News Release

Learn by Doing: A Hopi Woman’s Roles and Responsibilities

Date: June 13, 2019
Contact: Cristy Brown, 970-529-4608

Anita Poleahla, will present “Learn by Doing: A Hopi Woman’s Roles and Responsibilities” on Thursday, June 20, 2019 at 7:00 pm at the Cortez Public Library, Cortez, Colorado. Learn more about the life journey of a Hopi woman from childhood to adulthood as she assumes her role in her clan and as a Hopi. This program is part of the 2019 Four Corner Lecture Series and is free and open to the public.

Anita Poleahla, Tawahongsi (Sunrays), is a member of the Aaswungwa (Tansy Mustard Clan) from Sitsom'ovi, a village atop First Mesa.  Since 2003, Anita has taught the Hopi language in the Hopi Public School System, which, in addition to her work as the Hopi Lavayi Curriculum Developer, has provided experience in developing classroom curriculum and teacher training materials. Anita is the first certified Hopi language teacher in the State of Arizona (Arizona Department of Education Hopi K-12). She also teaches government and history at Hopi Junior Senior High School. 

Anita co-founded Mesa Media in 2004. She also co-wrote many of the lyrics for the songs on Mesa Media’s learning CDs and consults with a number of Hopi organizations on Hopi language.  In 2008, Anita became an American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Sequoyah Fellow and presented at the 2008 AISES National Conference in Anaheim, CA. Anita also presented at the Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium in 2009 at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. She earned two M.S. degrees in Public Administration and Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University.  

The Four Corners Lecture Series features presentations about the archaeology, current Native American cultures, history, and natural resources of this spectacular area. All programs are free and open to the public. 

The Four Corners Lecture Series is sponsored by ARAMARK Parks and Destinations; Bureau of Land Management; Canyon Country Discovery Center; Southwest Colorado Canyons Alliance; Cortez Public Library; Crow Canyon Archaeological Center; Edge of the Cedars Museum; Friends of Cedar Mesa; Hisatsinom Chapter Colorado Archaeological Society; KSJD Dryland Community Radio; Mesa Verde Museum Association; Mesa Verde National Park; Fort Lewis College Office of the President, Dept. of Anthropology & Center of Southwest Studies; and San Juan Basin Archaeological Society. For a list of other programs in the series, go to www.nps.gov/meve/planyourvisit/4c_lectureseries.htm or www.facebook.com/4CornersLectureSeries.
 

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