| Dec. 2008 | We went on a field trip to the Carefree Resort for a campfire talk by Hopi Cultural Interpreter Lance Polingyouma. View_Picture |
| Nov. 2008 | Charles King, of King Galleries of Scottsdale and author of the book "Born of Fire: The Life and Pottery of Margaret Tafoya,
talked about the pottery of world famous Santa Clara potter, Margaret Tafoya. For more information about Margaret Tafoya, click Margaret Tafoya
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| Oct. 2008 | Reldon Schirch led a discussion of Native American healing rituals, spurred by his reading of a book
by Dr. Carl A. Hammerschlag, a Phoenix psychiatrist. View Picture |
| Apr. 2008 | Jean Myers, Vice-President of the Grand Canyon chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, talked about Thomas Jefferson and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. View Picture |
| Mar. 2008 | We went on a field trip to the Carefree Resort for a campfire talk by Hopi Cultural Interpreter Lance Polingyouma. View_Picture |
| Feb. 2008 | Time Travellers made up of Fountain Hills 4th and 5th grade students led us on a tour of the River of Time Museum. View Slide Show |
| Jan. 2008 | Chief Peter Running Deer Silva, of the Hassanamisco and Shinnecock Reservations of Massachusetts and New York, spoke about events lost in the history of America, and the contributions of the Algonquin people to American history.View Picture |
| Dec. 2007 | Royce Manual, a member of the Aw-Aw Thun tribe (River People), from the Salt River-Pima Indian Community, spoke about the history and culture of the Salt River people.View Picture |
| Nov. 2007 | A documentary about the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II was shown. The film helps explain the mindset of the Navajo people at that time and why they were so patriotic to a country which had turned its back on them. |
| Oct. 2007 | A video called The Snowbowl Effect was shown. The video explores the controversy surrounding the proposed ski resort expansion and snowmaking on the San Francisco Peaks, north of Flagstaff. View Synopsis |
| Apr. 2007 | Ann Scavarda, Fountain Hills resident and spelunker, trained cartographer, and cave geology enthusiast gave a slide presentation about caving and her exploration, mapping and photography of Lechuguilla Cave in New Mexico and other magnificent caves. She also answered questions about caving, equipment, and how she prepared for this hobby.View Picture |
| Mar. 2007 | Louie Gonnie, Dinè (Navajo) singer, composer and artist, whose Navajo songs were recorded on Canyon records, sang some of the songs he recorded, and talked about what the songs meant to him. Among the influences of his songs were the teachings of his grandfather, a medicine man, and the sacred mountains of the Navajo.View Picture |
| Feb. 2007 | Dr. Steven Semken, a geology professor at Arizona State University, taught geology at Diné College on the Navajo Reservation for 15 years. He talked about how he taught geology from a Navajo cultural perspective.View Picture |
| Jan. 2007 | Gerald Padilla, Fullerton College Professor of Southwest history, Chicano studies, and ethnic studies spoke about the differences between linear and circular cultures.View Picture |
| Dec. 2006 | Leonard Marcisz of the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy spoke about the lives of women in the various cultures that have inhabited the McDowell Mountains.View Picture |
| Nov. 2006 | Nimrod Thomas of Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation spoke about his life and culture and showed a movie featuring the history and accomplishments of the Fort McDowell Yavapai tribe.View Picture |
| Oct. 2006 | Tim Minihan spoke on the planned American Indian Veterans Memorial to be built at Steele Indian School Park in Phoenix.View Picture |
| Apr. 2006 | Author and historian, Robert Mason, spoke about the history of the Apache and Hohokam tribes in the Verde Valley.View Picture |
| Mar. 2006 | Greg Hansen, whose background is from the Ponci tribe, led us in some Native dances, while he sang for us in the traditional style. |
| Feb. 2006 | Lance Polingyouma, Hopi archaeologist, described his expedition to Mexico to trace the migration routes of the pueblo tribes to the American southwest. |
| Jan. 2006 | June and Francis Burnside, residents of Pine Springs, AZ, a native speaking community on the Navajo reservation, talked about life on the reservation. |
| Dec. 2005 | Jonah Thompson, Navajo flute maker, flute player, and storyteller told the group stories about the three stages of Navajo history: (1) Creation to Emergence, (2) War with Monsters, and (3) War with Men. Each story was followed by a piece of Indian flute music. He also discussed how flutes are made. |
| Nov. 2005 | Rick Wambach, head docent at the River of Time Museum, took us on a tour of the museum, preceded by a talk on the history of the Yavapai people and the Verde River valley.View Picture |
| Oct. 2005 | The group viewed a rare video of a Navajo sand painting ceremony and a sweat ceremony, filmed in the 1940's by Carl Steckel, who ran a trading post in Red Mesa. The film was loaned by Gil Somers, a local collector of Western art and Native American artifacts. Emerson Quannie, the promoter of the Fountain Hills Indian Market, was also introduced. In addition, Reldon Schirch described a trip in which he led a group of travel writers through various sites on the Navajo Reservation, which were included in Tony Hillerman's stories.View Picture |
| Apr. 2005 | Jefferson Begay, on a return engagement, spoke about the "Long Walk," Navajo history, and Navajo rugs.View Picture |
| Mar. 2005 | Lance Polingyouma, the Hopi Culture interpreter at the Hyatt Resort in Scottsdale, spoke about the evolution of the Hopi. |
