Hundreds of Tigua Tribe Members Mourn Chief’s Death

It’s a tragic loss for hundreds of people in the borderland. Tigua tribe members came together Sunday evening to mourn and memorialize their late leader. Chief Santiago Bustamante died Wednesday. He was 89 years old and had served as the tribe’s traditional cacique since 2001.

“He was a good leader, a hard working man. He served his country, served our pueblo,” said Frank Paiz, Governor of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo. “He was very loving, very caring, very traditional.”

The Ysleta mission church was packed with hundreds of mourning Tigua members Sunday evening during a rosary service for Bustamante. The Tigua are honoring their late leader through a combination of church services and trasitional Native American customs. After the rosary, for example, tribal leaders built a bonfire outside and held vigil for Bustamante all night long.

Johnny Cruz, a Tigua member and Bustamante’s cousin, told ABC-7 he was moved by the many ceremonies honoring the chief. “It got to your heart real bad because if you’re Tigua like I am, you feel it in your heart,” he said.

Cruz is one of more than 1,600 Tigua members in the borderland. He said Bustamante’s death will make it more difficult to preserve the rich Native American culture in his community. “We’re running out of elders,” he said.

However, tribal leaders told ABC-7 they won’t let their heritage fade into the next generation. “Now it’s our turn to keep on with our traditions,” said Paiz.