The World of Zuni

Hi Everyone,
I meant to write a post on Friday but on my lunch break I fell and hurt my ankle.  I am better now so I better get a move on with this blog now.  The Zuni Festival is approaching quickly so I figured that I would find out some information about the Zuni people and their art.  When researching I found that they were mostly farmers who grew maize and wheat.  They also created artwork for personal use and selling them to make an income.  They could have been found in areas of New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah at one point.  Now the main reservation which is the Zuni Pueblo is located in the McKinley and Cibola counties in Western New Mexico.  The tribe also has separate land holdings within Catron County, NM and Apache County, AZ.  This tribe makes different types of artworks like pottery, clothing, jewelry, baskets, and kachina dolls or kokos.  The artworks that are created give the viewer information about what this culture finds important in life.  The artwork can also give a history of the tribe.  Many of these different types of artworks are still being created today by talented Zuni artists.  In this blog we will be discussing the artwork and how it relates to the culture.  Some artists stay traditional in their style and others take a contemporary take on artwork.  When you come to the Zuni Festival in May you can see all the art there is to offer and learn more information about the culture for yourself.

By: Phyllis Coonsis


Here are the artists who have already sent in their applications and will be seen in this years Zuni Festival:
Harlan Coonsis
Phyllis Coonsis
Waldo Davis
Carlos Laate
Matthew Neha
Roxanne Seoutewa
Margia Simplicio
Everyone else hurry up so we can put up your name in later blogs and so you can show off your art in the festival coming up.

Love,
Cynthia

Work sited-
Pueblo of Zuni  http://www.ashiwi.org
Native Net http://www.native-net.org/tribes/zuni-indians.html

So little time and so much to do

Hey Everyone,
This whole blog thing is harder than I thought.  It seems so easy because all you have to do is remember to write but the hard thing is to remember. Or find time to write.  Well its been super busy here in the office getting ready for our first festival.  Right now Anne and I are spending many hard working hours in front of our computers making sure things will run smoothly for the summer.  Last week we got some interest for more interns for the summer YAY!!!  I hope everyone has a great week!
Love,
Cynthia

New Intern!

Hello Everyone,
I know it has been sometime since there has been a post on this blog but things are about to change. My name is Cynthia and I am the new intern here at the Museum of Northern Arizona in the Heritage Program.  Hopefully I will be able to post about what is going on with the Heritage Program and as the festivals kick off in the Summer.  So here is a little about me... I am a student at NAU up here in Flagstaff majoring in Art History and minoring in Museum Studies.  I very excited about this internship and to learn a bunch of new skills.  I will be here this Spring semester and all through the summer to enjoy the festivals.  Hooray!  I am hoping to meet and see a ton of new faces at all the festivals this Summer.
The first festival coming up is the 22nd Annual Zuni Festival of Arts and Culture: Journey to the Center Place, which takes place Saturday May 26 and Sunday May 27 2012.  I hope everyone can come and enjoy the wonderful art, music, food and culture. 
Love,
Cynthia (The New Intern)

Gearing up for The Celebraciones De La Genta!

The time is drawing near for the 7th annual Celebraciones De La Genta! The past few weeks have been full of preparation, and with only 17 days left, things are starting to speed up. The festival will be held as usual at the Museum of Northern Arizona, on October 23-24. This festival is sure to be jam-packed with talented artists, musicians and events. We have many returning musicians this year, as well as a nine member Mariachi band hailing from Tucson, Arizona. This band goes by the name of Sol Azteca, and is prominent in that area for the genre of Mariachi. The Mariachi originated in the state of Jalisco, Mexico sometime in the 19th century, and has evolved into a cultural revolution, and recently has become popular in the United States. Mariachi has continued to grow in popularity, and can be found not only in North America, but in other countries such as Japan. The festival is also proud to recieve a number of talented artists who will be displaying pieces ranging from beaded and silver jewelry, to beautiful Zapoteca Rugs. As in all of the past Day of the Dead Celebrations we will be hosting community Altars, which honor loved ones who have past on. We have also planned heritage presentations that will span the two days of the festival. Prominent members of the community such as Dr. Miguel Vasquez, a professor at Northern Arizona University, will give talks concerning the history and culture of the hispanic communities of the region. Overall we believe this will be a grand festival in honor not only of all of our loved ones who have past on, but of the many rich hispanic communities that popluate our corner of the country. For a full listing of musicians, artists, and events visit the following link http://www.musnaz.org/hp/celebraciones_fest_2009.shtml.

