This teaching collection, created by RIM@SI co-chair Philippa Rappoport from the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access, encourages students to think about all sides of an issue - in this case a cultural event - and then make connections to related issues of identity and nationalism locally, nationally, and internationally. The collection uses an article by Eduardo Díaz, director of the Smithsonian Latino Center, and Kevin Gover (Pawnee), director of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, as a jumping off point to explore changes to Santa Fe's annual Fiesta de Santa Fe, described by organizers as “the oldest, most colorful community celebration in the nation,” as part of an ongoing conversation across the country about how we choose to honor our "history, multicultural legacies and unique blend of traditions."

The exercise is scaffolded with global competence strategies to help students explore the Fiesta in successive detail, consider the various perspectives of the communities involved, and make connections to similar conversations happening across the US today. Students can share ideas in groups or through writing assignments, adding in outside research  if desired. 

The collection prompts students to consider how community members live together, and, from an immigration perspective, how newcomers and the receiving community balance their identities, cultural values, and world views as they interact with one another.

Keywords: American Indian, Native American, Pueblo Indians, Hispanic, Latino, Entrada, Re-imagining Migration

#LatinoHAC, #EthnicStudies, #ReimaginingMigration