Terrance Outah, Georgiana Pongyesva, and Ronald Wadsworth

Two members of the Hopi Cultural Resources Advisory Task Team (Terrance Outah and Ronald Wadsworth) and a staff member from the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office (Georgiana Pongyesva) once again visited Yupköyvi (Chaco Culture National Historical Park) to speak about its importance, Hopi peoples connections to this place, and the grave concerns they have for its future. Chaco was built by the children of Màasaw, the guardian of the fourth world. These ancestors, Màasaw’s children, are still there. Chaco is a place of power and regeneration for Hopi people and a reminder of their enduring spirituality and strength. The buildings still stand today because they were built with purpose and substance all the way down to their foundations. Like the human nervous system, spirit lines of energy and vibration connect Chaco within a broader web of energy and blessings. Oil, gas, and uranium extraction threaten to sever those connections and create imbalance. Hopi teachings warn that what is below does not belong to anyone, and they implore fossil fuel developers to respect their people, to respect their ancestors. A culture of greed and extraction threatens Hopi religious commitments to reciprocity. For everything taken, something must be given. Disturbing the land causes imbalance in the ecosystem and rainfall. We must protect Chaco and the areas surrounding it not just for Hopi, but for all humanity.