborah has been working alongside her husband Larry Littlebird for the past twenty years, producing culturally and spiritually relevant seminars, wilderness encampments and holistic indigenous projects. She co-produced six national Tribal American storytelling conferences in Santa Fe, New Mexico, bringing together tribal elders and culture bearers from around the nation. Deborah brings her strong administrative skills to their present work at HAMAATSA, tapping into her wide range of creative accomplishments and extensive background in business management, marketing and communications. She was Executive Director and Administrative Director for two Native non-profit organizations and before moving to New Mexico, was an Art Director for an award winning international design firm in the Midwest. In addition, Deborah is a gourmet “natural foods” cook who promotes healthy nutritional meals using local organic foods and will be heading up the food and nutrition program at HAMAATSA.
Helen Torran
Secretary/Treasurer, Board of Directors
Helen has 5 years experience as a tax preparer professional and is a Tax Associate for H & R Block in Rio Rancho, NM. Along with Helen's background in finances, she brings her extensive board leadership experience having served on several non profits and church boards over the past 15 years. Helen also has a B.S. degree in Biology and Medical Technology.
Laura Mack
Youth Instructor / Program Coordinator - Seed Cloud Summer Camp for Children
Laura is an elementary teacher currently working for Santa Fe Public Schools. She has 10 years of teaching experience and has taught in such diverse settings as rural Nevada to Washington, DC. Her passion lies in providing children with outdoor educational experiences. With her students she has raised Monarch caterpillars to butterflies, created Monarch habitat, grown and harvested organic vegetables, observed, recorded, and analyzed seasonal changes in a garden setting, and consistently enjoys using the five senses to experience the natural world.
Laura grew up in New York and cultivated her love for the outdoors on Long Island beaches, then later in the Nevada desert, Costa Rican rain forest, and Arctic tundra. She feels that she has finally come home to the gently rolling hills and mesas of Hamaatsa, and looks forward to exploring and ‘being’ on the land with our "Seed Cloud Summer Camps" for children.INDIGENOUS MENTORS AND TEACHERS
Dr. Samuel Suina Ph.D (Cochiti Pueblo)
Dr. Samuel Suina, from the Pueblo of Cochiti, has served in many leadership positions for his tribe. Sam is Director of the New Mexico Tribal Extension Task Force at New Mexico State University, a statewide initiative that involves the collaborative effort of NMSU, all 22 New Mexico tribes, and the three New Mexico tribal college land grant institutions. He has served as an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico, New Mexico Highlands University, and Santa Fe Community College. Sam was Director of the USDA Extension Program and the NASA Agriscience Project at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has developed community-based programs to revitalize tribal agricultural and environmental restorative practices, to teach leadership skills to youth, to plan and implement Native language and traditional tribal arts retention programs, and to conduct cultural diversity training for teachers of Indian students. Sam is a gifted composer, drum maker and basket weaver and will be working with Larry Littlebird to establish Language Camps for Native youth and families at Hamaatsa with a focus on revitalizing cultural lifeways including drum making, basket weaving and indigenous agriculture.
Stanley Lucero (Laguna Pueblo) is former Tribal Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Interpreter and Councilman for Laguna Pueblo. He is a Cultural Education Specialist in the areas of Language Retention and Cultural Preservation and teaches at Laguna Elementary School.
Cecilia Lucero (Acoma Pueblo) is a Cultural Education Specialist and has taught elementary school for many years. She received the prestigious “Walt Disney Hand Honoree Award” of which only 32 honorees were selected across the country. She is a committed environmental advocate, especially related to tribal culture and life-ways. Cecilia is presently working with her daughter Shiyah (former Miss Indian World), to revitalize Native medicinal plants and their use for healing and wellness.
ADVISORS AND CONSULTANTS
Scott Pittman, Permaculture Institute
Scott Pittman is one of the foremost teachers of permaculture in the U.S. and has taught the subject extensively worldwide on four continents. He is founder of the Permaculture Drylands Institute and co-founder of the Permaculture Credit Union. Scott co-taught with the founder of permaculture, Bill Mollison, and helped establish the permaculture movement is the Southwest. His experience includes working with indigenous and traditional people worldwide, design projects that range from backyards to thousand-acre farms and activism in promotion of sustainable living. Working closely with Hamaatsa founding director, Larry Littlebird, Scott and his talented wife Arina, created a site analysis and visionary master plan for Hamaatsa.
David O. Riley, Hopi/Laguna Pueblo architect
David is working closely with Hamaatsa founding directors, to create an architectural design for Hamaatsa's learning center based on Chacoan and Puebloan style architecture. The design will incorporate spiritual architectural concepts as well as solar design and green building elements.
Phillip H. Duran (Yselta del Sur Pueblo Heritage)
Phil worked for over 40 years in higher education as a faculty member, administrator, researcher, and systems analyst prior to his most recent appointment at Northwest Indian College where he directed the Tribal Environmental and Natural Resources Management degree program and also served as a faculty member and dean of Science and Mathematics. Phil is an independent lecturer, writer, and the author of the book, Bringing Back the Spirit.
Gene Tagaban,Tlingit storyteller & Pueblo elder, Larry Littlebird
Copyright 2007 Hamaatsa. All rights reserved. HAMAATSA is a Native led 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization.
