Mescalero Apache students visit WNMU before annual mezcal harvest
Mescalero Apache seventh graders visited Western New Mexico University before traveling to participate in their annual mezcal harvest.
Seventh graders toured the Silver City campus before participating in a cultural tradition held in early May.
Organ Mountain News report
SILVER CITY - Dozens of seventh graders from Mescalero Apache Schools visited Western New Mexico University before traveling to participate in their annual mezcal harvest in early May.
The multi-day visit gave students an introduction to college life while connecting the trip with a cultural tradition that members of the Mescalero Apache community continue to pass between generations.
“We want for our children to be able to get an awareness of what it is to be in college, off the reservation, and be able to see the outside world,” Rena Nash, cultural and language director for Mescalero Apache Schools, said in a news release.
Nash said seventh grade marks a pivotal year for many students as they prepare for puberty ceremonies and transition toward adulthood.
She also pointed to her granddaughter as an example of the impact such visits can have. Nash said her granddaughter visited WNMU during an earlier ceremony trip, later attended the university and graduated in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
During the visit, WNMU student ambassadors led the students through campus academic and social spaces, including the WNMU Museum, the School of Social Work, the School of Education, the J. Cloyd Miller Library and the university bookstore.
The students also ate dinner in the university dining hall and participated in outdoor games and activities on campus.
After leaving WNMU, the students traveled to Freeport-McMoRan mine property for the annual mezcal harvest. The plant has historically served as a food source and has other practical uses, according to school staff members who accompanied the students.
“We use it for food, and it’s like aloe vera for healing,” staff members Zachary Flowers, Eugene Kleinkole and Percy Platta said in the release. Platta and Kleinkole are members of the Mescalero Apache Tribe.
The harvest concluded with a closed blessing and ceremony.
“I’ve been one other time and I love it,” seventh grader Janay E. said in the release.
Another student, Lacey M., said she had heard about the harvest through family and tribal communications throughout her life.
“I’m excited to participate for the first time,” Lacey said.
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