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Deputy Director: John Torres-Nez
(Diné)
"Nez" comes to SWAIA from the world of anthropology/archaeology. As one of a small handful of Native Archaeologists, Nez has helped move the field away from mere "things" and towards a focus on the People of the past. For 15 years he worked in the cultural resource world for dozens of western tribes, but the longest was with his native tribe, the Navajo Nation. His journey brought him to Santa Fe in 2000, where as a curator at the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, he became active in the world of Native art and began volunteering at SWAIA. He brings to SWAIA a breadth of knowledge of Native history and tradition from the ancient past to the living present and remains active in both the Native and anthropological communities. He also serves on the Navajo Studies Board of Directors and is a bead worker, flintknapper, and jeweler. E-mail: jtorresnez@swaia.org