SAN ILDEFONSO PUEBLO –HONORED BY THE SANTA FE OPERA IN A PRODUCTION OF Dr. Atomic)

TRADITIONAL VALUES IN THE MIDST OF TURMOIL - SAN ILDEFONSO PUEBLO – (Po-Woh-Geh-Owingeh “Where the water cuts through). HONORED BY THE SANTA FE OPERA IN A PRODUCTION OF Dr. Atomic) “TRADITIONAL VALUES IN THE MIDST OF TURMOIL” Two Years ago the Santa Fe Opera premiered Dr. Atomic an Opera that chronicled the human interaction and conflicting issues of the Los Alamos scientists that were developing the atomic bomb that was ultimately used to end WW II. The producer and director of the opera had the sensitivity to honor the contribution that the San Ildefonso people made in the war effort as well recognize their ancestral lands “Po-Woh-Geh-Owingeh “Where the water cuts through” that Los Alamos was built on. As you can view in this scene the scientist were debating the ethics of destruction that the atomic bomb would reap to the world vs. the importance of ending the war against the axis power of Japan. In the midst of all the scientific debate on the merits and technology of creating the bomb to “Save the World”, the San Ildefonso people were conducting their ancestral ceremonies to maintain a balance In the midst of unleashing a destructive force that would change the world. The bomb and atomic energy have indeed changed the western world, with an uncertain future. The San Ildefonso people still conduct their ceremonies to honor Mother Earth and the Creator with a certain future for the next generation.