ZUNI, NM — This spring, the Zuni Youth Enrichment Project is once again offering its traditional social dance class for elementary school students in partnership with the Zuni Public School District. Offered from Mar. 3 to May 2 in teacher Shanell Leekya’s physical education specials class, the ZYEP program serves 430 students in pre-K to 5th grade at Shiwi Ts’ana Elementary School.
Not only are elementary students learning social dances such as the rainbow dance and buffalo dance, which they will perform at Shiwi Ts’ana’s Indigenous Day on Apr. 25, they also are engaging with a Native food sovereignty-focused curriculum called “Rooted in Healthy Traditions.” This ZYEP-led curriculum teaches young children about planting and nurturing seeds, the importance of conserving water and so much more.
