Ishka group hosts annual march for recognition of local tribes and to honor ancestors

On a sun-beaten sidewalk lining an empty farm field and apartments at Ennis Joslin Road and Williams Drive, Dan Smiling Turtle Lara ushered a crowd of about 50 representatives from various tribal nations to gather around him.

Standing on what was once indigenous territory, he provided spiritual remarks and encouraged everyone to honor their ancestors and deceased loved ones, before they embarked on an annual mile and a half journey down Ennis Joslin to the Ishka sacred site, a Native burial ground.

“This is a funeral procession,” he said. “Walk in beauty. Walk with prayers in your heart.”

Smiling Turtle Lara is of the Nde Tribe, commonly known as Lipan Apaches. He led the ceremony for Larry Running Turtle Salazar, who was ill.

Women spread tobacco along the route to bless it. Another beat a drum and chanted while the procession slowly made its way down the busy street with the help of a police escort.

Michael Broken Horn Gomez blessed the back of the procession with plant medicine carried by his daughter.

Onlookers took cellphone footage from their vehicles and some honked. The procession remained solemn and stoic.

At the end of the journey, Tribal Elders were acknowledged with gifts of food and blankets.

Larry Running Turtle Salazar and others interested in Indigenous activism and history in Corpus Christi have held a march along Ennis Joslin Road every year for two decades.

The road is near the site of one of the largest known pre-contact Indigenous cemeteries in Texas. During the 19th century, archaeologists and looters removed the remains of hundreds of individuals buried in the dunes of the Cayo del Oso area. In recent decades, road improvement projects have unearthed more remains.

Efforts to return human remains taken from the Coastal Bend under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act have not made much progress, primarily because local Indigenous groups are not federally recognized. Today, many of the remains taken from the site are being held by museums, university labs and in private collections across the country, including at the University of Texas.

But, at the Hans and Pat Suter Wildlife Refuge, located along Oso Bay and Ennis Joslin Road near the area of the original burial grounds, many recognize the area's history.

The park currently includes a medicine wheel where some Indigenous activists gather and hold ceremonies. For years, Salazar and the South Texas Alliance of Indigenous People have been working to add more elements to pay tribute to the burial grounds.

The group submitted a proposal to the city of Corpus Christi last year, calling for informational signs and bronze sculptures, as well as a burial vault and spaces to gather.

"There's nothing here about the Native communities," Smiling Turtle Lara said. "That's really what the statue is about. We're here. We never left. We're not extinct."

According to a statement from the Corpus Christi Parks and Recreation Department, the city is in continued discussions about the proposed project.

"The Parks and Recreation Department has had meetings with the organization to examine their proposal and is currently engaged in preliminary discussions regarding an agreement for the project," according to the statement shared Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Native activists host annual march for recognition of local tribes and to honor ancestors