Pablo Abeita, 1870-1940. Photo by De Lancey W Gill / National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Pablo Abeita, a former governor of Isleta Pueblo in New Mexico, was a friend to presidents and members of Congress. But he was also deeply immersed in his tribal traditions, historian Marc Simmons observes:
In the 1930s Abeita liked to remind people that he was the only living Indian who had met each of the presidents of the United States starting with Grover Cleveland in 1886 and continuing through to the sitting president, Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was also a personal friend of many members of Congress, having made trips to Washington, D.C., to argue on behalf of Indian issues. While in the nation’s capital in 1901, he had a private interview with Teddy Roosevelt. The president was so charmed that he promised to visit Isleta on his next swing through New Mexico. Months later, Abeita received word that the commander in chief was at the Alvarado Hotel in Albuquerque and wanted to see him. So he hitched up his wagon and team and drove the 13 miles to town. Roosevelt told his Indian friend to take him to Isleta, but noted they would have to sneak out of the hotel to get away from the Secret Service agents. They did, and the pair spent a wonderful day at the pueblo. That evening Abeita parked his wagon in front of the Alvarado and had Roosevelt wrap up in an Indian blanket so he could get through the lobby in disguise. Inside, however, they encountered bedlam. Agents were racing about in panic because the president had disappeared. In the crowded lobby, Abeita let out an Indian war whoop, then he snatched away the blanket to reveal the identity of his companion. The Secret Service was not amused.Get the Story:
Trail Dust by Marc Simmons: Abeita was one of NM’s most memorable leaders (The Santa Fe New Mexican 2/23)
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