June 17, 2010
The 77th Annual Hopi Festival of Arts and Culture returns on the July Fourth weekend to the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, bringing 75 of the top Hopi artists and demonstrators, seasoned performers of music and dance, and speakers who will talk about Hopi beliefs and current issues. Saturday, July 3 and Sunday, July 4 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Museum will be brimming with all things Hopi.
First held on the July Fourth weekend in 1930, the Hopi Festival represents the long-standing partnership between the Hopi people and the Museum, and has always had as its mission the preservation of Hopi artistic traditions and the creation of a marketplace for Hopi goods. Over the years the event has become a regional tradition for artists and collectors, alike, and for visitors seeking an authentic cultural experience at “the oldest Hopi art show in the world.”
An important part of the festival is the 50 plus awards that are juried by arts professionals from this region and given to artists who excel in their arts category. Prize money is awarded and ribbons are on display at the artists’ tables, making it easy to spot the finest collectable art pieces.
“This year’s festival will honor longtime friend of MNA and interpretive collaborator, Michael Kabotie (1942–2009),” stated Museum Director Dr. Robert Breunig, a close Kabotie friend. “The struggle to find the center, to find harmony, was the central theme of his life. I’m really excited that Hopi Festival attendees will be able to see our current exhibit Walking in Harmony and to learn more about the evolution, in his life and in his art.”
MNA Heritage Program Coordinator Anne Doyle added, “What’s most exciting to me are the moments of connection between the festival visitors and the artists, entertainers, and educators. When the Hopi culture reveals itself through modern or traditional expressions and I see people enjoying these fine arts, that’s when I know we’ve met our mission and we’ve made MNA co-founder Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton proud.”
Under the Big Tent
Nuvatukya’ovi means “the high up place with snow” and is the Hopi name for the San Francisco Peaks. The Nuvatukya’ovi Sinom Dance Group will perform the Koonina or Supai dance, celebrating the Havasupai people; the Palhikwmana or water maiden dance; and the Koshari or clown dance to unite people and make them happy. All of the dance troup’s regalia—clothing, weaving, jewelry, and tabletas or headdresses—is designed and handmade by the dancers.
Ed Kabotie, Michael Kabotie’s son, is a dynamic artist in his own right. He plays acoustic guitar and Native flute, while incorporating teachings about the Hopi language and its history into his music. He sings in Hopi/Tewa and English in his trilingual compositions. Also, his presentation “Journey of the Sacred Clown, A Tribute to Michael Kabotie” will be shown in the Walking in Harmony exhibit gallery. It is a thoughtful and humorous talk that focuses on his father.
Sidney Poolheco and Sandra Hamana will perform traditional Hopi songs, as well as contemporary tunes and lyrics that capture the elements of change in the Hopi culture. Poolheco’s music is often featured on KUYI 88.1 Hopi Radio.
Three Mesas Productions will present a puppet show performance by youth volunteers from the three Hopi Mesas. The organization utilizes Hopi legends and fables to preserve the Hopi language.
EJ the DJ, Hopi comedian extraordinaire, will emcee the Big Tent performances.
Footprints of the Ancestors
This National Endowment for the Humanities funded project, headed by NAU’s Director of the University Honors Program George Gumerman, Ph.D. and directed by Joelle Clark, addresses the Hopi’s challenging task of retaining their distinct cultural identity, while preparing youths for a fast-paced world of modern lifestyles and different cultures. Archaeology, elder knowledge, and tribal traditions provide the foundation for a Hopi youth exhibit on the core values of Hopi culture. The exhibit Following in the Footprints of Our Ancestors presents the youths’ voice on how they maintain their core values amidst threats and challenges to their deeply rooted traditions. A panel discussion with Hopi youths and elders, and facilitated by Gumerman and Clark, will present their remarkable journeys. Working with Flagstaff spray artist Anthony Esparza, the youths will lead the community in the creation of a collage that explores the future of young Hopis (see Footprints of the Ancestors sidebar).
Heritage Insight Presentations
Community Curator Susan Secakuku will present the exhibit outline for MNA’s new permanent Hopi exhibit. She will share exhibit content, themes, and collection ideas and will include time for audience feedback and questions.
Artist Howard Sice will interview Delbridge Honanie (Coochsiwukioma, which means “Falling White Snow”). Honanie’s inventive mind and his traditional painting and carving disciplines have placed him among the most respected and collected artists of the Southwest. Clark Tenakhongva, an award-winning carver will give a presentation on carving katsina dolls.
Gary Tso, owner and operator of Left Handed Hunter Tours, is an energetic speaker who will talk about Hopi culture, Hopi clan migrations, the story of the four worlds, and the Europeanization of Hopiland.
Artists and Demonstrators
L.A. fashion designer Wendell Sakiestewa, another son of Michael Kabotie, will present his clothing line at his booth, with model and actor Kiowa Gordon (Hualapai) of the romance fantasy film series The Twilight Saga. Both were raised in Arizona. Sakiestewa’s designs are ultra contemporary and casual, and he enjoys designing for celebrity clients as well as the general public. Gordon will visit with the public and sign autographs on Sunday from 3–5 p.m. at Sakiestewa’s booth.
Ruby Chimerica and her daughter Anita Koruh will discuss the nuances of Hopi basket making. They gather and dye their own materials and will show how they use them to create plaques. Potters Dorothy and Emerson Ami create pottery in the traditional Hopi way, from gathering the clay, to using all natural pigments to paint them and sheep dung to fire them. And glass blower Ramson Lomatewama will be demonstrating how he makes his glittering, glass spirit figures.
