The story, “Sharing One Skin,” revolves around a woman from the Okanagan tribe who talks extensively about her tribe and cultural practices. She comes from a long line of leaders in her family, and continues to uphold that legacy. Language was brought to light, which is essential because without it, we don’t have an, “identity.” She also discusses four capacities of self: Your physical self is the entire self that exists beyond the skin, emotional self being the capacity through which community and land intersect in our own being, intellectual self is the, “spark that ignites,” and is engaged when we take action using fire as motivation, and spirit self is both individual and larger self of which all things are a part. 

The article, “How Place Names Impact the Way We See Landscape,” delves thoroughly into place names and how they influence how we see landscapes. All Indigenous peoples have sacred place names that we use to refer to them in general or in prayer and dance. The places tell/give people the story of who we are and where we come from, and again heavily used in creation stories, prayers, dances, and songs. 

Ko?oe P’oe Tsawa (Esther Martinez) was instrumental in the preservation of the ways not just in Ohkay Owingeh, but also in the neighboring New Mexico pueblos. This article discusses her life as well as her works, such as how she used to teach the Tewa language in Ohkay Owingeh's elementary schools, JFK Middle School, and San Juan Day School, and how she was the first to write and figure out the first Tewa language Dictionary in 1982. On her way home from being honored by the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, DC, in 2006, she was killed unexpectedly in a vehicle accident caused by an intoxicated driver. Because of this tragic event, the Esther Martinez Native American Language Preservation Act, which is in effect until 2024, was passed into law, assisting programs aiming for fluency in a Native American language as well as proficiency in other academic subjects.

My Ma?maa Kwan Phadeh is mentioned in this journal article (Peter Garcia Sr. - Passing Rain). He was also a well-known figure in the pueblo for his contributions to the preservation of Ohkay Owingeh dances and songs, as well as his role as a great leader. This article was prepared as part of a cultural exchange between the Garcia family and an Asian-American.It was written in a dialogue manner, where they discussed traditions, and I was surprised as some of our traditions were extremely similar to the other person's traditions as well. They then discussed dances some more, earning the moniker of the article, "Rattling the Gourd." Peter then discussed the songs and their meanings, and it all leads back to the stories, as songs or more than simply songs, but rather stories of our history.

Jodie Martinez, from Ohkay Owingeh and Zuni Pueblo, gave a TED Talk in Albuquerque about family stories from her childhood in Ohkay. Life was very different back when our customs and culture were still very strong. My thought is, how would we be if we went back to our old ways, how would life be? Martinez has assisted in the rehabilitation and repair of old adobe buildings and houses, and these structures are essential to us since they, too, reflect the story of where we come from.