ZUNI, NM (Jan. 30, 2025) — The Zuni Youth Enrichment Project announced today that the 7th annual Delapna:we Project will feature live performances for the Zuni community at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14 and 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18 at the Zuni Educational and Cultural Resources Center. This year’s featured story is “Rabbit Praying for Snow.”
Made possible with support from the New Mexico Humanities Council, U.S. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), New Mexico Behavioral Health Services Division and First Nations Development Institute, this innovative project is designed to bring the Zuni people’s traditional oral stories to life through the performing arts.
It is a collaboration between ZYEP, A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center, Edaakie Arts and other Zuni community members; collectively, they are known as Ho’n A:wan Productions. Zuni Public Library and KSHI Radio also support the project: The library assists with preparing the space and stage for the live performances, while KSHI airs Delapna:we Project recordings.
January has been a busy month as cast and crew prepare for the eagerly anticipated live performances in February. It kicked off with auditions on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at ZYEP.
“Eighty-five percent of the participants who registered for auditions were returning from previous seasons,” reported Kiara “Kiki” Zunie, ZYEP’s youth development coordinator. “Several have been part of the Delapna:we Project since our first production. Everyone who registered was guaranteed a role, and we encouraged family members who came with their youth to audition as well so they could be part of it!
“Each participant received three pages of the script with specific lines for reading out loud to our project leaders,” she continued. “Three leaders held auditions for the family scenes, while three others held auditions for the rabbit story scenes.”
This year’s leaders are Keith Edaakie, director and script writer; Leanne Lee, stage props lead; Coleen Vicenti, Norene Lonasee and Diana Kostelecky, story leads; and Curtis Quam and Ryann Cornelius, cultural educators.
“All our leaders collaborated to provide ideas and themes, write the script and provide Zuni language translations,” Zunie said. “They met the day after auditions to assign roles, as well as conduct auditions for those who were unable to attend the night before.”
Throughout January, cast and crew have gathered for rehearsals on Sunday mornings and Monday evenings. The full script is 59 pages and has three sections; first is an opening family scene in a contemporary Zuni home that provides historical context for traditional storytelling and shares why weather is important.
Next are the rabbit scenes. Together, they are the original story of “Rabbit Praying for Snow” with additional context.
“Audiences will see rabbits and jackrabbits playing fun, traditional games while experiencing changes in weather that might or might not offer game advantages,” Zunie explained. “The cast will share the song of the story, as well as knowledge about why rabbits pray for snow.”
The closing scene will bring the action back to the family home. All lines are written in English and Zuni, ensuring that the story will be accessible to all.
“Participants are working hard, memorizing the script and making it their own,” Zunie said. “Our leaders are supportive of their learning, and they remind everyone that they are an important part of keeping this precious tradition alive.”
On Wednesday, Jan. 15, participants and their families came together for Delapna:we Family Night. That evening, the group shared cultural education and a hearty meal provided by the ZYEP Food Sovereignty team, which included vegetable soup, blue cornbread and berry crumble for dessert.
“Youth Development Leader Rani Yamutewa and Delapna:we leader Norene Lonasee worked together to coordinate this wonderful event,” Zunie said. “We learned more about the history of delapna:we (storytelling), how the Delapna:we Project began and what this season entails. We also were encouraged to talk about our own favorite storytellers.”
Each family took home a Delapna:we Craft Kit filled with relevant hands-on crafts like rabbit puppets and a DIY snow globe. Lonasee added a booklet with Zuni translations of weather elements to each kit.
“Our intention was to offer activities that families could do together and use to engage with each other at home,” Zunie explained. “It was a really fun night. Our multipurpose room at Ho’n A:wan Park was packed with people, and we laughed a lot!”
For those who wish to see Delapna:we Project performances from previous years, ZYEP is making them available on Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. Mountain time on the youth project’s YouTube channel.The stories that are re-airing: “Coyote & Badger / Rabbit Praying for Snow” (2020), Delapna:we Online Production (2021), “Turkey Girl” (2022) and “Shumak’olo:wa Tales” (2023).
“We have sent a schedule to our community, so they know when each production will air on YouTube,” Zunie advised. “Each production will only air once, and it will not be available after it concludes. This is due to cultural considerations regarding when storytelling is shared.”
These stories are priceless treasures for the Zuni people. After being shared and passed down for generations, they were in danger of being lost forever by the mid-20th century. Fortunately, the Doris Duke Foundation in New York provided necessary funding in the 1960s so the Zuni community could record 19 elders sharing more than 800 stories.
Afterward, the recordings were housed at the Library of Congress. With support from Washington, D.C., Zuni leaders brought them back to Zuni Pueblo.
Cultural educator Curtis Quam, who is curator of the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center in Zuni, digitized nearly 400 hours of those archived stories. He approached ZYEP in 2018 to see if there might be a way to bring the stories to life through the performing arts, which would bridge the learning gap between the elders from 60 years ago and today’s Zuni youth. And the Delapna:we Project was born.
To learn more about the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project and its programs, and for information about making donations, partnering with ZYEP, and volunteering, call (505) 782-8000 or visit zyep.org. And, to stay up to date on the latest news and events, follow the nonprofit youth organization on Facebook (/zuniyouthenrichmentproject), Instagram (@zuniyouthenrichmentproject), YouTube (/ZuniYouth), and TikTok (/zyep09)
Founded in 2009, the nonprofit Zuni Youth Enrichment Project is dedicated to promoting resilience among Zuni youth so they will grow into strong, healthy adults who are connected with Zuni traditions. ZYEP fulfills its mission by providing positive role models, enriching programs, and nurturing spaces that contribute to the healthy development of Zuni youth. ZYEP strives to provide every child with the encouragement and opportunities they need to reach their full potential.
