This exhibit is part of the exhibit series, They Don’t Love You Like I Love You: Indigenous Perspectives on Sovereignty, developed out of community curator group discussions with representation from all five Native Nations about community and the idea of sovereignty. Each curator agreed that there is no better authority on how to care for the people, homelands, culture and language than their own. The idea of sovereignty coming from within, and in the face of outside forces/decisions, was an underlaying theme in each exhibit. At the opening reception at Himdag Ki:, community curator April Ignacio (Tohono O’odham) addressed the crowd, “This exhibit is a love letter to you, our hajun (family/relatives).” This sentiment was shared at each of the exhibit openings.
Watch the exhibit series introductory video Enter the Exhibit
Pascua Yaqui’s exhibit, Our Song Is Our Strength, highlights the resilience and determination of the Yaqui people from their homelands near Rio Yaqui in Mexico through government enslavement and persecution, and their exodus north into the United States. As a matter of safety, their culture was kept secret until the 1970s when after gaining federal recognition they were allowed to freely practice, celebrate and revitalize their traditions north of the border. This exhibit uses original artworks from Pascua Yaqui artists to highlight issues such as United States/Mexico border wall, land and water protectors, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW), and community pride.
Community Curators:
Fransisco Fraire, Jr
Mariana Rivera
Luis Rodriguez
Arizona State Museum exhibit team:
Jennifer Juan (Tohono O’odham), Lead Curator/Assistant Director of Community Engagement
Lisa Falk, Project Manager/Head of Community Engagement
Ruben Urrea Moreno, Preparator
Andie Zelnio, Exhibit Designer
Patrick Lyons, Director
Diane Dittemore, Ethnological Collections Associate Curator
Max Mijn, Photographer
Gina Watkinson, Conservation Lab Manager
Jannelle Weakly, Photographic Collections Manager
View Other Exhibits In this Series
Su:dagi/Shu:thag: Rekindling Our Connections | Invisible NO MORE!
