A school bus parks outside the New Mexico State Capitol on Jan. 22, 2025.
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By Bella Davis, New Mexico In Depth
Native American students’ right to wear tribal regalia at school ceremonies could soon be enshrined in state law. The House unanimously passed Senate Bill 163 on Wednesday, sending it to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for her signature.
Students who are enrolled in or eligible for enrollment in a federally recognized tribe would be allowed to wear their tribe’s traditional clothing and objects of religious or cultural significance, including jewelry, beading and feathers, to important school events, like graduation, without interference from officials.
The bill would go into effect immediately so that students graduating this spring are protected.
Last year, Farmington High School staff members were recorded confiscating an Indigenous student’s beaded graduation cap that had an eagle plume attached, which staff later cut. The video gained national attention and widespread condemnation from tribal and state leaders.
Lawmakers this year have heard from other young Native people who had similar experiences at their schools.
“My great grandmother was only able to attend up to the sixth grade, and so when I graduated high school, I shared that accomplishment with her,” Alysia Coriz (Santo Domingo Pueblo), a lobbyist for the nonprofit NM Native Vote, told the House Education Committee last month. “However, due to restrictions from my high school, I was unable to wear my tribal regalia.”
Coriz said she and other students she’s talked with were told their regalia was “distracting and doesn’t conform.” But “our identity is our strength, our culture is our strength,” Coriz told the committee.
New Mexico will join over a dozen other states in protecting Native American students’ right to wear regalia, assuming Lujan Grisham signs the bill. The Indian Affairs and Public Education departments, which fall under her authority, developed it, according to a spokesperson.
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