Consignment Sale
In addition to the 75 booth artists, Museum staffers have made several trips to collect one-of-a-kind consigned works from individual artists across the Hopi Mesas. Collecting trips have always been an important part of the Hopi festivals, allowing artists who produce only a few items per year a chance to sell their work. Hundreds of distinctive art pieces including quilts, rattles, pottery, katsina dolls, paintings, and baskets will be on display in the consignment area.
Creative Corner
Outside in the courtyard, kids and all other creative people will be able to make take-home crafts. This year, learn about the cultural significance of pottery making while making clay pinch pots, rain cloud necklaces, and the always popular split twig figurines.
77th Annual Hopi Festival Sponsors
The 2010 Hopi Festival is sponsored by the Arizona Commission on the Arts; National Endowment for the Arts; Arizona ArtShare; City of Flagtaff, Flagstaff Cultural Partners; Arizona Humanities Council; ACS–Archaeological Consulting Services–Cultural Resource, Environmental Management, and GIS Services; Fred Nackard Wholesale Beverage Company; and Simply Delicious.
KUYI, 88.1FM Native American Public Radio from Hotvela( Hotevilla) on the mesa tops of northeastern Arizona will be at the festival, talking to visitors, interviewing festival personalities, and adding their own fun to the event with their live broadcast.
About the Museum
If you haven’t yet seen Walking in Harmony: The Life and Work of Lomawywesa, Michael Kabotie, the Hopi Festival is a great opportunity to see it. Artist, poet, “mythical archaeologist,” ritual clown, and trickster—Kabotie explored the journeys of humankind by playfully meshing his own Hopi traditions with myth and imagery from around the world.
Also, a modern Hopi kiva mural entitled Journey of the Human Spirit is permanently installed in MNA’s Kiva Gallery. The mural is inspired by a brilliant mural painting tradition that flourished in the Southwest between the fourteenth and seventeenth centuries. Artists Michael Kabotie and Delbridge Honanie depicted the emergence of the Hopi people; ancient migrations; the coming of the Spanish and Anglos; strip mining in Black Mesa; the abuse of fast food, drugs, and drink by Native people; and finally, the rebirth of Hopi beliefs and traditions from the Hopi point of view.
Now celebrating its 82nd year, the Museum of Northern Arizona sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, which are the tallest mountains in Arizona and are sacred to the region’s Native people. With a long and illustrious history, MNA evokes the very spirit of the Colorado Plateau. It is located three miles north of historic downtown Flagstaff on Highway 180, on the way to the Grand Canyon. Festival admission is $7 adult, $6 senior (65+), $5 student, $4 child (7–17), and free to MNA members. Become a member today in time to attend the Hopi Festival Members’ Preview, Arts Award Ceremony, and Silent Auction on Friday evening before the festival. For more information, go to musnaz.org/support/membership or call 928/774-5213.
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FOOTPRINTS OF THE ANCESTORS
Intergenerational Learning of Hopi History and Culture
The Hopi Footprints project, launched in 2003 to help Hopi youths follow in the cultural footsteps of their ancestors, has enlarged its scope with a $240,990 National Endowment for the Humanities grant to Northern Arizona University’s Anthropology Department.
With the guidance of the Hopi Tribe, the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, and NAU’s Director of the University Honors Program George Gumerman, the original project over the first three years created a team of elders, scientists, and teachers who gathered cultural material and produced more than 25 hours of interviews with elders and archaeologists for lesson plans and teacher training at Hopi schools. They are now ready to broaden the project’s reach.
“It’s time to provide opportunities for Hopi youths to connect with elders and scholars,” says Gumerman. “By uniting Hopi youth with their past, we believe they will help preserve their tribe’s traditions. And since they will be more connected to culturally relevant curriculum, they will be more likely to succeed in school and life in general.”
Footprints of the Ancestors connects Hopi youths, elders, and scholars at historical and culturally significant sites across the Southwest, such as the San Juan River, Mesa Verde National Park, Navajo National Monument, Chaco Canyon, the Museum of Northern Arizona, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the National Museum of Natural History.
According to Gumerman, this new phase of the project places the youths behind the camera and the computer. “We are bringing generations together to rediscover Hopi roots and to revitalize the role of ancient places in Hopi life today. After they visit these powerful places, they will share the knowledge they have gained by creating digital guides—DVDs and websites—to the venues they have visited, communicating the deeper meaning of ancestral places,” adds Gumerman.
Hopi youths will also generate podcasts of Hopi songs and stories for the public. “Imagine tourists listening to Hopi songs and stories on their iPods, as they hike down the trail to visit a site.”
In addition to the digital guides, youths participate in service-learning projects at Hopi such as volunteering for community races, planting and harvesting crops, maintaining Hopi peach orchards, and restoring springs and gardens to encourage Hopi youths to take responsibility and give back to their community.
The project culminates in the creation of the exhibit, Following in the Footprints of our Ancestors: Hopi Youth Perspectives. Project Director Joelle Clark notes that “Museum visitors will engage with Hopi culture and history by exploring the exhibit, panel discussions, presentations, and video screenings that will run throughout the duration of the exhibit.” The story of Hopi cultural continuity and the challenges for sustaining these traditions, as heard through the voices of Hopi youths, presents a unique perspective that will capture the minds of the public. The exhibit reflects today’s Hopi youths as being grounded in their ancestral and traditional cultural roots, yet living with the pressures of the modern world. Their desire is to maintain Hopi core values of kyaptsi or respect, to remain tied to their traditions, and to get an education. The youths include their own voices throughout the exhibit through personal narratives—a compelling way to communicate their ideas, realities, and hopes. Visitors will walk away with a deeper insight into the hearts, minds, and traditional viewpoints of today’s Hopi youths.
More information about Footprints of the Ancestors is online at http://www4.nau.edu/footprints.