Earth Notes: Hopi Yellow-ware (KNAU)

On August 18, 2022August 18, 2022 By Lyle BalenquahIn Archaeology, Bears Ears, Coal, Colorado River, Cultural Landscapes, Cultural Preservation, Cultural Tourism, Hisat'sinom, Hopi, Indigenous Archaeoloy, Indigenous Guides, Southwest, Traditional Cultural Places1 Comment

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 …

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Earth Notes: River House Conservation (KNAU)

On July 30, 2022August 18, 2022 By Lyle BalenquahIn Archaeology, Bears Ears, Cultural Landscapes, Cultural Preservation, Cultural Tourism, Hisat'sinom, Hopi, Indigenous Archaeoloy, Indigenous Guides, Native Guides, River Guiding, Ruins Preservation, San Juan River, Southwest, Sustainability, Traditional Cultural Places2 Comments

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 ⤵️ Click Image to hear story. These short stories are proving to be a fun and challenging way to rework some of …

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Earth Notes: Homolovi Turquoise (KNAU)

On May 11, 2022May 12, 2022 By Lyle BalenquahIn Archaeology, Bears Ears, Coal, Colorado River, Cultural Landscapes, Cultural Preservation, Cultural Tourism, Hisat'sinom, Hopi, Hunting, Indigenous Archaeoloy, Indigenous Guides, Native Guides, River Guiding, Ruins Preservation, San Juan River, Southwest, springs,, Sustainability, Traditional Cultural Places, Youth7 Comments

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). Hear the story HERE I wrote this for a couple reasons, one being that I have strong interest in turquoise and jewelry made from/with turquoise. But …

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Beyond Stone & Mortar: Preserving Indigenous Presence within Ancestral Landscapes

On May 10, 2022May 10, 2022 By Lyle BalenquahIn Archaeology, Bears Ears, Colorado River, Cultural Landscapes, Cultural Preservation, Cultural Tourism, Hisat'sinom, Hopi, Indigenous Archaeoloy, Indigenous Guides, Native Guides, River Guiding, Ruins Preservation, San Juan River, Southwest, springs,, Sustainability, Traditional Cultural Places, Youth1 Comment

My latest article about the conservation work we completed in the Bears Ears area is now available via the link below. The piece is featured in the Spring/Summer 2022 edition of the Grand Canyon Trust's publication, "Advocate Magazine". Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps, Zuni #642. Photo: Lyle Balenquah Please consider supporting the Grand Canyon Trust in …

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“Full Circle”

On April 6, 2022May 10, 2022 By Lyle BalenquahIn Archaeology, Bears Ears, Cultural Landscapes, Cultural Preservation, Cultural Tourism, Hisat'sinom, Indigenous Archaeoloy, Indigenous Guides, Native Guides, River Guiding, Ruins Preservation, San Juan River, Southwest, springs,, Sustainability, Traditional Cultural Places, YouthLeave a comment

A great article, "Full Circle", authored by Karuna Eberl recently appeared that highlights the conservation work we have been doing within Bears Ears National Monument. The article is featured in the Spring 2022 edition of National Parks, the quarterly magazine of the National Parks Conservation Association. You can find the article HERE There is also …

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Lifeways of the Little Colorado River – Grand Canyon Trust

On November 2, 2021November 3, 2021 By Lyle BalenquahIn Archaeology, Colorado River, Cultural Landscapes, Cultural Preservation, Cultural Tourism, Hisat'sinom, Hopi, Indigenous Archaeoloy, Indigenous Guides, River Guiding, San Juan River, Southwest, springs,, Sustainability, Traditional Cultural PlacesLeave a comment

"No matter its color—clear, red, or blue—the Little Colorado River gives life to the lands, communities, and cultures through which it flows." Follow the link below to hear and read various Indigenous perspectives about Paayu, the Little Colorado River, and why it deserves continued protection and preservation as a Cultural Landscape and unique, desert ecosystem. …

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The Work Continues in Bears Ears

