WAAKI - Ancestral Migration : Seeking Sanctuary in Hopi Knowledge

WAAKI -  Ancestral Migration: Seeking Sanctuary in Hopi Knowledge

OTHERWISE FILM FESTIVAL UCSD November 13th to 16th, 2024

Screening: WAAKI (Sanctuary) 2019 - 56 min

(Synopsis) 

Looking at how the Creation stories of the Hopi, Nahua and Maya give them a special connection to maize/corn, synthesized in the statement, “We are corn”. There are many songs, displays and ceremonial practices that affirm this connection. Waaki looks deeper into the world community and how it is connected to maize/corn - what are the interrelationships that exist and celebrates the human capacity for tolerance and compassion in a time when people are becoming more intolerant of difference. 

“Renowned Hopi filmmaker Victor Masayesva, Jr. explores the centrality of corn for the Hopi, Nahua, and Maya, tracing the role of corn from creation stories to today’s struggles against climate change. The film presents complex interrelationships between humans, plants, food systems, animals, birds, ceremonies and the cycles of the earth, sun and moon within the universe from a Hopi, Maya, and Nahua perspective. By tracing the lineage and mysterious origins of corn, we gain a deeper understanding of the ancestry of communities that transcend borders. 

Masayesva writes, “The idea of sanctuary in our time is colored by the politics of human immigration. As contemporary media consumers, we are saturated with threats and security measures originating from alerts about immigration in our neighborhood. Today state borders have restricted and closed the numerous routes blazed by migrants and only wild birds and animals move freely without visas but nonetheless restricted to wildlife refuges. 

Humankind has been in constant movement since the emergence, intent on leaving an oppressive order, seeking a better life, seeking sanctuary. For our age, sanctuary cannot be only within familiar beliefs and borders but beyond in the hope we carry in our soul. Sanctuary is the best we can be at the moment, and in the future.”

Victor Masayesva, Jr.  Biography

Victor Masayesva, Jr. (born 1951) is a Hopi filmmaker, video-artist, and photographer. Born on the Hopi Reservation of Arizona, and growing up in Hotevilla, Masayesva’s artistic career reflects his active participation with the Hopi community, his body of work promoting Hopi culture and worldview. Scholar Martin Padget considers Masayesva “one of the most influential Indigenous filmmakers and photographers of his generation.” Masayesva’s films and photographs are diverse and complex in nature, often employing diverse visual language, and an experimental approach towards media. The majority of his films are in Hopi language and are destined for his community, especially to pass-on traditional teachings to youth. Masayesva has also been personally involved in promoting indigenous media, both in the United States and Internationally. 

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