In my short time being around
the Ak-Chin Community, I am
drawn to the their story as a whole.
They know about the land, the
energy that flows around us — they
believe in the Creator and they
believe in their traditions that have
been passed down, not by written
word but by song, dance, through
art…
In this issue, we highlight their
culture. We just barely scratch the
surface though as there is much to
learn and perhaps much to unlearn
for the outside world. Like any
culture that is rich in traditions, there
is a struggle to maintain identity,
language, and how to coexist in
world that is increasingly driven
by our technology and the culture
of materialism. In this struggle,
spiritual leaders always emerge
and the beauty of the culture only
becomes more cherished so that it
doesn’t slip away…
We also celebrate the tradition of
graduation. While in some ways, it
is the end of a journey between
parent and child, and equally, it is
the beginning of another. It is also
a goodbye between friends. The day
after graduation, for everyone that has
been there, knows there is a bittersweet
memory as things will never be the same,
but they will also never be forgotten.
Those graduates may sit back in their quiet
moments, much like I do in the middle of the
night—and they may look out to an infinite
universe darkened with fear, but one shining
with hope that allows for a path forward—a path
in which they learn that everyone we meet upon this
journey becomes a part of the eternal energy that surrounds us—
that when your dog is barking aimlessly at the moon, between
midnight and right before the scorching sun sneaks up on us, that
eternal energy can be felt moving around you—giving you an
understanding that the destination never really exists, but the path
that you walk—where only the spirits are your guides—yes, that
is where you will find yourself—if only you choose to listen, and
remember where you are from, and the lessons that have passed
down to each generation.