On February 10, 2021February 12, 2021 By Lyle BalenquahIn Archaeology, Bears Ears, Cultural Landscapes, Cultural Preservation, Hisat'sinom, Hopi, Indigenous Archaeoloy, Ruins Preservation, San Juan River, Southwest, Sustainability, Traditional Cultural PlacesLeave a comment

Here are a couple of links to recent articles from High Country News and CNN about the current and future work in the Bears Ears issue. With the change in administration and nomination of Representative (NM) Deb Haaland to serve as Secretary of the Interior, there is renewed hope to reverse the harmful impacts implemented …

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Paa’tuuwa’qatsi: Water is Life

On December 28, 2020August 19, 2022 By Lyle BalenquahIn Archaeology, Coal, Colorado River, Cultural Landscapes, Cultural Preservation, Hisat'sinom, Hopi, Indigenous Archaeoloy, Native Guides, River Guiding, Southwest, springs,, Sustainability, Traditional Cultural Places, Uncategorized3 Comments

The turquoise waters of the Little Colorado River just above the Confluence. The Grand Canyon landscape contains some of the Southwests most unique ecosystems of rivers, springs and riparian zones. These areas are home to many plant and animal species, some found nowhere else in the world, or that represent the last viable populations holding …

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Hisat’sinom to Hopi: Establishing Cultural Affiliation in the Bears Ears Landscape

On October 31, 2017April 9, 2021 By Lyle BalenquahIn Archaeology, Bears Ears, Colorado River, Cultural Landscapes, Cultural Preservation, Cultural Tourism, Hisat'sinom, Hopi, Indigenous Archaeoloy, Native Guides, River Guiding, Ruins Preservation, Southwest, Sustainability, Traditional Cultural Places, Uncategorized6 Comments

With the historic visit by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to southeast Utah this week, I think it's worth re-posting a previous blog writing from 4 years ago describing, in part, some of the Hopi questions and answers we find in the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante landscapes. While the increased attention of the …

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Culture Relative to Homeland

On August 28, 2016August 29, 2016 By Lyle BalenquahIn Archaeology, Cultural Landscapes, Cultural Preservation, Hopi, Indigenous Archaeoloy, Native Guides, Ruins Preservation, Southwest, Sustainability, Traditional Cultural PlacesLeave a comment

An interview from 2014 with Jack Loeffler (Santa Fe, NM) talking about Hopi connections to Landscapes, Culture & Sustainability. Originally appeared in Green Fire Times, 2014 (Santa Fe, NM). JL: How do you perceive culture relative to homeland? LB: Culture relative to homeland is a big idea. Homeland is something that is always in the back of …

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Spirit of Place: Preserving the Cultural Landscape of the Bears Ears

On August 3, 2016August 20, 2016 By Lyle BalenquahIn Archaeology, Bears Ears, Cultural Landscapes, Cultural Preservation, Cultural Tourism, Hopi, Indigenous Archaeoloy, Native Guides, River Guiding, Ruins Preservation, Southwest, Sustainability, Traditional Cultural Places, Uncategorized, Youth1 Comment

1200 A.D. Dawn breaks over a secluded canyon, spreading a sliver of orange light along the rim as a lone canyon wren welcomes the morning, singing another day into existence. As the light increases in intensity, it illuminates a sheer cliff face, revealing layers of geologic time; ancient cross-bedded sand dunes and million-year old ocean …

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Walking The Line at Nayavu’waltsa: Preservation of a Cultural Landscape (Intro)

On May 7, 2016May 19, 2016 By Lyle BalenquahIn Archaeology, Coal, Cultural Landscapes, Cultural Preservation, Hopi, Southwest, Sustainability, Traditional Cultural Places, UncategorizedLeave a comment

In the Hopi language, Nayavu'waltsa is a place name, meaning "Clay Gap Place" and refers to the region known as Black Mesa, located in Northern Arizona. This mesa of the high desert is a geologic uplift of the much larger Colorado Plateau which covers a large area of the 4 Corners region; Southeastern Utah, Western Colorado, …

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PAA'TUUWI

Tag: Traditional Cultural Places