The University of Arizona is unveiling new campus signs on Friday honoring the four distinct tribes that make up the Colorado River Indian Tribes.
Each fixture will display a phrase or label related to their respective building in the languages of the Chemehuevi, Navajo, Hopi and Mohave.
“The biggest thing is do our best to create a sense of belonging. And that can be difficult. We have up to 200 different Native Nations,” says Levi Esquerra, director of the Office of Native American Advancement and Tribal Engagement. He’s a member of the Chemehuevi Tribe.
Friday’s unveilings will bring the Native Language Sign Initiative to 19 of the 200-plus buildings on campus. Seventeen tribes from all over the country will now be represented.
There are 22 federally recognized tribes in Arizona. The initiative has also acknowledged Arizona’s Hia-Ced O’odham, which is not federally recognized.
“Sometimes we get boxed in to say, ‘Oh, you're just one people.’ But in reality, similar to the European nation, we all speak different languages, we all have different cultures, we all have different traditions,” Esquerra says.
The Chemehuevi language will be displayed at the Emil W. Haury Anthropology Building. The English translation will read, “The power of learning about the people.”
Navajo will adorn a sign at the Environment and Natural Resources 2 Building reading, “We are protecting our mother Earth.”
The Forbes Building, for the Hopi tribe, will read, “Honoring the land, the people and the harvest.”
The Mohave language will be featured at the College of Education and, in English, will read, “The house of learning.”
Esquerra says the Native Languages Sign Initiative, which he spearheaded, “is a reminder the future is bright for us.”
“It's our voice, it's a continuation of our voices being heard or acknowledged,” he says.
