Beyond the Mesas LLC – BEYOND THE MESAS, LLC

Beyond the Mesas, LLC recently launched a new course!

This mini course explores the history of the Santa Fe All Indian Band, a group of Native musicians from the Navajo, Hopi, Laguna Pueblo, and other tribal communities who performed across the Southwest and even marched in President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1953 Inaugural Parade.

Through four connected lessons, this course examines how Indian railroad workers formed the band, how the Santa Fe Railroad used Native imagery to promote the company, the boarding school experience that trained the musicians, and the family legacies that emerged from the ensemble.

This course is especially meaningful to me as my great-grandfather, Victor Sakiestewa from Upper Munqapi (originally from Oraibi), played the clarinet in the band.

The course costs $20.00.

People can work at their own pace, as BTM 230 is meant to be relaxing and informative. Click on the link below for more details and directions on how to enroll.

I hope to have you in my class!

BTM 230 Santa Fe All Indian Band

For the past several weeks, I have been developing an online course titled BTM 320 Hopi Runners. This is the first of several courses that I will launch as part of Beyond the Mesas, LLC.

The course covers a wide range of topics on Hopi long-distance running. The result of years of research on the topic, BTM 320 examines Hopi cultural understandings of running, Hopi participation in American marathons, off-reservation Indian boarding schools, Indians and modernity, and contemporary Hopi harriers.

The price for the 8-lesson course is $40.00.

To learn more about the course, please click on the website below. I hope to have you in my class!