In 1864, President Abraham Lincoln recognized Pueblo independence by bestowing an ornamental, silver tipped cane to each Pueblo Nation. From more than 500 Indian nations in the United States, only New Mexico’s 19 Pueblos received these symbolic gifts of sovereign status.

Why? What was the motivation of this American President, fighting a War between States, a stranger to the Southwest and its people?

The Lincoln Canes documentary, “Canes of Power,” and the related educational program, provide the vehicle for Pueblo people to tell the story of the Canes, and the struggle for sovereignty, upon which cultural survival depends.

“Canes of Power” is told through historical narrative, interviews, video images of Pueblo communities, and photographic or oral histories of cultural and political events.