Flagstaff AZ (May 11, 2017) – The Museum of Northern Arizona (MNA) presents the 27th Annual Zuni Festival of Arts & Culture May 27-28, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Flagstaff. More than 50 Zuni artists and performers will participate in this weekend-long event held at MNA, 3101 N. Fort Valley Road.
Ticket prices are $12 for adults and $8 for seniors (67+), students (with ID), American Indians (with tribal affiliation) and youths 10-17. Children under 10 are free. The festival is presented in partnership with the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center (AAMHC) in Zuni, N.M.
Attendees can browse and shop a wide-array of pottery, jewelry, fetish carvings, beading and weavings by award-winning contemporary and traditional artists. Artist demonstrations and music and dance performances by the Zuni Olla Maidens, Cellicion Zuni Dancers and reggae band I*Conscious round out the weekend.
“This festival provides a wonderful introduction to Zuni culture, history and artistry,” said Carrie M. Heinonen, MNA director and CEO. “Visitors will enjoy a deeper insight and appreciation of the Zuni through engaging presentations by, and conversations with, participating artists, performers and culture bearers.”
The Heritage Insights Series, sponsored by Arizona Humanities, features documentaries and lectures by educators and scholars showcasing Zuni identity, emergence and migration beliefs, worldviews and present issues on the reservation. Jim Enote, AAMHC Executive Director, will examine the history of Zuni running in Stick Racers, An Olympian & Cross Country Champions. In A Zuni Artist Looks at Frank Hamilton Cushing, Enote will discuss the life and art of the world’s first live-in anthropologist who gave the Zuni a fame they never sought. Curtis Quam, AAMHC Cultural Educator will also present two lectures: a screening, narration and critique of three 35mm silent films shot at Zuni Pueblo in 1923 by Owen Catell―Land of the Zuni, Paper Bread-Making & Corn Grinding and Hairwashing―followed by a discussion of the journey of the
Zuni from Grand Canyon to “the middle place” in Emergence & Migration. Cultural consultant Elroy Natachu Jr. will discuss the importance of oral history in the cultural preservation of traditional Zuni recipes and demonstrate the process of making parched corn, Ali’kwi:we, and chili pudding bread, Ko’la Ma’chabe, in Zuni Ancestral Foods.
“Our people have close cultural ties to the landscapes and ancestral villages on the Colorado plateau and this festival represents Zuni’s connections to those places and our perspectives about regional art and history,” added Enote.
Zuni spiritual and ancestral landscapes include the San Francisco Peaks (Sunha:kwin K’yaba:chu Yalanne) in the west, Steamboat Wash in the north, Mount Taylor in the east, the Salt and Gila River basins to the south, and the Grand Canyon, the Zuni place of origin. Zuni Pueblo is the largest of 19 pueblos in New Mexico with 11,000 members spread over 600 square miles. They are often considered the most traditional of all of the Southwestern pueblo people, having managed to preserve their core beliefs and identity while integrating useful aspects of the modern world into their daily lives. The fact that the A:shiwi language bears no similarity to any other known language is indicative of their unique cultural identity.
A member preview will be held Friday, May 26, from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and includes a cocktail reception, silent auction and first opportunity to purchase artwork directly from the artist. To become a member, call 928.774.5213, ext. 219.
The Museum is located two miles from historic downtown Flagstaff on scenic HWY 180 to Grand Canyon National Park. For more information on the 27th Annual Zuni Festival of Arts & Culture, including a schedule of events and participating artists, visit musnaz.org or call 928.774.5213.