CANES OF POWER, Unlocking the Mystery of the Lincoln Canes, Symbols of Pueblo Sovereignty

In Development

In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln recognized Pueblo independence by bestowing an ornamental, silver tipped cane to each Pueblo Nation. From more than 500 Indian nations in the United States, only New Mexico’s 19 Pueblos received these symbolic gifts of sovereign status.

Why? What was the motivation of this American President, fighting a War between States, a stranger to the Southwest and its people?

The Lincoln Canes documentary – CANES OF POWER – and the related educational program, provide the vehicle for Pueblo people to tell the story of the Canes, and the struggle for sovereignty, upon which cultural survival depends.

CANES OF POWER will be told through historical narrative, interviews, video images of Pueblo communities, and photographic or oral histories of cultural and political events.

See the advertisment for this very special project that appears in the April 2011 issue of Western Art & Architecture.

To make a donation for this important project, click here.

CANES OF POWER Workshop

Pueblo Students will participate in a workshop to enhance writing, encourage research, interview tribal leaders, and develop introductory filmmaking skills. The student filming, interviews and research will be incorporated into the final “Canes of Power” documentary.