NCAI Condemns Racist Albuquerque Journal Cartoon of Deb Haaland

The National Congress of American Indians condemned a racist editorial cartoon published by the Albuquerque Journal on November 8, 2026, targeting New Mexico Governor-elect Deb Haaland.

Haaland, a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna, is a former U.S. Secretary of the Interior and a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Her election as the first Native American woman elected governor in the United States is a historic milestone.

The disputed cartoon referenced a totem pole to comment on New Mexico’s state rankings while depicting a cowboy wearing the Pueblo of Zia’s sacred sun symbol. According to the National Congress of American Indians, the illustration treated distinct Native cultures as interchangeable and disregarded the deep significance of a symbol sacred to the Pueblo of Zia.

Tribal nations operate as sovereign entities with unique histories and traditions. Reducing that cultural diversity to a single stereotype strips away individual identity, the organization stated in its public condemnation.

“Deb Haaland made history. The Albuquerque Journal used that moment to turn Native identity into a punch line and a sacred symbol into a prop,” said Larry Wright Jr., executive director of the National Congress of American Indians.

Interior secretary deb haaland testifies before the senate news

“Native children deserve to see their culture treated with respect and Native leaders covered with the same dignity afforded to any governor-elect,” Wright said. He added that the publication owes both Haaland and New Mexico’s tribal nations a public apology alongside an account of how it intends to prevent similar editorial lapses.

The organization has consistently opposed racist portrayals of American Indian and Alaska Native communities across the media and through sports mascots. It is now calling on the Albuquerque Journal to remove the cartoon entirely, issue a public apology, and clarify what steps it will take to overhaul its editorial review process.

The National Congress of American Indians urged the newspaper to engage directly with the Pueblo of Zia and other tribal nations throughout New Mexico while implementing those corrective measures.