A Free Spirited Man: Doroteo Samora turns 100

Doroteo "Frank" Samora, 100, sits with his 2 year old great-great-grandson Preston on his knee Saturday, Feb. 4, 2006. Photograph by Rick Romancito



“Age is not a particularly interesting subject,” comic genius Groucho Marx once said. “Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough.”

Yes, Groucho, but how long is enough?

If it’s 100 years old, that’s certainly enough time to look out upon the vast plain of existence with a better fix on what everything is supposed to mean, but it’s also a time when your body filters that knowledge through aches, pains, bad hearing, failing eyesight and fog rolling through your reason. If you make it that far with humor, wit and intelligence, there must be a key.

At Taos Pueblo last Saturday (Feb. 4), elder Doroteo “Frank” Samora was surrounded by friends, family and leaders to celebrate a life that began in 1906. Still blessed with those attributes, Samora radiantly expressed how a life lived simply and with great purpose has its rewards.

“I feel good,” Samora said in Tiwa (interpreted by his grandson, Pat Lujan). “It is an honor to see all my grandchildren here and I am happy that all my friends came by to see me, as well as people from the community. I am happy to see my grandkids, from the oldest to the youngest. It was a day for everyone to celebrate my life. I’m very happy.”

It is stunning to think about the events that have occurred to this community over that time: The unjust assignment of Blue Lake to the United States Forest Service, two world wars, the first electrical lines to the Pueblo, paved roads, a school, health clinic, and all amid a people who continue an ancient cycle of rituals and ceremonials that help maintain harmony in the universe. “Everyone remembers Blue Lake,” he said. “A lot of people went out of their ways to help the tribe. I am very grateful that we were able to win that legal battle.”

Samora was witness to all that, and along the way became noted as the inspiration for Martiniano, the protagonist of Taos author Frank Waters’ timeless novel of Pueblo Indian life, “The Man Who Killed the Deer.” This recognition, by the way, remains in dispute among the family of fellow tribal member and contemporary, Jim Suazo, who swear it was he who “killed the deer.” The story is about a Pueblo man whose life is changed personally and spiritually after being arrested for killing a deer out of season. It is considered one of Waters’ greatest books, even though its publishing sparked the ire of some tribal members who objected to the amount of detail he included about doings inside the kiva.

It might be surprising to learn that much of that paled in comparison to other momentous events that no one outside the Pueblo realm will ever know. These are events only tribal members, Tiwa speakers, will understand because they were there too. It is strange how the outside world seems to place Indians in their own context, which often has no relation, nor respect to the reality of their existence. But then, if they did, life amid the adobe walls and mountain trails might look entirely different.

Samora has seen many changes in his lifetime, some of which he sees as a threat to the Indian way.

“There have been many changes from the time I was very young,” he said, again through his interpreter. “There was a lot of respect, when I was growing up. Today, this is one of the things I wish the parents of today would teach.”

As one would expect, there is a degree of loneliness for having come this far and finding himself alone, his friends, tribal brothers and sisters, gone. But he feels the greatest loss is “our native language (Tiwa). A lot of our elders are gone. My goal for all the tribal members, as a spiritual leader of the tribe, I wish that we continue on with our traditions. It’s very hard to live nowadays. Not too many believe in the things that we do. A lot of influences from the outside world. This is our land and I hope all tribal members, as well as local people, take care of the land because if we do not take care of it, the land that we used a long time ago, we’re not going to see the same things that we see today.”

He said that when he was a little boy, “everybody lived by grandpa’s and uncle’s rules, religious leader’s rules. Now, we’re all governed by law and there’s not too much of a difference from the time that I was a little boy. I just wish everybody would honor their elders and our traditions.”

Part of the strength the Pueblo people will need to face their future may lie in their ability to act as a unified group, with strong leadership. “Today, we should strengthen our tribal government,” Samora said. “That’s the foremost authority here at the Pueblo. Without the governorship, the tribal council, we cannot survive. There always has to be some kind of leadership, and everyone needs to respect them and the land, and the outside people to recognize our sovereign nation. We do things differently than the outside world.”

Samora has served as lieutenant governor, head councilman and as a spiritual leader for the tribe. His influence has also been felt way beyond Pueblo boundaries as well. There are many non-Indians in the community who continue to regard him as “good friend, a father figure as well as an advisor.” He calls himself a “free spirited man,” who has gotten to the century mark by “enjoying the mountains and nature. What keeps me going are my tribal brothers and sisters, my relatives, the younger generation.”

During this birthday party, Samora was given a proclamation by Taos Mayor Bobby Durán, along with special recognition from the White House. On the wall there was a family tree that relatives put together for the occasion, below was a small humble display with a copy of his birth certificate and important family photos.

“Continue with our native language, our traditions, respect our elders, respect our tribal government and our kiva leaders,” he said might be the advice he’d give to young people. “I would like for our younger people to participate more in our doings, so things won’t die out.”

His eyes took on a far way gaze as he looked out to his friends and family who were putting away all the food and tables and chairs for the celebration. “I pray that everybody also has a long life without sickness, not just for my people but everyone in the community and the world. I pray every day for that.”