Marlene Sekaquaptewa
July 10, 1940–June 24, 2020
Why
The date of Ms. Sekaquaptewa is not a typo. She passed away last year. Although I’ve been writing the daily obits of people who have died recently, I decided to write about Marlene Sekaquaptewa today in connection with today’s Silly Little Dictionary! entry, which is about piki, a traditional bread made by the Hopi.
While I was researching information about piki, I found a YouTube video in which Ms. Sekaquaptewa explains how to make it in the traditional Hopi way. When I then tried to find more information about her, I was deeply saddened she had passed away last year from Covid. I felt compelled to write about her today.
Who
Marlene Sekaquaptewa was born on July 10, 1940, in Oraibi, Arizona. Emory Sekaquaptewa, her father, was a farmer and tribal judge. Her mother, Helen, wrote Me and Mine, a book about her life off and on the Hopi reservation. Emory, Jr., Marlene’s older brother and an anthropologist at the University of Arizona, wrote the first Hopi dictionary.
Marlene attended Central High School, in Phoenix, while her parents lived away from the reservation.
In 1956, the U.S. passed the Indian Relocation Act (Public Law 959), euphemistically called the “Adult Vocational Training Program”. The aim was, ostensibly, to encourage Native Americans to leave their reservations and traditional lands, and relocate and assimilate to larger urban areas.
Marlene Sekaquaptewa’s family moved to Los Angeles during this time period and stayed there until the 1960s. When she moved back to Arizona, she got involved with her community and became an activist. She attended Scottsdale Community College and graduated from its tribal development program. She met and married Leroy Kewanimptewa, with whom she had five children (two of them predeceased her).
After entering Arizona politics, Ms. Sekaquaptewa became governor of the village of Bacavi, serving various terms. She was also known for her quilt-making skills, and her works were displayed in museums around the United States. She was a reference for students and scholars who wanted to learn more about Hopi culture and traditions.
In 1996 she collaborated with Victoria Spencer to make a video explaining how to make piki bread, and its importance in Hopi culture. I have provided a link to the video in my article about piki (see below).
In 2012, she was part of the team that drafted the new Hopi Tribal Constitution. Last year, she helped create an assisted living facility for Hopi elders.
Marlene Sekaquaptewa passed away on June 24, 2020, from Covid-19. She was two weeks away from turning 80 years old. She is survived by her daughter Dianna Shebala; two sons, Leroy Kewanimptewa Jr. and Emory Kewanimptewa; 14 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
What
“She was a cultural ambassador, very involved in public life.” — Patricia Sekaquaptewa, Marlene Sekaquaptewa’s niece.
Last year, The New York Times began a series of obituaries called “Those We’ve Lost”, dedicated to people who died from Covid-19. I’ve read the articles on occasion, and what has struck me is the quality of those human beings that the coronavirus took away from us. They all contributed to society, science, culture, arts, and life in general in myriad small and large ways, and many of them did so mostly anonymously, or at least hidden from the glare of celebrity spotlight.
Marlene Sekaquaptewa was certainly one of these people. One is left thinking about all the other contributions she could have made to Hopi society in particular and the United States in general if she were still alive.
In 2018, Marlene narrated a PBS special on the traditional origin story told by the Hopi. Below you can hear tell it in her native language. The video has captions in English.
Below is the link to the article I wrote about piki. At the end of that article you can see the 1996 video in which Ms. Sekaquaptewa explains how the bread is made and its importance in Hopi traditions.