Deb Haaland wore the insignia of her ancestors when taking the oath of office.
The rainbow skirt represented the matriarchs who paved her way.
The dragonfly earrings came from the Laguna, the indigenous group in the US state of New Mexico from which they originated.
The turquoise necklace symbolized her spiritual roots.
The high-laced calfskin moccasins stood for all indigenous people;
Haaland had them wrapped around her calves, a ritual that goes back generations.
Haaland was a colorful bright spot amid dark-clad figures when she was sworn in as Secretary of the Interior by US Vice President Kamala Harris in March 2021 - the first Indigenous cabinet member in US history.
Surrounded by her family, she placed her left hand on a Bible and raised her right hand in an oath: "I, Debra Haaland, solemnly swear that I will defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies from without and without."
This formula is as old as America, but it took on new meaning from this woman's mouth.
Debra Anne Haaland, whom everyone just calls “Deb” or “Auntie Deb”, not only swore to defend a nation that has long dispossessed, expelled and massacred people like her.
She also swore that as the new head of a ministry entrusted with the preservation of just that cultural asset: the environment, national parks, nature, mineral resources - and the 574 US reserves with more than 3.7 million indigenous people.
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