Sacred waters and shared knowledge of the Hopi Tribe

Co-stewardship towards preserving a traditional water source

Andrew Avitt

Kaibab National Forest

November 21, 2024

For many living in the arid Southwest, water is sacred; water is life. Recently the Hopi Tribe, independent cultural resource advisors, and the USDA Forest Service honored that spirit when they came together for four days to restore an ancient spring.

Long before the Grand Canyon got its English name and became a tourist destination, the Hopi Tribe referred to the land as ‘Öngtupqa,’ translating to ‘Salt Canyon.’ Salt Canyon is an integral part of their spiritual homelands and where their ancestors emerged into this world as part of their creation story.

The Hopi people were nomadic across the desert landscape. Life-giving water guided their migrations. For the Hopi Tribe and many tribes in the dry southwest, water is sacred and needs to be protected.

A picture of an old alligator juniper tree on the left next to a carving of a bear paw footprint on the left . — A tree carving of a ‘bear paw’ on an alligator juniper tree guides the migration of Hopi to a nearby natural spring. *(USDA Forest Service photo by Andrew Avitt)*

Near Williams, Arizona, on the current-day Kaibab National Forest, there is a tree called the ‘alligator juniper tree,’ where there is a ‘bear paw’ carved into the tree. It is unknown who carved it generations ago, but today, it is used as marker leading to a nearby water source.

Members from the Hopi Tribe and Forest Service employees from the Kaibab National Forest came together to protect these cultural and natural resources during a cooperative effort that has been taking place for 30 years called, the ‘Hopi Waters for Life.’

A man sits on a rock under a tree, looking at the camera. — Joel Nicholas, a tribal program manager for the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office shares tribal history of the Hopi Tribe and lands. *(USDA Forest Service photo by Andrew Avitt)*

Hopi waters for life

“Bear Spring, in Hopi, is one of the important sites [used] for traditional Aboriginal boundaries for the Bear clan that would have come through this area.” said Joel Nicholas, a tribal program manager for the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office and archaeologist for the Hopi Tribe.

As a tribal archaeologist, Nicholas helps to manage 1.2 million acres of Hopi lands. He also works beyond the reservation to monitor archaeological and cultural sites that are important to the Hopi people, to document the areas, preserve them and better understand the different Hopi clans that have migrated through these areas from time immemorial.

During the four days, the Tribe and Forest Service employees built fences around Bear Paw tree and around the sacred spring.

One man twists two wires together while building a fence as another wearing a cowboy hat looks on. — The Hopi Tribe and Forest Service have been working together to preserve sacred springs for more than 30 years. *(USDA Forest Service photo by Andrew Avitt)*

When the work party first arrived at the spring, the area was overgrown, and mud and brush laid thick over the area. Only a small pool of water was visible. But as they removed the mud one fistful at a time, they were able to find where the water emerged from below.

For Nicholas, this tradition of taking care of the spring and showing respect for water has been passed down from generation to generation and continues to this day.

“Restoring the spring is an important opportunity to continue these traditions to share cultural knowledge with Hopi youth,” he explained. “We tell the stories to them of why we should keep maintaining these areas so that when the youth grow up and start to have kids of their own, they can pass these stories on down to them. So we can continue our way of life as being Hopi.”

Water trickles down a rock face with a small sprig of a plant grows through the rock. — Natural springs like this one are restored by the Hopi Tribe and Forest Service and remain an important cultural water resource to this day. *(USDA Forest Service photo by Andrew Avitt)*

As Forest Service employees worked alongside members of the Hopi Tribe, they too learned these traditions and stories.

Nanebah Lyndon has worked for the Forest Service as a Tribal Relations Specialist for 15 years, where she monitors Forest Service activities and assists with issues that might be of concern to tribes.

A man gestures in front of him as he explains to another man wearing a hard hat. — Jaynas Saufki, Hopi Cultural Mentor (left) sharing tribal history of the land and people with Kaibab National Forest employee, Robert Markey during the 4-day long spring restoration. *(USDA Forest Service photo by Andrew Avitt)*

“This kind of collaborative work is important, because Tribal heritage and cultural sites like the springs are not confined to federal reservations, but these important places exist everywhere across the landscape,” said Lyndon.

“The Hopi tribe are amazing stewards of the land. They have maintenance schedules and cultural practices that are practiced on Hopi,” she continued. “But that doesn't constitute the larger landscape that they know that they're from, the places that they still take care of and the places that they pray for.”

A woman in a baseball cap and jacket looks just off-camera while smiling. — Nanebah Lyndon, a Forest Service Tribal Relations Specialist for the Kaibab National Forest. *(USDA Forest Service photo by Andrew Avitt)*

Working on projects like ‘Hopi Waters for Life,’ with the direct descendents of the local Indigenous people on their ancestral lands can help build a common understanding between the local Tribes and land management agencies like the Forest Service.

“There's a lot of co-education that takes place and a lot of mutual respect building. And it's good for the Forest Service to come out and work on these projects,” said Lyndon, “That helps to change our culture to make sure that we're better land stewards.”