Help repair damages to Ashkia Trujillo & Kids

Hello, my name is Radu Iliescu, and I am fundraising for my friend Ashkia Trujillo of the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo and Diné Nation. Ashkia took his children during the weekend of November 26-27 to the Black Mesa pow-wow near Albuquerque, New Mexico. While at a local hotel in Alburquerque, Ashkia's truck was broken into overnight, and all his and his children's regalia were stolen from his truck. Regalia are priceless items to any Indigenous dancer. Everything is handmade and unique; not one thing is the same. Regalia also contains many eagle feathers, which are earned or gifted by peers, friends and family for good and selfless deeds. Some of Ashkia's 2 generation heirloom feathers belonged to his grandfather, a WWII veteran. As of November 30, Ashkia was actually able to recover some of his and his children’s regalia. However, there were many damaged items, including eagle feathers and bustles. All of the turquoise and silver jewelry was not recovered, which are priceless items.

His truck sustained much damage to the camper, window, locks and even ignition system/steering column because they also tried to steal the truck. This is his main form of transportation, which now will be at limited use due to the damage sustained.

Ashkia is a fantastic person and a dedicated father who wants to guide and teach his children the native ways and traditions. The loss of their sacred regalia now makes it very difficult for him to practice this important tradition. Many of you may have even seen Ashkia in a viral video of him dancing in the streets after the results of the 2020 elections. Ashkia even dedicated weeks of his life when he accompanied Bear Sun on his walk from Los Angeles to New York. He is very kind and generous; when he goes out of his way for someone, he never looks for anything in return. Unfortunately, he had to go through this event and lose so much.

If you would like to donate to help rebuild all of the regalia lost and damaged to the vehicle, I, Ashkia and his family would like to thank you in advance. We are genuinely so overwhelmed with gratitude and, again, want to thank each and every one of you for any help you can send.

I will update you all as well Ashkia, through social media, with any current developments on the whereabouts of the regalia.

KOB4 Report