RECLAIMING COMMUNITIES AND LANGUAGES

This article discusses efforts by tribal leaders and members of Cochit i Pueblo, one of the 19 Pueblos of New Mexico, to restore aspects of c ommunity life that had been damaged by federal programs-programs that had been carried out without careful study of how they might affect th e community. The construction of a dam above the Pueblo by the Army Co rps of Engineers nearly three decades ago resulted in the destruction of the pueblo's farmlands. It caused profound disruptions in the lives of the people in this agrarian community, not only in economic terms but in nearly every other aspect of life in the Pueblo. The loss of th e indigenous language since the building of the dam is viewed by commu nity leaders as the most crucial change because the language teas the key to participation in the life of the community. This article docume nts these changes, and discusses steps being taken to revitalize the l anguage, and to reclaim the community's future.