City of Albuquerque Commission on American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs Unveils New Website, Social Media

April 22, 2021

ALBUQUERQUE – Today, the City of Albuquerque Commission on American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs (CAIANA) unveiled an updated webpage and new social media platforms to connect and share information with the public.

The mission of CAIANA is to support, strengthen, and promote understanding, recognition and respect of Native American culture and contributions through the work of the City of Albuquerque Office of Native American Affairs. The Commission’s main duty is to provide advisement and recommendations on issues impacting Native residents of Albuquerque. Commission members serve three-year terms or more which are appointed by the Mayor or designated by the surrounding Tribes.

According to Rebecca Riley, Commission Chair “This past year, the Commission has had to overcome many unique challenges, not experienced in past years. At the beginning of the pandemic, meetings were paused and members began responding to the waves of changes and crisis that followed. But quite quickly, meetings resumed and the need to stay connected to the community recovered. Together, we all figured out how to navigate a virtual meeting space, continue meetings with community partners and organizations, and responded to issues presented to the Commission.”

The refreshed website contains both new and archived Commission documents, such as its city ordinance, strategic plan, published statements and other related documents available and ready for public viewing.

“We are pleased this is finally becoming a reality. It is so important the Commission stay current, updated and above all, connected to the community in various ways. This is a work in progress in the right direction that’s been needed for some time,” Ms. Riley shared.

Individuals visiting the webpage can also find future dates of Commission meetings and information on how to connect with Commission members, as well as links to resources for Native residents.

Laura Harris, Executive Director for Americans for Indian Opportunity and Chair of Native Leadership Collective shared “I am very proud to see the new webpage for the Albuquerque City Commission on American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs. The Commission’s existence and voice is a victory for the local Native community—a community often invisible and underserved, but which makes up nearly 10% of the Albuquerque population.”

The Commission also have created social media accounts to further engage with the public and share important information.

Below are CAIANA’s new social media accounts:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CABQNativeAffairs

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CABQNative 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cabqnativeaffairs/

If you have questions regarding the Commission on American Indian and Alaska Native Affairs or want to know how to connect, please call Terry Sloan, at 505-301-4122 or email [email protected] for more information.

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