Kawaadzti (Hello),

My name is Kuwaasz dawe’szda and my English name is Shelly Valdez. I’m an enrolled tribal member with the Pueblo of Laguna, located in central New Mexico, and of Hispanic descent.  I was mostly raised within the Pueblo of Laguna community and had a wonderful community-based upbringing.

My western education pathway was filled with bitter-sweet experiences, and it was through the mentoring of my parents, particularly my father, where I received my richest educational experiences. From the community-based learning immersive experiences, I was better able to carve out my pathway in western educational institutions. I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education from the College of Santa Fe (1988). At the University of New Mexico (UNM), I received a Master of Arts in Bilingual Education (1991) and a Ph.D. in Multicultural Teacher Education (2001) focusing on research in Indigenous science education. I have worked within the education environment for 38+ years, and I currently own and manage an educational consulting firm, Native Pathways (NaPs). An important component of NaPs focuses on worldviews in science education, primarily Indigenous science.

My interest and passion for Indigenous science has influenced my approaches in the fields of education and evaluation, as well as interdisciplinary partnerships.

Why a focus of Indigenous Science in education?
As stated above, I grew up in a rich environment that fostered learning from a cultural worldview and the outdoors. My father, the late Robert C. Valdez, was my mentor and my true teacher, in that he was able to take the western academic preparation to a deeper level to help me understand the connection between school learning and our Pueblo worldview, giving me a culturally rich, community-based education. This environment and the gifts of knowledge my father shared with me ultimately influenced my decision to pursue the field of education and ignited my advocacy and passion for decolonizing educational and evaluation processes.

As my work continues, I have been honored to work in collaboration with various programs focusing on cross-cultural collaborations and interdisciplinary partnerships. Selected projects where I have played a leading role, and that exemplify bridging Indigenous worldviews and Western science, include curriculum development for the film “GRAB” (Vision Maker Media: Native American and Alaska Native Public Media); and the “Wheels of Wonder” an educator curriculum guide for the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. Selected programs where I have collaborated to influence decolonization processes for program evaluation and building community capacity include NM Evaluation Association-Indigenous Evaluation Training Series; Better Way Foundation’s Indigenous Early Childhood Cohort; New Mexico Foundation, “Native American Recovery Zone Grant (NARFZG)” and High Desert Museum’s “Reimagine” project.

In 2011, along with my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Isabel Hawkins, became a volunteer Co-coordinator for YAKANAL: Indigenous Youth Cultural Exchange, a grass-roots effort. YAKANAL, based in the US Southwest and Latin America, brings together intergenerational participants to engage in immersive cultural exchange experiences. The mission of YAKANAL is “To strengthen cultural identity and leadership capacities in Indigenous youth, preparing them to engage with other cultures while preserving their own.”  YAKANAL has been my passion for the past 20 years and it is with honor and humbleness that the participants (youth, young adults and elders and the partners we work with) gift us with their trust to help support their own journeys to sustain their cultural traditions, languages and traditional lifeways.

I’m honored to have been able to present at various conferences, written, and collaborated on numerous research publications, and sit on a variety of boards and advisory councils.

I have a small background in the film industry and belong to the Mitchell Talent Agency, and have appeared in various film productions, such as “1000 Roads Traveled” (Smithsonian), “Into the West” (Spielberg Productions), “In Plain Sight” (Universal Studios), and “A Thief of Time” (Granada Films), and also New Mexico’s first recipient of the Miss Indian World award, receiving this honor in 1985. With the gifts of my mother, the late Lucille Valdez, I have been transferred the knowledge of traditional pottery making. I continue to utilize this art form to amplify my passion and work within a Science of Place.   

You can contact me at shelly@native-pathways.com