Black Mesa Trust Hosts Water Braiding Conference    

by Rosanda Suetopka Thayer
Navajo-Hopi Observer - nhonews.com
21 April 2009
   

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. - Bridging contemporary western science and indigenous wisdom was the topic of a conference that was sponsored by Black Mesa Trust, The Center for Sustainable Environments at Northern Arizona University, Grand Canyon Trust and the Museum of Northern Arizona this past week at the Woodlands Radisson Hotel and Conference Center.

A number of internationally acclaimed scientists, teachers and artists including water science pioneer Dr. Masaru Emoto, painter/environmental space artist Lowry Burgess of Carnegie Mellon University and artist Michael Kabotie of the Hopi Tribe gathered with Black Mesa Trust Board members, over 200 adult participants and 20 young Hopi and Navajo student interns during a four day conference that began at the Hopi Reservation and ended at Lake Mary.

The focus of the conference was to deepen each participant's appreciation of both traditional western science and their own tribal cultural science knowledge and blend both of these into a more purposeful learning and problem-solving experience.

Looking to the future, Black Mesa Trust intentionally included the 20 young students in this science dialogue in the hopes that this conference could start them on a more focused path of future leadership and water issue problem resolve for generations to come.

The idea of "braiding" is to allow dialogue and explorations on the two systems of knowing and their unique approaches to nature, actions and teachings of water.

Like a black and white Hopi weaving, its own character and endurance, the weaver braids two strands into one, which yields a stronger, more beautiful and responsive solution to today's challenges.

With Black Mesa Trust's mission of safeguarding, preserving and honoring the land and waters of the Black Mesa region, the "braiding" conference taught each of its attendees a new way of seeing and doing, of describing, understanding and most importantly of acting with global responsibility to protect Mother Earth.

Some of the core group dialogue participants included Shonto Begay, painter; Angelita Borbon, Indigena Sonoran Desert Sacred Science consultant; Phillip Duran, physicist and former Dean of Science and Mathematics at Northwest Indian College; Jack Loeffler, environmental/Native American oral historian; and Al Qoyawayma, Hopi engineer, artist and founder of American Indian Science and Engineering Society.

Keynote speaker Jennifer Greene has lectured all over the United States and around the world on water and her studies in flow science, beginning with her early interest in the work of Theodor Schwenk, author of "Sensitive Chaos" and founder of the Institute for Flow Science in Herrischried, Germany.

Her work on constructed wetlands as context for the rehabilitation of wastewater has resulted in the approval of over 200 facilities in 23 states and Canada with over three million square feet of constructed wetlands now in productive use.

Black Mesa Trust Executive Director Vernon Masayesva stated, "We must consider the Hopi farming philosophy at this conference, that the spiritual portion of science must be blended with the western ideal to help us find creative solutions to our world water issues. Like rain, our traditional memories will pour into us and these lessons must go out into the world."

Masayesva and fellow board member Jerry Honawa graced their conference guests by singing a Hopi traditional rain song at a specially catered dinner held at the Hopi reservation at the start of the conference weekend.

Discussions and facilitation for the conference were provided by Leroy Little Bear, former Director of Native Studies at Harvard University. Little Bear was also named recently as 2003 Canadian Aboriginal Person of the Year.

Final conference summations offered that water, much like Native prose and song, has a motion of repetition, and repeating patterns are a "renewal process."

Conference panelist Lowry Burgess quoted Albert Einstein to the attendees, saying that "science is really a search for reality" and that "braiding" must occur for us to bring the "rational" back to the "intuitive."

For more information on Black Mesa Trust or upcoming "water braiding" conferences, contact Black Mesa Trust at

kuuyi@aol.com    

  

        

    


Reprinted as an historical reference document under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html