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105 4 Culture and tourism eAst fAçAde And noRth toweR, 1927 views of old Acoma Acopy of a letter dated March 10, 1927, from James Miller, the Acoma tribal interpreter in 1927, to b. A. reuter is in John Gaw Meem’s files. it begins, “Mr. b. A. reuter or Ghankin: My dear friend:— yours of the last day of Jan, was received some times ago, and i was so glad indeed to hear from you as i was just awearry and wondering what become of you since you left the wonderful city of the sky at old Acoma.” with Acoma history passed through generations orally within the tribe, this letter from a tribal interpreter and former governor is a rare document that contains the voice and viewpoint of a member of the Acoma tribe. it is presented in language that is closer to spoken dialog than written form. The letter gives insight into the Acomas’ way of engaging their environment and the generosity with which James Miller was willing to share his views with others. it is also an indication that relationships fostered by the work on the mission were still warm and respectful in early 1927, boding well for the year’s work ahead. in the letter James Miller thanked reuter for the mission preservation work and for his good feelings toward the Acoma people and his love of the church. He wrote of the history of the mission, saying that no one knew when the church had been built or how long it took to build, a “great labor” for the Acoma ancestors to carry out “for the benefit of their young people those who are living today.” linking past to present through the work on the church gives a clear idea of the importance of the church in the oral history of Acoma. 106 chaPter Four The Acoma beliefs about the continuity of time at their site includes not just a continuity of space and site but also of people who made the environment, as expressed by Miller: “And they all feel that you are the man that ever has been worked at the old church in the past.” correspondence between reuter and Meem in the spring of 1927 indicates that reuter was giving presentations about the pueblo to raise money for the society’s work at Acoma. And the primary purpose of James Miller’s March 10 letter appears to have been to convey information about the site and history of the Acoma lands and people and the Acoma village for reuter’s presentations. in a letter to Meem dated April 12, reuter referred to his presentations as being given because of his knowledge of people “who expressed their willingness to contribute” to the preservation work at Acoma. reuter gave no indication of who they were, saying only that the names of individuals were information he would like to pass on to Meem in person. reuter took time to print photos of the Acoma people, activities, and context and have lantern slides made by the new york Museum of natural History. His photos were of the landscape and village environment but also of crafts and activities that were undertaken at Acoma, all of which could promote the Acoma tribe and the preservation project in his presentations. in an April 4 letter to John Gaw Meem, reuter stated that he knew there were Americans with money to support the missions and, “by rights, people from every part of the nation should be given a chance to contribute.” This is an interesting sentiment , an indication of reuter’s belief that this was a site of national interest and the work they were accomplishing could be supported by all, not just a few. reuter also implied that it was his duty to return to finish what had been started. with the Acomas optimistic about the work that had been carried out, it would be a great disappointment to them if the society did not return to finish the job. James Miller also wrote that he had discussed the letter he had received from reuter with the tribal council and that they were looking forward to reuter’s return in the next building season. reuter had been to Acoma at christmas in 1926 and was doing his best to keep in contact even though the building season would not start until the summer of 1927. James Miller conveyed in his letter that reuter, through his work with and...

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