Press Release on SRP / Mohave decision

PAATUWAQATSI H2Opi Run to Mexico is produced by Black Mesa Trust, a Hopi grassroots environmental organization, and directed, filmed and edited by Victor Masayesva, Jr.

The run was inspired by Hopi leaders who were imprisoned in Alcatraz in 1889 for “acts of sedition” - they refused to cooperate with the federal government in sending their children to government boarding schools.

The run was also a celebration of the ending of groundwater pumping by Peabody Western Coal. Pumping of over 4,000 acre feet of water for a coal slurry pipeline was ended on December 31, 2005.

Finally, the run was a renewal of Hopi ancestral ties to Mexico and Central Mexico.

PAATUWAQATSI-H2Opi Run to Mexico documents 26 Hopi runners' 2000-mile journey from their mesas in northern Arizona to Mexico City to deliver to an international audience at the 2006 World Water Forum the fundamental Hopi message about water-"Water is Life." Black Mesa Trust organized the run and supported the making of this film.

In the documentary the footfalls of a 78-year-old man and a 13-year-old girl resonate with the sound of sea shells as they run the dirt roads that will take them the 2,000 miles from northern Arizona to Mexico City. They were among 26 runners from the Hopi villages who carried a gourd of water gathered from international waters to convey the message "Water is Life" to world leaders.

The message was shared at a ceremony at the Tlaloc monument upon their arrival amidst a tumultuous reception.

Along the way several signs attested to the success of the message and prayers. But the intended message was not delivered directly to the Fourth World Water Forum and, consequently, the media did not disseminate it throughout the world.

So,was the run a failure because it did not reach its international audience or was the blessing through several signs enough?

The runners' footsteps and breath vibrate in the wind approaching the critical moment, resulted in the release of energy. In the Hopi belief this energy released into the environment is the real message to and from water! We share the message, in this showing of the film.

Black Mesa Trust has accomplished its founding mission: To force Peabody Coal, the world's largest and wealthiest coal mining company, to stop pumping pristine N-aquifer water to slurry coal from Black Mesa to the Mohave Generating Station in Nevada. The power plant shut down in December 2005 and will most likely never reopen as a coal-fired facility. But much work remains if the aquifer is truly going to be preserved for future generations of Hopis and Navajos.

• Young people must be educated to prepare them for the challenges that lie ahead as water becomes an ever more valuable resource. Black Mesa Trust is developing units of study and curricula to help students learn the Hopi water ethic, combine the best of Western and traditional science, and understand how the sacred and the secular can be integrated into practices that conserve water and honor Hopi cultural traditions.

• The wells with perforated casings that Peabody drilled into the aquifer must be monitored to make sure that water from the lesser quality D-aquifer is not leaking into the N-aquifer. Black Mesa Trust is pressing the Department of the Interior to fulfill its trust responsibilities to the indigenous peoples of the mesa.

• Alliances with surrounding communities must be developed and fostered to safeguard the C-aquifer, which underlies much of northern Arizona, from wasteful industrial uses. Through education, meetings, and personal contacts, Black Mesa Trust and its directors are working with the towns and cities of northern Arizona to share the Hopi water ethic and to devise strategies that will preserve this aquifer in the high desert.

• With the loss of royalties from mining and water, the Hopi people must develop alternative revenue sources. Black Mesa Trust is looking at crafts, the development of niche agriculture and agricultural products, and renewables, all sustainable economic development projects that support Hopi culture, values and practices.

Some of the proceeds from screenings of PAATUWAQATSI-H2Opi Run to Mexico will be used for water education and a conservation program and to rebuild the Hotevilla and other village springs.

For information about the work of Black Mesa Trust and future events, visit www.blackmesatrust.org

For further consideration: Filmography of Victor Masayesva, Jr.

PRODUCING, DIRECTING, CINEMATOGRAPHY, EDITING CREDITS:

WEAVING- Half hour National Endowment for the Arts Folk Arts Program, 1981-82

HOPIIT, 81- 15 minute experimental documentary for ZDF Television, 1982

SOUTHWEST TOURISM-Half-hour Hopi tribal program, 1983

HAVSUW BAAJA-Half-hour Havasupai tribal program, 1984

ITAM HAKIM HOPIIT-One hour for ZDF German National Television, 1985

NATIVE AMERICAN ARTISTS-Half-hour program for Coconino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff, Ariz., 1986

RITUAL CLOWNS-15 minute experimental documentary for PBS, 1988

SISKYAVI- Hour-long program for Smithsonian Institution, 1989

POT STARR- Six-minute computer animation for Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe, 1990

