Indiana's Fortunate to Have Acoma Woman Call This Home

"At least 1,200 years old, New Mexico´s Acoma Pueblo – the longest continuously inhabited settlement in North America – remains a touchstone for a resilient indigenous culture."

This was the opening sentence of an article written by David Zax on the Acoma pueblo in New Mexico; the article appeared in the May 2008 issue of Smithsonian magazine. Along with the article appeared an aerial photograph of the mesa (at left) and Rebecca Martin pointed out the home she lived in as a child (in circle).

Life on the mesa was not an easy one as families lived without electricity and running water. Martin explained that since her family had no car, she lived with different relatives so she could attend Catholic school while growing up.

Blending the native culture and Catholicism was achieved in many ways by the Acoma people, and Martin cited an example in a story she shared of what happens when a baby is born on the reservation. "When a child is born, it is kept indoors for four days," Martin explained, "Then it´s taken outside and presented to the Creator and is given a name. At Christmastime, the same is done with the baby Jesus."

After finishing high school, Martin attended a small college in Cleveland, Ohio and completed her degree in business administration. During her college years, she befriended people of different faiths and accepted their invitations to attend Mormon, Baptist and First Assembly of God services. As the years progressed, however, Martin found herself returning to her Acoma roots as her source of spiritual growth and belief.

While in Cleveland, she took a job with Westinghouse, got married and had two sons, Sean and Patrick, whom she later raised as a single parent following her divorce from their father. Some years later, she went to work for Caterpillar and it was there she met Dennis Martin after being encouraged by her friends to attend his going away party. After dating for a period of time, they married in September of 1990 and settled in Indianapolis.

It wasn´t long before Martin became actively involved in Indiana´s Native community. Besides working in the Marketing department at the Eiteljorg, she also collaborated with LeRoy Malaterre (Chippewa) and Sally Tuttle (Choctaw) to make presentations in the Pike Township school system to help educators learn how to more accurately teach American history. "The response was overwhelming," Martin said, adding that over 300 teachers expressed an interest in attending the conference. "We conducted a seminar then divided the participants into groups focusing on different cultural groups, such as the Pueblo

people, Plains Indians, and so on."

Having heard about an Indian store in Broad Ripple (Indianapolis) by the name of Bear Creek, Martin met the owner and became a consultant and conducted classes in interior design. The store later relocated to Keystone at the Crossing and when the owner decided to sell the business in 2000, the Rebecca and Dennis decided to buy it.

Martin´s community involvement is extensive. She´s taught pottery classes at the

Children´s Museum, worked with staff at the Veteran´s Administration Hospital to educate them on Indian culture, and has made presentations to the Indianapolis Women´s Prison, the Indianapolis FBI, and civic organizations such as the Rotary Club, Sertoma, Toastmaster´s, Scottish Rite, Ball State and IUPUI. She has even ventured outside of Indiana to meet with the St. Francis School of Nursing in Joliet, IL.

One might conclude that Martin would have little free time, but she manages to find time to do Crosstix puzzles, and this past year she sewed 14 aprons for a ceremony giveaway in her hometown, where she returns several times a year to spend time with family. Though her roots are with the Acoma people, the Native communities in Indiana are fortunate that Martin makes Indianapolis her home.