Storytelling, live music and spoken word performances were on display at the Indigenous Resiliency Celebration, which provided a platform for American Indians, Arizona State University social work students and community members to heal together.
The event was hosted by the American Indian Social Work Student Association in collaboration with the Macro Social Work Student Network at Civic Space Park.
The event began with a narrative by Royce Manuel, the recipient of the 2013 Heard Museum Spirit of the Heard Award, about the spirituality and lives of the early American Indian settlers of Phoenix.
“The river that flowed here was our sense of spirituality,” Manuel said. “We used to get into the water every morning, bathe off and bless ourselves. We sat on the edge of the river, and said ‘If I could get into this water today, I can do anything.’ The water strengthens my body. When you dry off, you feel the warmth of the sun as it’s coming up, and then you say a prayer.”
The celebration continued with live music from American Indian band the Yadilahs, starring Melissa Beecher as the vocalist, and her partner Kris Beecher on the bass. Melissa is an ASU student getting a concurrent master’s degree in Social Work and Public Administration while Kris is a law student at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
“I plan to work in my native community after I’m done and give back to the community that has given so much to me, given me culture, given me strength, given me support and that’s a lot about what these songs are about,” said Melissa Beecher before singing the their original song “Gimme More.”
“This stage is cool. It puts you in the middle of the community … when you provide entertainment and provide stories, things that people can relate to, we hope to change the idea that we are some far-off distant people,” Kris Beecher said.
Debbie Nez-Manuel, co-founder and executive director of Morning Star Leadership Foundation and host for the event presented the next performance: spoken word.
Josefina Blas, an ASU student pursuing her master’s in Social Work, performed an original piece entitled “Barely Breathing.”
The event ended with Blas telling her story how she went from being a track star to being comatose after a horrible accident that left doctors saying she will never walk again.
“You have to put your efforts where your mind is, and I really appreciate that as a Native community,” Beecher said. “We are able to come together, share these kinds of events and empower each other and remind each other that all of us have talents, dreams and hopes.”
Contact the reporter at Lerman.Montoya@asu.edu.
