Sacred Sites International Foundation - The 2005 Most endangered Sacred Site List

We first met Eugene Sekaquaptewa in 1991 when we visited the Hopi Mesas on a Sacred Sites International study tour to Northern Arizona Indian sites. He was from a progressive family and we learned about his parents and their lives through reading the life story of his mother, Me and Mine, as told to Louise Udall. Eugene’s family believed in education and he became a teacher, as did his brother, Emory, whom we also met. Eugene walked in both the Hopi and the “white” worlds; he was a leader of his medicine lodge with the Eagle Clan.

He taught us to recognize ceremonial kivas and respect them by not walking on or near them. He also showed us the eagles his clan kept for ceremonies. A highlight of our tour was when Eugene took us to the Bacavi-Hotevilla school where all the students had computers and they were also schooled in the traditions of Hopi.

We went back for one more visit with a Sacred Sites International member from Ireland. Eugene talked about Hopi dry farming and invited us to his home. He said he liked what we were doing at Sacred Sites International. It was the last time we saw him. He died several years later from complications with diabetes. We remember him fondly for his quiet, patient way of being with us and for his blessing on our work at Sacred Sites International.

Reflections By Elder, Mary Lou Skinner Ross on
Visiting The Hopi Mesas with Eugene Sekaquaptewa
May 26 – May 31, 1991

The final day of the study tour, a visit to the Hopi had a character all its own. There is a power and beauty of the mesas, plains and land that is somber, difficult, monotonous, hypnotic and ancient. The wind blew for us most of the way, hiding much with dust, battering and tearing at our bodies. People and places that withstand such forces move one to deep respect. The brief exposure to the wisdom of our Hopi guide was significant. Our visit to a Hopi school was moving a we learned about the Hopi teaching their children to survive in two worlds, holding the values and ways of the past, and honoring them, as well as choosing to understand the new technologies and ways that will affect the lives of all. The rhythm of the people and the sacred earth is deliberate. To truly honor and absorb the experiences of sacred places we must let the land be our guide. We must allow sufficient time to be attentive in our experiences.

Mary Lou Skinner Ross was an elder in her 80s when she participated in one of the first Sacred Sites International Study Tours. She was a retired health educator with the U.S. Public Health Service. She was the author of a book, Thoughts While Ironing, and she was deeply concerned about respecting and preserving the environment and all living things.