Yok’ Naawakinta

Hello, Our names are Alexis Kahe, Storm Tso, and Ellyse Fredericks. We began creating a PSA video informing our Hopi community of the seriousness of COVID-19, and the importance of staying at home. From there we began to think, “How else can we help, and encourage staying at home?”, and that’s when we decided to start a donation drive. We thought that instead of seeking non-perishables, we should focus on water, paper goods, and cleaning supplies. Our biggest concern is water, the need for water was already there due to the high levels of arsenic, but with COVID-19 the need has increased. The nearest grocery stores are 1-2 hours off reservation and by the time tribal members arrive, the shelves are empty. We thought if we could provide these items we could decrease the need to travel off reservation and protect tribal members, eliminating exposure. We launched a week-long donation campaign, which brought in 163 cases of water, 80 cleaning solutions, and 80 paper products. These donations are enough to provide to 88 households. Our goal is to provide for at least 50 households in need across 8 villages. Recently we’ve received a large water donation, so today your donation will go towards paper goods and cleaning supplies that will accompany the cases of water that we will distribute. As we talked amongst ourselves, and expressed our longing for this pandemic to end we thought of the phrase, “Yok’Naawakinta”, which means hoping or praying for rain. We thought this was the perfect name for our project. Rain is pure, brings growth and cleanses. We all want for the Earth to be cleansed of this sickness, so we can grow again. If you would like to follow our journey and see where your donations are going, please leave your email to join our newsletter. Thank you for your generous donation, Askwali!