Nancy Rivard and Martha Childress (both AAI Board members) visited the Hopi Reservation on June 4th and 5th to visit with Ernest Taho and Vernon Masayesva of Black Mesa Trust. The project to provide clean water for the Hopi reservation is our AAI project on Global Giving, and Airline Ambassadors, Clean Water Foundation and Sedona Spotlight ((Martha’s organization) have raised $ to provide filters for 3,000 families on the reservation.
Martha and Nancy hand delivered six more filters from Clean Water Foundation and learned more about the background of Black Mesa Trust and the efforts to gain restitution for the Hopi & Navajo people after devastating effects of the Mining from Peabody Mining Corporation abandoning nmerous mines which are poisoning the local water supply.
They visited on Sunday afternoon and also on Monday morning with Vernon’s wife Becky who plays a key role at Black Mesa Trust as well. They also learned about the connection with Japan, as both the Hopi people and the Japanese recognize the sacredness of Water. Vernon has visited there two times and worked closely with Dr. Emoto (author of Message in the Water). Later a Japanese Peace Pole ceremony took place at Vernon’s house.
We went to lunch with Vernon, Ernest, Marissa Nuvayestewa, Program Officer (from the Colorado Plateau Foundation) and Carol James (from the Pikunivi Wood Hauler’s Organization), and her grand-daughter. In March 2023 Black Mesa Trust had received the prestigious ICOMOS Water Award for their pioneering efforts and he shared the letter at lunch.
Declaration of Water
We raise our voices in solidarity to speak for all waters. Water, the breath of all life, water the sustainer of all life.Water the voice of our ancestors, water pristine and powerful. Today we join hands, determined to honor, Trust and follow the ancient wisdom of our ancestors whose teachings and messages continue to Live through us. The message is clear; Honor and respect water as a Sacred and life-giving gift from the Creator of Live. Water the first living spirit on Earth. All living beings come from water, All is is sustained by water, All will return to water to bring life anew.We are of water and the water is us. When water is threatened, all living things are Threatened. What we do to water, We do to ourselves. (Adopted at the Hopi Hisat Navoti Gathering October 23, 2003 Second Mesa, Arizona)
It was especially wonderful for Nancy as she had visited Hotevilla in 1983 to visit Grandfather David (spiritual elder of the Hopi) and first learned about the problem of water on the reservation. She had had a remarkeable experience on the bluff on Old Oraibi, and Martha and she revisited that bluff….full of magic.
