Political Shake-up on the Rez

The Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo had a major leadership shake-up last week and it couldn't have come at a more precarious time for the Tiguas.

The tribe has important legislation at the federal level - which is why they backed Republican Will Hurd over Democrat Gina Ortiz-Jones. Hurd is the one carrying the ball for the Pueblo on that legislation and the YDSP was the margin of victory for Hurd. Had they not voted for him, he would have lost.

They also have important economic development issues with the City of El Paso in the works right now as well.

All of that is up in the air now given the change in leadership. Not necessarily a sign that any of that is going away, but with an entirely new group of leaders, what exactly will happen with these important issues is certainly in question.

Tribal Tradition

Let me take a quick moment to bring you up to speed on how tribal government works with the YSDP. I've written about it before but it has been a while and some of you may not remember or may not have seen it.

So once a year on New Year's Eve, the adult male members of the Pueblo get together in the Tusla (its in the Ysleta area of El Paso) and gather for their tribal elections. There is a traditional body of government which is headed by the Cacique (Chief). The Cacique is always an elder and holds the position for life. Other traditional positions include the Aguacíl (Sheriff) and the Capitán de Guerra (War Captain) - which is more of a Medicine Man type of position in that they are charged with keeping cultural traditions.

The government body of the Pueblo is headed up by the Governor, Lt. Governor, and the Council Members.

It is a little complicated but there really isn't a hierarchy per se between the two bodies, except that the Cacique is the actual head of the Pueblo despite their role being primarily traditional and has final say on anything they want to weigh-in on, but those moments are rare. It is usually understood that the Governor is the person that is in charge of the day-to-day activities and business of the Pueblo.

The Governor and Council direct policy and Pueblo business. They are the ones that advocate for the Pueblo at the Federal, State, and Municipal levels.

These traditions have lasted for hundreds of years and long before they gained federal recognition.

The big difference in how they operate is that they have an election ANNUALLY. So there is no term of service like you would find in other levels of government. They aren't elected for a 4 year or 2 year term. They serve for one year at a time and that's it.

So this last New Year's Eve, the Governor, Lt Governor, and almost the entire council was voted out, and an entire new set of leaders was elected.

Steady Hand

Carlos Hisa has been a steady hand for the Pueblo for at least the last decade serving as the Lt. Governor or Governor over that period of time. The rest of the leadership has come and gone but Hisa has always remained as a solid leader for the Pueblo. Local leaders know him and he's developed a rapport with leaders at all levels of government. Those relationships and trust that has been built over that time has been valuable for the tribe and for the government entities that the Pueblo has to work with.

It is incredibly surprising to see the Pueblo take this course of action and it is unclear what the ramifications will be for the Pueblo. There is a learning curve that comes with governing. It takes a while to not only get yourself acquainting with how to run the day-to-day operations of the Pueblo, which is one of the largest employers and economic drivers in the Lower Valley, but also to understand the machinations of government entities that the Pueblo interfaces with.

This is all with the backdrop of a new congress and a state legislative session starting in Austin. This will be a pivotal year for the Pueblo.