I was asked to provide some perspectives (and my voice) to this short video featuring some great animations.
“Borne of Water illustrates the journey of water, from mountain snow to flowing rivers. Inspired by a historical Hopi event, the film shows how climate change is impacting water and rivers today. Reduced snowpack and shrinking flows impact all who live along the river. Tiyo, a Hopi boy, grows curious about where the water goes once it passes through his village on the Colorado River. To quench his curiosity, he traverses the Colorado River in hopes of saving his village from drought. Through Tiyo’s journey and lessons about what changes and what remains, we find deeper meaning in how water connects us to past, present, and future.”
Watch the video here BORNE OF WATER
This video was produced by The Smoking Section and American Rivers, who believes:
“Saving rivers isn’t a choice. It’s survival. Our vision is to keep rivers healthy and free while ensuring people have the water they need. We do it by protecting wild rivers, restoring damaged rivers and conserving clean water for people and nature.“
Click the logo below to learn more.
My 3rd Earth Notes story aired recently. Click on the photo below to hear the story. Kwah-kway! Thank You!
“Earth Notes” is produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ).
The following is an excerpt from a forthcoming chapter I co-wrote with another Hopi Archaeologist, April Sewequaptewa. Portions of this chapter served as the basis for this “Earth Notes” story. Stay Tuned for updates regarding this publication, hopefully Spring 2023.
“Hopi Yellow Ware (also known as Jeddito Yellow Wares) is exclusive to the Hopi Mesa region of northeastern Arizona, specifically among the First Mesa villages of Walpi and Sikyatki, the latter now unoccupied but the namesake and origin of Sikyatki Polychrome (1375–1625). To the east of these villages, on Antelope Mesa, the large pueblos of Awat’ovi and Kawai’ka’a were home to many skilled potters of the yellow ware tradition, leading to the development of San Bernardo Polychrome (1625–1700). Yellow wares appeared circa 1300 and by the 1400s began to be fired with local coal deposits, which resulted in much higher temperatures that produced ceramics rivaling the finest porcelain. (Such wares often ring very clearly when gently tapped with a fingernail.) Like the other ceramic types discussed, their appearance mirrors a known influx of clans into Hopi society.
Widely traded throughout the Southwest and beyond, Hopi Yellow Ware was admired for its highly polished, bright yellow shades and elaborate designs including abstract birds and combinations of geometric patterns painted in reds, blacks, and whites. Vessel forms include bowls and wide-shouldered jars that often push the clay materials to their limits. Sikyatki Polychromes are hallmarks of this vessel form, and this style of ceramic continues to be made by modern Hopi and now Tewa potters with many of the same materials and symbology used since their inception.”
My 2nd “Earth Notes” story aired this week and focuses on the conservation work that is occurring in the Bears Ears National Monument. You can hear the episode by clicking the image below ⤵️
Regarding the conservation work, you can also read more about it here –> Grand Canyon Trust and here–>“Full Circle”
“Earth Notes” is produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ). Learn more about “Earth Notes” and KNAU Radio here –> Earth Notes
The following is a short piece that I wrote for the radio program, “Earth Notes”, produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ).
I wrote this for a couple reasons, one being that I have strong interest in turquoise and jewelry made from/with turquoise.
But in truth, I really wrote this in honor of a good friend and colleague, Dr. Saul Hedquist. Saul also had a deep interest in turquoise and focused much of his research on the geo-chemical sourcing of turquoise found at ancestral sites, including Homol’ovi. The story you hear is based directly from Saul’s research.
It was this mutual interest that brought he and I together on “The Turquoise Trail”. Saul was a big supporter of my early jewelry work and we talked often about the subject. He also worked closely with the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office on numerous ethnographic and field research projects. He was a trusted colleague and friend to many of us. We miss him greatly.
Prior to his passing, he and I were working on additional research, some of which will be included in an upcoming exhibit at the Arizona State Museum in Tucson. More on that later.
This was definitely a fun challenge for me to write. The limited word count (250-270) meant I had to squeeze every drop of meaning from every word! I did receive great advice from the writers at KNAU who helped me to understand the “writing for radio” process! I’m looking forward to writing more stories about my experiences on the Colorado Plateau! So stay tuned.
“Turquoise is an iconic emblem of the U.S. Southwest, prized by Native Americans, scholars, and the public alike. Known in the Hopi language as tsorposi, turquoise and other blue-green minerals (sakwa) have been used by Hopi ancestors since “time immemorial.” As both color and material, turquoise is ubiquitous in Hopi ceremonies, a symbolic connection to life-sustaining moisture.”
Kwah-kwah Saul!
Hear the Audio piece HERE
PAA'TUUWI 