DENVER, Colo. (KOAA) — A Denver family is pleading for the return of sacred items stolen from their camper on August 21.
It happened after 13-year-old Violet La Paz completed her Coming-of-Age Ceremony in New Mexico. It's a milestone in Indigenous peoples' culture that marks endurance, strength, and womanhood.
“I had this on my body for eight days, day and night," Violet said as she recalled her experience wearing her custom-made dress during the ceremony. "I couldn’t take it off when I ran. This easily weighs 20 pounds,” she explained.
Her mother, Vanessa La Paz, watched closely during the 12-day ceremony as Violet embraced each challenge and tradition.
“They go out there and she learns how to chop down trees," Vanessa said. "She learns how to butcher. She learns how to clean out the intestines and everything inside, how that all gets cut. She learns how to make a fire on her own. Basic life survival stuff is taught to the young girls when they’re doing the coming of age ceremony to prepare them for womanhood and for what survival is.”
Violet’s family watched with pride as she completed each day, receiving handmade gifts along the way.
“As a mother, it was a very special moment for me," Vanessa said. "Like any moment, like when a child is born or they graduate. Or they get married. This is like her quinceañera but for Native people.”
But the celebration was cut short.
On the drive home to Denver, the driver of the hitched camper was pulled over because its rear lights went out.
The family left the camper overnight along I-25 near the Greenland Road exit in El Paso County. Sadly, it was gone by the next morning,
With the help of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, the family later found the camper, abandoned and broken into, at the Fox Run Regional Park in Black Forrest, approximately 13 miles from where they left it.
“We found it parked. It was broken into. Everything was taken. It’s trashed,” Vanessa La Paz said.
The thieves made off with hundreds of dollars' worth of belongings, but what mattered most were the sacred, irreplaceable items made only for Violet and the ceremony.
“No matter how hard you try, you can’t replicate them. They were blessed. I worked hard for those things. So, it wasn’t a good feeling,” Violet La Paz said.
The items that were taken include a custom-made basket with her name woven into it, moccasins, and a bundle of branches blessed during the ceremony.
“In this world, it has no retail price. You can try to sell it, but it probably won’t go for much. But in the Native world, it’s priceless,” Violet La Paz added.
Her brother, Gabriel La Paz, says it pains him to see his little sister hurting over her lost items. He explains Indigenous beliefs surrounding others stealing such sacred items.
"Bad things might be coming their way because of how sacred all of those items were," Gabriel La Paz said. "It's going to come back on them. It's going to reflect a negative energy towards them. It won't stop until these items have been returned to their owner."
Even in grief, the family is drawing strength from faith and hoping that someone’s conscience will outweigh cruelty.
“Anybody out there that has any information, please call the number that's provided," said grandmother Maria Salazar. "No questions will be asked, and there will be a reward. We just pray for the people who have taken this. May God put peace in their hearts."
Violet tells News5 she feels supported during this difficult time, thanks to her friends, family, and ancestors.
“I was the one that was heartbroken and just a mess. And [Violet] goes, ‘Mom, don’t worry about it. Something inside me told me: Don’t worry. You’re going to get it back.'’” Vanessa recalled.
When asked what caused her to have such a strong conviction toward the retrieval of these gifts, Violet explained, “Like the ancestors [are] telling me it’s going to be OK.”
If you have information, you’re asked to call (303)915-9560.
The family is asking only for the return of these three items or any information that could lead to their discovery. The picture below shows Violet’s basket, moccasins, and her stick bundle.
Each item carries a different meaning, according to the La Paz family:
The basket is an authentic Mescalero, New Mexico, Apache Tribe artwork. It was made specially for Violet, crafted by an Apache Man in Mescalero, and the leather was made from the cows that were raised and butchered on the Native American Reservation.
Her custom-made moccasins have beaded mountains on them. Violet says they are muddy, and there's a hole in the front and back of the shoes due to the level of intensity at which she danced. But she's looking forward to repairing them with sinew.
Violet took home the stick bundle at the end of her ceremony. Her mother described it as somewhat of a "trophy."
Every stick in the bundle, and feather, had a meaning for what she was able to endure during her ceremony and the men and women who helped her through the process.
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