| Feb. 2005 | David Morris, Visitor Services Coordinator of the Pueblo Grande Museum, spoke about Rock Art of the Southwest. He showed slides of rock art sites, and discussed possible interpretations.View Picture |
| Jan. 2005 | Fullerton College Professor of Southwest history, Chicano studies, and ethnic studies, Gerald Padilla, spoke about the Kino Mission system, and the Spanish conquest of the Southwest. |
| Dec. 2004 | Greg Hansen, an educator, Plains style dancer, and singer was our speaker. View Picture |
| Nov. 2004 | Artist and Educator, Justine Mantor Waldie did a presentation on The Day of the Dead, "Dia de los Muertos." |
| Oct. 2004 | Jane Minihan, president of the Southwest Cultures Club, talked about her experiences on a trip to Mata Ortiz, Mexico and meeting Juan Quasada. She also discussed "The Lakota Sundance, and the Circle." |
| Apr. 2004 | For a little change of format, we had fun and games night. We divided into teams and learned about the southwest by working crossword puzzles for prizes. |
| Mar. 2004 | Lance Polingyouma, an official guide and interpreter for the Hopi Tribe, and Cultural Interpreter at the North American Environmental Learning Center in Scottsdale, AZ talked about Native American games such as La Crosse, and how different tribes' rules and implements reflected the different cultural beliefs of that tribe. |
| Feb. 2004 | Rick Wombach, a docent at the River of Time Museum and the Heard Museum, talked about the history of water resources in Arizona, from the ancient Hohokam canals to the present. We also visited the River of Time Museum in Fountain HIlls, to view the SRP exhibit on water resources. |
| Jan. 2004 | Merced Maldonado, a traditional Pascola dancer, storyteller, and Yaqui artist, talked about various characters in the Yaqui stories. He also brought some masks to represent the characters. View Picture |
| Dec. 2003 | Richard Siegle, who was the Director of Facilities for the National Museum of the American Indian from 1986-1995, was the speaker. Mr. Siegle showed a video entitled "Native Voices," and discussed the planning of the museum to include the Native Peoples' voice. The museum, which will open to the public in September, 2004, includes over 800,000 objects collected by George Gustav Heye (1874-1957) who was a New York banker. |
| Nov. 2003 | Jefferson Begay gave an interesting talk on various topics including the Long Walk of 1864-68 and his experience in Vietnam. |
| Oct. 2003 | Jane Miniham gave a short talk on the history of the Indian Tribes in Arizona and New Mexico, followed by a docent led tour of the River of Time Museum. |
| May. 2003 | Dr. Phillip Hammond, an archaeologist and Adjunct Profession of Anthropology at ASU, showed slides from the American Expedition to Petra. Dr Hammond led the expedition, which included 23 excavations in the area occupied by the Nabataeans, who lived in the Petra basin of Jordan in the 4th Century, B.C. Most notable has been the excavation of the "Temple of the Winged Lions", a Nabataean religious structure. View Picture |
| Apr. 2003 | Larry Blackhorse Lowe, a Navajo and a film student at Scottsdale Community College, showed four of his short films depicting elements of Navajo life. |
| Mar. 2003 | Jane Minihan of Sunset Gallery demonstrated techniques of silversmithing, and brought examples of southwest silver jewelry. View Picture |
| Feb. 2003 | Lance WhiteEagle, a Nakota Sioux from Montana and a Pipe Carrier, spoke about his work with the Native American Warrior Veterans Memorial Association, the First Nations Association, and the American Indian Justice Foundation. View Picture |
| Jan. 2003 | Jonah Thompson, a Navajo flute maker and storyteller played the flute, displayed some old handmade flutes from sunflower stalks and some new ones from ponderosa pine, and told stories about his relatives. View Picture |
| Dec. 2002 | Ramson Lowatewama, poet, artist, and teacher led a discussion about Hopi culture and integrating tradition with contemporary art and life. View Picture |
| Nov. 2002 | Serge Runningwolf Martel, of Mohawk and Hawaiian heritage, a psychologist, minister and shammon, talked about spiritualism. For more information on Serge Runningwolf Martel, visit his website at www.shamanspirit.com. |
| Oct. 2002 | Lakota artist Len Yellowhorse from Oglala, S. D. showed his latest Lakota sculpture, which he carves from the roots of cottonwood trees. We also had a slide presentation showing different Southwestern tribal areas such as Zuni, Hopi and Navajo. |
| May 2002 | Round table discussion - people brought artifacts and told of an
experience in the Southwest |
| Apr. 2002 | Video "Return of the Navajo Boy" was shown, followed by a
discussion by David Brugge and his daughter Janet. David Brugge is a
retired anthropologist from Albuqurque and Janet grew up at
Hubbell Trading Post. |
| Mar. 2002 | Robert Torres is of the Tlingit Culture from Alaska. He discussed
the Button Blanket Dance and included audience participation with his charismatic charm. |
| Feb. 2002 | Rick Wambach talked about his experiences on the Navajo
Reservation. He was a teacher and coach at St. Michaels
(near Window Rock). He is now a docent at the Heard Museum
in Phoenix. |
| Jan. 2002 | Jerry Padilla - Native American history professor from Fullerton
College, Fullerton, CA. Spoke about "duality" and the
differences between "linear" and "circular" cultures. |
| Dec. 2001 | Ken Seowtewa from Zuni Pueblo showed slides of the Old
Mission at Zuni and the lifesize Kachina figures which he and his
father Alex are painting on the church walls. |
| Nov. 2001 | Tim Terry from the Akimel O'odham tribe spoke of his culture and
told stories about his life. |
| Oct. 2001 | Video "How the West Was Lost," slides from the Navajo
Reservation and discussion of Navajo life. |
| Sept. 2001 | Gwen Bahe, Council Woman from Fort McDowell, spoke about Yavapai Culture and showed a video about the history of Fort McDowell. |