IMAGINING INDIANS-Hour program for ITVS and PBS television, 1993/94

COLOR OF WILDERNESS- Ten minutes, 2001

PII EQUIYO-Biography of Maria, San Ildefonso Potter, 30 minutes, 2003

PAATUWAQATSI- 60 minutes, 2007

AMERICAN PRISONERS OF WAR-CHIRICAHUA APACHE EXILE, work in progress

PENSOYUNGKAM-60 minutes, work in progress



click for full resolution. photo Victor Masayesva, Jr. PAATUWAQATSI H2Opi Run to Mexico For Immediate Release Contact: Vernon Masayesva (928) 734-9255 PAATUWAQATSI H2Opi Run to Mexico is produced by Black Mesa Trust, a Hopi grassroots environmental organization, and directed, filmed and edited by Victor Masayesva, Jr. The run was inspired by Hopi leaders who were imprisoned in Alcatraz in 1889 for “acts of sedition” - they refused to cooperate with the federal government in sending their children to government boarding schools. The run was also a celebration of the ending of groundwater pumping by Peabody Western Coal. Pumping of over 4,000 acre feet of water for a coal slurry pipeline was ended on December 31, 2005. Finally, the run was a renewal of Hopi ancestral ties to Mexico and Central Mexico. PAATUWAQATSI-H2Opi Run to Mexico documents 26 Hopi runners' 2000-mile journey from their mesas in northern Arizona to Mexico City to deliver to an international audience at the 2006 World Water Forum the fundamental Hopi message about water-"Water is Life." Black Mesa Trust organized the run and supported the making of this film. In the documentary the footfalls of a 78-year-old man and a 13-year-old girl resonate with the sound of sea shells as they run the dirt roads that will take them the 2,000 miles from northern Arizona to Mexico City. They were among 26 runners from the Hopi villages who carried a gourd of water gathered from international waters to convey the message "Water is Life" to world leaders. The message was shared at a ceremony at the Tlaloc monument upon their arrival amidst a tumultuous reception. Along the way several signs attested to the success of the message and prayers. But the intended message was not delivered directly to the Fourth World Water Forum and, consequently, the media did not disseminate it throughout the world. So,was the run a failure because it did not reach its international audience or was the blessing through several signs enough? The runners' footsteps and breath vibrate in the wind approaching the critical moment, resulted in the release of energy. In the Hopi belief this energy released into the environment is the real message to and from water! We share the message, in this showing of the film. Black Mesa Trust has accomplished its founding mission: To force Peabody Coal, the world's largest and wealthiest coal mining company, to stop pumping pristine N-aquifer water to slurry coal from Black Mesa to the Mohave Generating Station in Nevada. The power plant shut down in December 2005 and will most likely never reopen as a coal-fired facility. But much work remains if the aquifer is truly going to be preserved for future generations of Hopis and Navajos. • Young people must be educated to prepare them for the challenges that lie ahead as water becomes an ever more valuable resource. Black Mesa Trust is developing units of study and curricula to help students learn the Hopi water ethic, combine the best of Western and traditional science, and understand how the sacred and the secular can be integrated into practices that conserve water and honor Hopi cultural traditions. • The wells with perforated casings that Peabody drilled into the aquifer must be monitored to make sure that water from the lesser quality D-aquifer is not leaking into the N-aquifer. Black Mesa Trust is pressing the Department of the Interior to fulfill its trust responsibilities to the indigenous peoples of the mesa. • Alliances with surrounding communities must be developed and fostered to safeguard the C-aquifer, which underlies much of northern Arizona, from wasteful industrial uses. Through education, meetings, and personal contacts, Black Mesa Trust and its directors are working with the towns and cities of northern Arizona to share the Hopi water ethic and to devise strategies that will preserve this aquifer in the high desert. • With the loss of royalties from mining and water, the Hopi people must develop alternative revenue sources. Black Mesa Trust is looking at crafts, the development of niche agriculture and agricultural products, and renewables, all sustainable economic development projects that support Hopi culture, values and practices. Some of the proceeds from screenings of PAATUWAQATSI-H2Opi Run to Mexico will be used for water education and a conservation program and to rebuild the Hotevilla and other village springs. For information about the work of Black Mesa Trust and future events, visit www.blackmesatrust.org For further consideration: Filmography of Victor Masayesva, Jr. PRODUCING, DIRECTING, CINEMATOGRAPHY, EDITING CREDITS: WEAVING- Half hour National Endowment for the Arts Folk Arts Program, 1981-82 HOPIIT, 81- 15 minute experimental documentary for ZDF Television, 1982 SOUTHWEST TOURISM-Half-hour Hopi tribal program, 1983 HAVSUW BAAJA-Half-hour Havasupai tribal program, 1984 ITAM HAKIM HOPIIT-One hour for ZDF German National Television, 1985 NATIVE AMERICAN ARTISTS-Half-hour program for Coconino Center for the Arts in Flagstaff, Ariz., 1986 RITUAL CLOWNS-15 minute experimental documentary for PBS, 1988 SISKYAVI- Hour-long program for Smithsonian Institution, 1989 POT STARR- Six-minute computer animation for Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe, 1990 IMAGINING INDIANS-Hour program for ITVS and PBS television, 1993/94 COLOR OF WILDERNESS- Ten minutes, 2001 PII EQUIYO-Biography of Maria, San Ildefonso Potter, 30 minutes, 2003 PAATUWAQATSI- 60 minutes, 2007 AMERICAN PRISONERS OF WAR-CHIRICAHUA APACHE EXILE, work in progress PENSOYUNGKAM-60 minutes, work in progress click for full resolution. photo Victor Masayesva, Jr. click for full resolution. photo Victor Masayesva, Jr.
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