Month: November 2009

Hopi leader receives awards

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Hopi news of interest1 Comment

In November 2007, the History Department at the University of California, Riverside, hosted a screening of Beyond the Mesas in the banquet room of Zacateca’s Cafe. A few days prior to the showing, I was told that I group of Hopis living in the San Diego area were planning on making the 2 hour trip for the event. One of these individuals was Nikishna Polequaptewa, Director of the American Indian Resource Center at UC Irvine. Yeseterday I heard that he recently received the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Sequoyah Fellowship, and the National Center for American Indian Development “40 under 40” award for outstanding qualities as a Native American leader. Last week, a write-up about him appeared in the Navajo-Hopi Observer. Nikishna is doing great work at UC Irvine, but at some point he will return to Hopi. His lifelong dream is to serve as Chairman of the Hopi Tribe. Nikishna must be commended for his desire to give back to the Hopi community. He has a bright future ahead of him. To read the article in the Navajo-Hopi Observer, click here.

Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert

Beautiful Resistance

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Films1 Comment

Beyond the Mesas is part 1 of a 2 part series on the Indian boarding school experience. The 2nd film is titled Beautiful Resistance, which examines the boarding school experience through contemporary Native art. Some of the people highlighted in this 30 minute film are Hulleah Tsinnhaghinni, Wendy Weston, Tony Abeyta, Steven Yazzie, Joanna Bigfeather, and the late Hopi artist Michael Kabotie. To learn how you can order a copy of this film, click here.

Hopi newspaper may come to an end

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Hopi news of interest, Hopi Tutuveni1 Comment

For the past several weeks I have been hearing rumors that the Hopi Tutuveni, the official newspaper of the Hopi Tribe, will be closing down. This rumor was noted in Wednesday’s edition of the Arizona Daily Sun.

Closure of the Hopi Tutuveni would be a major loss for the Hopi people. One of the most significant aspects of the Hopi Tutuveni is that it provides a Hopi voice on current issues. So much of what has been written about our people comes from non-Hopis. The Hopi Tutuveni gives Hopis a venue to write about their history, culture, and current events from Hopi perspectives.

Furthermore, not only does the paper keep Hopis and non-Hopis informed about present issues, it also has historical significance. It records and preserves Hopi history, and it is a valuable resource for future Hopi and non-Hopi scholars.

One of the ways that I have shared my research on Sherman Institute with the Hopi community is by publishing in the Hopi Tutuveni. I realize that many people back home may not have access to academic journals, or certain books. But they have access to the Hopi newspaper. If the Hopi Tutuveni shuts down, who will write the narrative?

Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert

Thankful for teachers

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Sherman Bulletin, Sherman InstituteLeave a comment

Six years ago I came across a portion of a letter written by a Hopi student in the Sherman Bulletin, the official school newspaper of Sherman Institute. It was published in June 1909, right before a group of Hopis returned to the reservation after spending three years at the school. I first wrote about this letter in an article titled “The Hopi Followers: Chief Tawaquaptewa and Hopi Student Advancement at Sherman Institute, 1906-1909” (JAIE, Fall 2005). The following section seems fitting to post on Thanksgiving Day:

“We Hopis are about to leave Sherman. I will not forget my teachers, for they have been kind to me, and I will try to come back here next year.” (The Sherman Bulletin, June 16, 1909).

A living history

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn HCPO2 Comments
Sherman Institute marching band (1908), courtesy of the Sherman Indian Museum

Leigh J. Kuwanwisiwma of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office once said to me that the Hopi boarding school experience is a “living history.” Some of the Hopis who attended boarding schools during the era of assimilation (1880s-1930s) are still with us today. Others are not, but their stories remain with their children and other family members. My grandfather, Victor Sakiestewa from Orayvi, attended Sherman from 1906 to 1909 and he played the clarinet in the school’s marching band. He was among the first Hopis to attend Sherman in the early twentieth century. Schools such as Sherman Institute, now called Sherman Indian High School, the Phoenix Indian School (“PI”), Stewart Indian School, Ganado Mission School, Santa Fe Indian School, and the Albuquerque Indian School, play an important role in Hopi history. The Hopi boarding school experience is indeed a “living history,” and by sharing and recording these stories we will help keep that history alive for Hopi and non-Hopi people. This conviction was a driving force behind the production of Beyond the Mesas.

Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert

An organization to help Hopi students pursue an education

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn HEEF, Hopi education, HTGSP4 Comments

One of the organizations that the film producers acknowledged and thanked in Beyond the Mesas was the Hopi Education Endowment Fund (HEEF). In addition to providing funds to support educational research, HEEF has generated millions of dollars to help Hopi students receive an education on and off the reservation. I was one of these students, and I remain very thankful and indebted to HEEF and the Hopi Tribe Grants and Scholarship Program (HTGSP) for helping me to attend college and graduate school. I would not be where I am at today without the support of HEEF and the HTGSP. Below is a brief film about the organization’s purpose and goals. A reoccurring theme in the film is that many Hopis consider education to be a tool that will ensure the survival of our people. This understanding is key to HEEF’s existence. Please consider donating to this worthy organization. To learn more about HEEF, click here.

Sheilah E. Nicholas publishes article on Hopi language and youth

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Hopi language, Hopi scholarshipLeave a comment

Sheilah E. Nicholas (Hopi) from the village of Songoopavi, and assistant professor in the College of Education at the University of Arizona, recently published an article titled, “‘I Live Hopi, I Just Don’t Speak It’ – The Critical Intersection of Language, Culture, and Identity in the Lives of Contemporary Hopi Youth”, Journal of Language, Identity & Education, Vol. 8, Issue 5, November 2009, pp. 321-334. This article is a major contribution to the fields of education and Hopi studies. It is a wonderful essay to read alongside Beyond the Mesas. To view the abstract, click here.

Have you used Beyond the Mesas in your class?

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

One of the reasons the film producers created Beyond the Mesas was to provide a teaching tool for instructors to use in the classroom. Have you shown BTM in your class? If so, how did your students respond? What questions did the film evoke? What did your students like or dislike about the film? Did you show this film in conjunction with reading assignments (articles, books, etc.)? I remember in 2006, I showed the film to a group of college students, and one of the non-Native students in the audience said to me: “Your film seems really biased,” and I responded, “You’re right, there is a definite Hopi bias to the film.” Of course, this student was not referring to a Hopi bias per se, but he was having a difficult time understanding why several of the people in the film had positive things to say about their time at off-reservation Indian boarding schools.

Recent showings on PBS

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn ShowingsLeave a comment

Beyond the Mesas is airing throughout the United States on regional PBS stations. Since November is “Native American Heritage Month,” there seems to be an increase in the number of showings. On November 17 Beyond the Mesas was aired on Colorado Public Television – KBDI Channel 12 (Denver, CO). On November 18 and 25 at 10:30PM, the film will be aired on PBS affiliate WNMU-TV in Michigan.