Love,
Anne and THE Intern(Caolan Head) :]

Don't Worry, Be Hopi

Did that really just happen?
Did we really just finish the Hopi festival?

Here, in the Heritage Program Office, it's hard to believe that the 77th annual Hopi Festival just happened, as we quickly tidied the tornado that resulted from the weekend and are now hard at work on the Navajo festival, which is coming up in a little less than four weeks. If anyone sees Anne Doyle roaming the streets, please give her a hug... and  margarita. The work that she does on these festivals is absolutely mind blowing-- you'd think that she was some kind of magician.

Before we ramble off into the sunset about how busy we are, I think we should reminisce (queue dream sequence...). It was a Friday afternoon, and the mosquitoes hit the Hopi reservation for what seemed like the Berlin Love Parade. We were there, too, on our collection trip a week before the festival. It was cloudy, which is a good sign these days, and we took are stations at the Cultural Center and at Hotevilla. Despite our tent being thrown to the ground by the wind at the Cultural Center, we collected some wonderful art. It's amazing to think that if we didn't make this trip, some people would never see this incredible art. Quilts, Kachina Dolls, paintings, and rattles flew into our hands, into our vans, and into our consignment room. Thanks to the wonderful help from the volunteers, the collection trip went smoothly (and we even got some gratuitous rain!) and we all came out itchy dressed in novelty Hopi mosquito bites


On Thursday, July 1st, at 12 p.m., we closed the doors to the auditorium and welcomed our judges for a quick lunch before they made their rounds. The judging was a simultaneously intense and hilarious experience-- as our judges all had a great mixture of expertise and senses of humor. The interns spent the rest of that day preparing ribbons and making sure everything was in order for the next day.


Have you ever been to Times Square at 7pm? If not... imagine people weaving around each other at lightening speed paired with the coaxing sounds of car horns and angry business men and women in a rush. Now, imagine all of those sound inside the Museum of Northern Arizona-- the Times Square of the Southwest last weekend. Before the festival officially opened, all of us were running around, checking in artists and moving artwork and, of course, cooking. As the time inched closer to 6 p.m., we welcomed artists and non-profits, showing them the ways to their booths. As far as we know, the Member's Preview was a success! We got our artists checked in, and saw many happy members roaming around the venue.


Then came Saturday, the day the festival opened to the public. There was something interesting happening in every corner of the museum. Artists were selling in the auditorium, lectures were going on in the Ethnology gallery, Hopi dances and music were happening in the insights tent (where KUYI was also broadcasting live!), kids were making art in the New Courtyard, artists were demonstrating in the Historic courtyard-- even our office became a dressing room for some of the Hopi dancers. We all had such enriching experiences and got to talk to so many interesting people. At one point, we were being showered with Hopi wisdom while we were, believe it or not, preparing for the barbecue in the kitchen. Most of Saturday involved everyone running around, making sure everything ran smoothly. None of us can really remember how Saturday ended, as it just seemed to turn into Sunday. Sunday was exciting in different ways, as well. We, as interns, had more time to roam around and interact with artists (we got Sidney Poolheco's autograph, aren't you jealous?). We had a little taste of Hollywood, when Kiowa Gordon, the werewolf from Twilight, came in to sign autographs and model contemporary Hopi clothing. I never thought I'd hear so much teenage shrieking at the Hopi festival. Even as we were folding up the chairs at the end of the day, we kept taking in new information and wisdom. It wasn't until the end of the day that we realized that it was the 4th of July, and we celebrated it perfectly-- with the people who know this country in more intimate ways than most people can vouch for.


Now, as our mosquito bites are slowly fading and the art gradually gets picked up from our office, we are preparing for the Navajo festival, taking place on August 6, 7, and 8, and, of course, trying to breathe a little bit.


See you all soon!


Love,
Anne and the Interns.