New Mexico Tribal Owned Business Partners with UNM for S-A NIL Agreements
Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M. – Tamaya Ventures, a firm owned by the Pueblo of Santa Ana, announced a groundbreaking partnership with three Division I Native American student-athletes, all from The University of New Mexico. The three are Ali Upshaw (Navajo), Cross Country; Natalia Chavez (Cochiti/Laguna), Basketball; and Jaelyn Bates (San Felipe Pueblo/Sioux/Navajo), Basketball.
Each student-athlete has their own custom line of merchandise that is on sale starting Friday, February 17 through Wednesday, March 1. Fans can purchase directly here. The NIL agreement is the first of its kind between a tribal owned entity and Native American Division I student-athletes. It also marks a major milestone in the world of Native business development and marketing through NIL initiatives in college athletics.
"We are thrilled to be at the forefront of this new and exciting partnership and support of our local Division I Native American student-athletes. Our goal is to not only support the athletes, but to also showcase the talent and ingenuity of our young people, our Santa Ana Tribal businesses, and illuminate the vision of our tribal leadership."
This innovative agreement will allow the student-athletes to use their name, image, and likeness while providing companies like Tamaya Ventures a brand-new way of engaging sports fans and new customer sources. This transformative piece of the Tamaya partnership with UNM Athletics is a demonstration of their commitment to serve the Native community and drive awareness to Santa Ana businesses. The NIL collaboration will be launched New Mexico’s sold-out men’s basketball game against San Diego State University on Saturday February 25, 2023. Recognition and opportunities to purchase co-branded gear will all be part of the celebration. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
“We are thrilled to be at the forefront of this new and exciting partnership and support of our local Division I Native American student-athletes,” said Richard Luarkie, CEO of Tamaya Ventures. “Our goal is to not only support the athletes, but to also showcase the talent and ingenuity of our young people, our Santa Ana Tribal businesses, and illuminate the vision of our tribal leadership.
Assistant V.P./Deputy Athletic Director, David Williams said, “We enjoy working with Dr. Luarkie and Tamaya Ventures. Their corporate support is invaluable to the success of our athletic programs. To see them go the extra step and create NIL opportunities for our Native student-athletes is incredible. They understand the significance of the new landscape we face in college athletics and embraced the opportunity to do something that hasn’t been done before. It’s a testament to the vision and pride of our Native American community in New Mexico.”
Tamaya Ventures is proud to be leading the way in this new and exciting chapter of business development and marketing. The future is bright for these talented athletes and for Native American owned businesses, this partnership is just the beginning.
For more information on Tamaya Ventures, please visit www.tamayaventures.com
Contact: Vanessa Baca, vanessa@tamayaventures.com, 505.235.1391
Tamaya Ventures is a Section 17 Federally Chartered Corporation wholly owned by the Pueblo of Santa Ana. The company is dedicated to empowering the economic base for the Pueblo of Santa Ana and the resident businesses and showcasing the talent and ingenuity of the Native American community.