Owe'neh Bupingeh Rehabilitation Project

Many American families dream of owning a single family home in a suburban subdivision. Yet on tribal lands this type of housing can have devastating social and cultural consequences— especially for a community like Ohkay Owingeh, whose residents traditionally lived in high density housing surrounding central plazas.

The village center, known as Owe’neh Bupingeh, has been occupied for over 700 years. Owe’neh Bupingeh consists of four plazas surrounded by historic pueblo-style homes. These plazas are the site of important dances and ceremonies held throughout the year.

Over time, however, the homes surrounding the plazas in Owe’neh Bupingeh fell into disrepair. Many families moved out so that they could enjoy modern amenities in the new houses. The depopulation of the historic village center wasn’t just a pueblo version of urban decay, it was threatening the cultural integrity, language transmission, and life-ways of Ohkay Owingeh.

The goal was to bring families back to live around the plazas. A consensus emerged that it was important to save the buildings since they “contained the breath and sweat of our people” but that modern amenities should be added. The tribal council and tribal realty department established a transparent procedure for tribal members to record their claims on homes in Owe’neh Bupingeh and transfer ownership shares, making it possible for renovations to begin.

Positive intergovernmental relationships were another key ingredient of the Owe’neh Bupingeh revitalization plan. Initially, the tribal council was uncomfortable involving state and federal agencies in a project that dealt with the sacred and spiritual sites. But Ohkay Owingeh was able to work with the numerous partner agencies on its own terms, finding a way to balance the community’s goals and vision with agency mandates.

Ohkay Owingeh also created a cultural advisory team, made up of highest spiritual leaders, to take the lead on decisions about building materials and artifacts found in the area during construction. This proactive approach helped ensure that sensitive matters were dealt with properly and within the community instead of defaulting to state and federal archaeological mandates.

By using the housing project to fulfill a broader community vision of bringing families back to the spiritual center of the village, Ohkay Owingeh is making sure that the area around the plazas will remain vibrant for the next generations. The tribal leader who now hears babies crying during ceremonial dances on the plazas can say with pride: “There is life here again.”

The revitalization of Owe’neh Bupingeh has created strong demand for village housing. With more families living around the plazas, interest in traditional practices and participation in ceremonies is growing. The families living in Owe’neh Bupingeh are asked to participate in mud-plaster training workshops and to contribute to the upkeep of the homes, and those living elsewhere on the reservation are encouraged to join in. This has revived a tradition that elders remember fondly from their childhoods—neighbors working together to maintain their homes.