There's a trememdous local interest in Don Onate, since PBS broadcast"The Last Warrior," about the world's largest equestrian statue,
erected in El Paso, TX. The "In Focus" show on KNME last night was a
town forum on the Acoma, the Pueblo Revolt and issues of class, race,
history, art and culture.
Onate was a bona fide criminal, as documented by the SPANISH,
themselves. Why is such a HUGE statue "representing" that part of New
Mexican history, of which most of our citizens are unaware?
We produced the radio theater drama, "This Miserable Kingdom," a
fictionalized account of the Pueblo Revolt. It was followed by a 1
hour panel discussion with historians who've studied the largest
Native rebellion in the contiguous United States. The acting was
wonderful; the direction and production were of the highest calibre.
The feedback was extremely supportive
It was a live, national broadcast (aired on AIROS stations), with
foley and prerecorded sound effects, with a rather large, professional
and multicultural cast, including children. It was rehearsed for WEEKS
before air.
The ONLY reason this drama was hustled into a back corner was because
a tiny, bur STRIDENT group of "Hispanics" decided the Pueblo Revolt
was the equivelent of 911 and complained to high heavens about it: the
best press the radio drama could have had. These people are officially
represented by people who tell Native people to "just get over it."
They complained SO loudly that the Pueblo Cultural Center's director
backed out of an agreement to let us broadcast from there! It's a
drama about their own history: fully, historically researched for
accuracy, backed by an academic discussion that verified every aspect!
We made the papers.
We need to rebroadcast "This Miserable Kingdom" IMMEDIATELY! Public
interest in this seldom-taught and extremely noteable part of New
Mexican history has revived. KUNM BEGAN this discussion wth "This
Miserable Kingdom!"
