ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – After a man woke up to his ceremonial regalia stolen, it has finally been returned. Ashkia Trujillo is part of the Ohkay Ohwingeh Pueblo and had important items stolen from his vehicle.
Trujillo was in town with his family for a pow-wow at the Black Mesa Casino. He had parked his truck at the Howard Johnson Hotel near Downtown Albuquerque.
When he woke up Sunday morning, his truck had been broken into. His traditional regalia, along with his daughter’s and son’s regalia, were taken.
Tuesday, he spent the day putting up flyers in Albuquerque. He was on his way to Grants to deliver flyers when he got the call from his sister. She said they had found the regalia being sold on the streets.
“She immediately told me that, you know, she had my stuff, and she was crying, and she was, you know, in shock that she found it,” said Trujillo.
Recently, the United States House and Senate passed a new law that protects all Native American culturally valuable items from being sold on the streets, and Trujillo has a message for those who do think of selling stolen material on the streets.
“The regalia that we have hold a lot of the spiritual meaning and symbolism, you know. You don’t know what you’re touching. You don’t know what you’re picking up. You don’t know what you’re playing with,” he said
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Not everything was returned, including his daughter’s full regalia, but his traditional regalia and generational eagle feathers were returned.
If you know of or see someone selling illegally-acquired Native regalia, you are encouraged to call authorities.
