Wakiknabe ("We Return Home") Theatre Company, Inc. is an Albuquerque, New Mexico-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) Intertribal Native American Theatre company. Wakiknabe's mission is to develop Native theatre as a means to challenge colonial constructs of "Indian" and to provide a forum for contemporary Native voices in drama. By examining on-stage the experiences of Native people and their communities, we hope to enable Native people to envision a better future for themselves, their families and their people.

Wakiknabe provides Native communities with a "safe place" to publically address issues of continuing concern in their communities; alcoholism, dysfunctional families, loss of tradition and language, racial hatred, poverty and violence. Too often Native people, especially our youth, fall into the trap of believing racial stereotypes established by Hollywood and non-Native media and perpetuate these negative behaviors as a matter of course. Wakiknabe productions challenge such stale thinking, open these issues for public discussion, and offer clues for future transformation. Indeed, Wakiknabe productions celebrate the inherent strengths of Native peoples: humor, compassion, artistry and community.

Future plans include the establishment of a theatre conservancy to offer Native artists an opportunity to receive training and instruction in the core disciplines of acting, playwriting, directing and production design, as well as cultural studies; an annual Native playwright's gathering to ensure the on-going evolution of Native theatre; and a publishing house to fill a void in the theatre industry, bringing to print the works of Native playwrights, reference books and critical works on Native theatre.

Note: Wakiknabe Intertribal Theater Company is in no way connected to or associated with the Native American Studies program at the University of New Mexico.