Tutskwat Oqawtoynani

About

Tutskwat Oqawtoynani originally started as, The First Mesa Annual Clean-Up in 2014, under the direction and planning of the Nuvayestewa Family from Tewa Village. A small family initiative of 15 volunteers set out on a mission “To clean up the entire First Mesa Villages (Tewa, Sichomovi, and Walpi) from top to bottom.” The Hopi Sinom (people) agreed and committed to care for this world and all living things with respect and to live humbly. It is in the same spirit, Tutskwat Oqawtoynani has come together to take action with the vision “through discipline and responsibility, we will preserve the sacredness of our Hopi & Tewa Villages.” This ongoing initiative has evolved into an annual community effort that has attracted over 250 volunteers, First Mesa Villages, and business partnerships that support the success and vision of TutskwatOqawtoynani. In the past years, the effort has removed over 20 tons of trash. More recently, due to the shut-down on Hopi because of Covid-19 and the guidelines of not gathering in large groups, we have removed an additional 5,460 pounds of trash. We anticipate that it will take ten more years to clean up all sides of the mesa completely.

Years Supported: 2021
Grant Type:  Protection of water, sacred places, and food security through sustainable community-based agriculture
Location: Hopi, AZ