Greeting in Keres ["Hello everybody. How are you?"]
Greetings and welcome to this special place called Mesa Verde National Park,
My name is Thelma Jean Atsye, TJ for short and I am a park ranger at Mesa Verde.
I am Laguna Pueblo, a direct descendent of the people who used to live here.
I would like people to know that this is more than just a national park
and a World Heritage Site.
This is still a living place.
We still make pilgrimages back to Mesa Verde
to visit the ancestors and gather strength and resiliency from them.
I ask you to please visit with respect.
I hope that when you hear our stories
you will begin to see these places as we do.
Not as ruins, but as homes.
Remember the ancestors wherever you go.
Just because you don't see them, doesn't mean they aren't there.
If you are genuine and true and respectful,
the ancestors will welcome you.
I hope you will learn from this place
and not just about it.