5 questions for …
Veronica Toledo
Veronica Toledo is a fancy shawl dancer. The Santa Fe Indian School sophomore takes pride in practicing her art during the day whenever she feels the need to think and pray. On weekends, she performs in local powwows. Her other hobbies include poetry and singing.
Toledo said the meaning behind her traditional regalia — a red, white and blue shawl that she says means “First Flag Warrior” — is “a representation of my Native people who never got recognized in the United States.
“The Native warrior is standing before the flag to uphold the Indian culture. We as Native people are always put last, although we were the caretakers of Mother Earth. My second regalia is a symbol of my sacred traditional gift in my soul. I am a vision seeker and dream follower.”
WHAT’S THE BEST AND THE WORST THING ABOUT BEING A TEENAGER?
The best thing about being a teenager is being in school and learning about things that you can’t learn in your younger years … concerning growing up into society. It’s the start of life. The worst thing is my surroundings and generation, such as seeing ungrateful teenagers who value materialistic objects, trash the Earth and disrespect any culture.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
I want to be a president to my indigenous people, an activist and a lawyer. I hope that my mindset does not change anytime in the future.
WHAT IS ONE THING ABOUT YOU THAT YOU HOPE WILL NEVER CHANGE?
I hope my visions don’t change — visions of helping the people.
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE MOTTO?
My life motto is, “You have to experience it, to believe it.”
HOW HAS MAINTAINING YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE ENRICHED YOUR LIFE?
enriched Maintainingmy life my by Native spiritually American giving heritageme a secondhas view on the Earth and people — also giving back to Mother Earth for everything she has given me. I was raised with wise-spoken words by my Diné mother — very traditional teachings that are drilled in my mind and are a part of my lifestyle.