I am constantly amazed that we as Hispanos seem to suffer from cultural schizophrenia that other ethnic groups have either overcome or now ignore.

Recent letters to this paper plus comments from the then-director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center last year make me wonder why we are so pressed to have an ethnic or cultural "brand name" that defines us.

In the 1960s, many Hispanos used the political term Chicano to identify themselves. The problem with that term was that indeed it was a political term that basically died when the political movement died. The Chicano movement was not all bad and indeed it was a rallying point for many Hispanos who needed an identity and were committed to social justice. Many of us in Northern New Mexico had strong "Chicano" political sympathies, but ethnically and culturally remained Hispanos. In fact, there was a backlash during the '60s and '70s by many Northern New Mexico Hispanos against being defined as "Chicanos."

The Chicano movement also tried to culturally and ethnically connect Hispanos to an indigenous world, Aztecs, Mayans, etc., before Columbus' arrival. Unfortunately, "Chicanos" who were Puerto Rican or other Hispano groups that had no indigenous blood out of Mexico were left out of Chicano history. In fact, if you considered yourself Hispanic, Spanish or Spanish-American you were looked upon with suspicion.

These previously mentioned terms for Hispanos in Northern New Mexico were not only popular here in the state but also, as New Mexicans met Anglos who were flocking to New Mexico in the '60s and '70s, these were preferred terms. As New Mexican Hispanos traveled, many used these terms as well.

One of the resulting effects of the Chicano movement in the academic circles at the time was this redefinition as to who we were and are. This academic convulsion added to our schizophrenia. It must be remembered that this was before DNA analyisis became common. Many trained academics who attended the universities of the time came back to New Mexico espousing a new nomenclature that tried to define us. But not without resistance.

Last year, the former director of the National Hispanic Cultural Center stated that, "Spanish identity as is thought about today was somewhat of a fabrication. The Spanish heritage fantasy is really about denial and not based on history." His remarks created a barrage of angry letters from Albuquerque residents.

Academics, it seems, forget to consult the ethnic group they say they represent. They forget that New Mexico was under the Spanish government from 1598 to 1821 and under Mexico rule from only 1821 to 1846. And, as I have stated in previous columns, New Mexicans were bred so far from Mexico and so independent that many Mexican customs and traditions never took root here.

What is at the root of this continuous schizophrenia regarding our identity? The following is only my analysis, but it is based on experience and what is now occurring in the lives of "Hispanos." The most critical issues are economic and cultural stress and ignorance. Just recently, this paper ran an article entitled, "Ethnic clash stirs Salinas Valley. Latinos, indigenous Mexicans divide California town." The article states "... there's tension in this part of John Steinbeck Country. Nearly all of Greenfield's 16,300 people are Latino — and yet an ugly conflict has been brewing between longer-time residents and newcomers from another part of Mexico." Longtime "Latino" residents, many who also came from Mexico, say that these new groups "speak their own languages, not Spanish, they keep their own customs, such as arranged marriages, and despite a longstanding tradition of sanctuary and tolerance in Greenfield, they remain separate."

Aren't these the same words uttered by right-wing politicians? And talk about ignorance: It wasn't that long ago when European groups like Irish, Poles and others were accused of the same thing. Ironically, what may resolve the whole thing, or cause more problems, may be the use of DNA. Professor Bryan Sykes of Oxford's human genetics study group writes in his Blood of the Isles that a large number of Scots, Irish, Welsh and English are related and, more than that, are of Iberic origin. Maybe once we realize we are all related, we won't have to look for labels.

Writer/historian Orlando Romero may be reached at nambe1@aol.com