After 99 years, it may seem like a long time to wait for a dream to come true, but Unci Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance has finally achieved her goal in New Mexico.
“Unci,” which means “grandmother” in Lakota, is how Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance is viewed by everyone in her life, including other grandparents.
After completing the eighth grade, the Navajo woman had to put her education on hold in order to care for her mother, who was ill. According to KOAT News, Unci Rita was able to obtain her diploma with the assistance of the International Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers and her family.
RELATED STORIES
The 99-year-old eventually ascended the stage on October 21 wearing her cap and gown and was given her high school diploma at an emotional ceremony at the Rio Rancho High School Performing Arts Center.
However, Unci Rita, a renowned Oglala Lakota speaker and public figure, was unaware that she was going to receive her diploma given that she thought she was going to meet with the young children.
Before the ceremony, Unci Rita’s friend and organizer, Scottie Pierce, told the Rio Rancho Observer that “she has no idea.”
Nonetheless, the grandmother’s complete graduation regalia, lavishly bedazzled with colorful decorations and profound symbols, may indicate that she had some inkling.
Mayor Gregg Hull, who gave the opening remarks; Suzanne Nguyen, executive director of federal, bilingual, and Native American Programs for RRPS; 100 RRHS students and faculty; and Unci Rita’s family and friends were among the many notable individuals in attendance at the ceremony.
Superintendent Sue Cleveland said of her achievement, “Unci Rita comes with a warm heart, a gathering of incredible life experiences and memories, and the accumulation of almost 100 years of knowledge and wisdom. We are honored to share in this ceremony with her this morning.”
Unci Rita is one of the founding members of the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, which includes other well-known advocates for Indigenous rights, such as Aama Bombo of the Tamang in Nepal, Maria Alice Campos Freire from Brazil’s Amazonian Rainforest, and Rose Bernadette Rebienot Owansango of the Omyene in Gabon, Africa.
Unci Rita’s best friend and fellow Thirteen Grandmothers member, Flordemayo (Maya), remarked, “When our council first met, we did the math. We found, combined, we had over 900 years of feminine wisdom. And Unci Rita is our matriarch.”
On its website, grandmotherwisdom.org, the International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers states that it is an international association of Indigenous women elders with an emphasis on human rights, internationalism, and the environment.
