JAVA Nov 19

Medio Completo artists: Edgar Fernandez and Martin Moreno
Medio Completo artists
designs for her printmaking activity and with Hughes for
translation of a poem to O’odham.
Sinplaneta shares that he connected to the project by
“writing something that was approved, in a way, by
the culture. I’m really kind of a tourist, and it could
even be perceived as appropriation.” Learning about
and listening to storytelling from community members
enabled the Medio Completo artists to interpret
their roles in the project. “We’re gathering stories
that we’ve heard, and all this knowledge that we’ve
been exposed to, and giving interpretation through
our artistic sense,” Sinplaneta says. Ultimately, Medio
Completo aims to bring the project a contemporary lens
that has been lacking in conversations about Arizona
and its tribal communities.
King shares an explanation by the Gila River Indian
Community’s tribal historic preservation officer, Barnaby
Lewis: “‘Huhugam’ is not the same as the archaeological
term ‘Hohokam,’ which is limited by time periods.
The archaeological term does not acknowledge our
ancient ancestors nor living O’odham, who will become
ancestors today and tomorrow. I am O’odham today, I
will be Huhugam one day when I perish.”
Medio Completo will be exploring these distinctions
while weaving together each component with water,
which serves as the crucial connection among the
ecological, economic, and cultural fabrics of the desert.
Water as a resource and economic structure through
the historic canal system will be ever-present in the
exhibition, as it is in our modern life.
Vesich eth ve:m will also promote the importance of
water in their project beyond its extrinsic value, delving
into its cultural and spiritual side. From the significance
of a cottontail rabbit’s dependence on water, to monsoon
storms and water rights interpreted through projections
and performances – the role of water flows through the
entire project.
“Hopefully, whatever happens with this event, we can
continue and do more projects like this, and continue the
narrative,” Gomez says. “Preservation, ownership, and
being able to control our narrative” are key components
of We Are Still Here, as they relate to the Huhugam, the
O’odham, and the artist collective’s individual heritages,
as well. The artists agreed they had learned a lot from
this process, and are inspired to spread the knowledge
gained from the Huhugam Heritage Center and Gila
River Indian Community, so that future generations don’t
have to learn these lessons from scratch.
King echoes the sentiment: “We’re not talking about
a people who lived and disappeared. No, we still live
on through our traditions, our cultural and oral history,
our practices, our songs and stories – and we share
those. That is something we wanted to do with this
group – to help them understand the difference.” King
concludes, “So again – we are still here. Our tribe lives
on, and we continue.”
We Are Still Here
An Immersive Art Experience Celebrating the Huhugam Water
Legacy
Saturday, November 16, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center
riosaladoaudubon.org
JAVA 33
MAGAZINE