About the board

Mesa Media, Inc.

Hopilavayi pavan öqawi'yta
Keeping Hopi language vibrant

About the board

Mesa Media’s Founders

Ferrell Secakuku
Co-founder

A fluent speaker of the Hopi language, Ferrell Secakuku co-founded Mesa Media in 2004. He earned his M.S. degree in Anthropology from Northern Arizona University at the age of 69. His thesis explored the similarities between the Snake Society at Hopi and MesoAmerican snake ceremonies. Ferrell was involved in many efforts to preserve Hopi culture. He served for many years as a cultural consultant for the Smithsonian Museum. He composed the music for the songs on Mesa Media’s learning CDs and wrote all of the songs for the Living Through Hopi Songs CD. He coordinated the SupawlaviVillage Peach Orchard Restoration Project, which seeks to reunite Hopi people with agricultural practices associated with springs. During his four-year term as Tribal Chairman, Ferrell helped conclude the Hopi-Navajo land dispute and acquired $30 million for the Hopi Health Care Center. Ferrell was a true leader in both the modern business world and as an active member in ceremonies at Supawlavi Village (Second Mesa). In July 2007, Ferrell passed away after several months of illness, but his vision to provide opportunities for Hopi people lives on.

Anita Poleahla
President and Co-founder

Anita Poleahla co-founded Mesa Media in 2004. Since 2003, she has taught the Hopi language in the Hopi Public School System, which in addition to her work as the Hopi Lavayi Curriculum Developer has provided experience in developing classroom curriculum and teacher training materials. Anita is the State of Arizona's first certified Hopi language teacher(Arizona Department of Education Hopi K-12). She earned two M.S. degrees in Public Administration and Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. In 2008, she became an American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) Sequoyah Fellow and presented at the 2008 AISES National Conference in Anaheim, CA. Anita also presented at the Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium in 2009 at Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. Anita co-wrote many of the lyrics for the songs on Mesa Media’s learning CDs and consults with a number of Hopi organizations on Hopi language. Anita was raised in a traditional home at First Mesa and is a fluent Hopi speaker.

Mesa Media’s Executive Board of Directors

George Mase
Vice President

Hello my name is George Mase. I am a member of the Sun Forehead Clan from the village of Sipaulovi. My Hopi name is Qötsvuyoama.

I grew up on the Hopi Reservation and spoke Hopi as a child before entering school. After graduating from high school, I attended DeVry Institute in Phoenix, AZ. Following this graduation, I was hired by Collins Radio, a Division of Rockwell International, to work on ship-to-shore communications equipment for the military. This required moving to sunny Southern California in the Orange County area. I have also worked on Medical systems for Philips Ultrasound, a division of Phillips Medical Systems and for Advanced Sterilization Products, a division of Johnson & Johnson. For these two companies, I worked as a Quality Assurance Engineer doing Software and Hardware Verification & Validation. All together I spent nearly 30 years in California. During my trips home, I realized how much of the Hopi language was being lost just by not communicating in Hopi with the younger generation who were not speaking Hopi. This will take time to rectify, but it will be worth the effort.

Bonnie Secakuku
Secretary and Public Relations Coordinator

Bonnie Secakuku is from Sipaulovi Village (Second Mesa) and is a member of the Butterfly Clan. She currently works for the Sipaulovi Development Corporation. Bonnie is a third generation entrepreneur and has helped with the family business for over 25years (her grandfather Hale Secakuku and father Ferrell Secakuku owned their own businesses). Bonnie is also very active member in her village and broader community, serving on the School Board as well as on other non-profit boards. Bonnie says, “My reason for serving on the Board is to assist with the efforts of continuing our Hopi language. I, myself, am not a fluent speaker and know it is the very core and heart of being Hopi. I need to speak and I want to be a role model to my people that we can bring back our language.”

Kristin Huisinga Harned
Treasurer and Grants officer

Kristin Harned assists Mesa Media with daily operations including event planning, bookkeeping, website development and grant writing. She earned a M.S. degree in Botany from Northern Arizona University and co-wrote the book River and Desert Plants of the Grand Canyon. Since 2001, Kristin has worked for the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office on Grand Canyon ethnobotany studies. In the summer months, she works as a river guide for Arizona Raft Adventures on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon.

Mesa Media’s Advisory Board

Mesa Media's Advisory Board provides a forum for knowledgeable Hopi community members to offer their perspective on our projects and organizational goals. Many of our learning materials were developed directly from ideas and needs brought to us directly by Hopi people.

Hopi advisory board members review and advise on Mesa Media’s educational resources, their cultural appropriateness and their ability to meet the needs of the Hopi people. We involve Hopi board members from a variety of villages on all three Hopi Mesas. Each mesa has its own dialect, with its own nuances, yet each is rooted in the basics of the Hopi language. Therefore, each Hopi individual is diverse in their understanding of the language but also in their teachings from the village, clan, religious society, and relatives.

Violet Leslie

My name is Violet Leslie and my Hopi name is Tuvapopongmana (piñon picking girl). I am from First Mesa, village of Sichomovi, and I am from the Flute/Deer Clan. My interest is to learn how to speak Hopi fluently. I am a beginner and I have always been fascinated with the unique Hopi language. I would like to support a holistic approach that will instill both young and adult Hopi to learn how to speak Hopi and to help in any fashion that will encourage both the written and oral teaching of this much needed language project. Also, I would like to help Mesa Media with Hopi Language projects and in finding funds to support its endeavors.

Joycelyn Secakuku

My name is Joycelyn Secakuku and I am from the village of Sipaulovi. My Hopi name is Piqöshaynöm and I am a member of the Sun Forehead Clan. Currently, I am working towards a B.A. degree in Liberal Studies. For two years, I attended Pima Community College and have now transferred to Northern Arizona University. I have worked as a student intern for the Sipaulovi Development Corporation and currently have an internship with Mesa Media. Hopi Language caught my attention when I was in Hopi language class in junior high. I realized that there was so much that could be done using the Hopi language. The work that Mesa Media had done was an inspiration, which has encouraged me to learn more about my language. I enjoy spending time with my family and I'm getting in the groove of traveling to new places.

Peter Bungart

Recording specialist Peter Bungart has a Master's Degree in Anthropology from Northern Arizona University and has nearly 30 years experience in Southwest archaeology, ethnohistoric studies and multimedia development. He has worked as an employee or consultant for the Hualapai, Hopi, Navajo, Yavapai-Prescott, and Yavapai-Apache tribes. Peter has presented oral history and GIS based projects at a number of professional meetings, including the Society for Applied Anthropology and the American Anthropological Association. He began working as Mesa Media’s recording specialist in 2009. Without Peter's expertise, the creation of appealing multimedia materials would not be possible.

Past Board Members

Mesa Media honors our past board members for their service and dedication to revitalizing the Hopi language.

Jim McCormack

Jim McCormack served as the Treasurer and Media Specialist for 6 years. Although he recently moved, Jim lived on the Hopi Reservation for over 10 years where he worked as a media specialist for a local ministry. Eskwelí Jim for all you have contributed.

Daryl Pahona

Daryl Pahona is a fluent Hopi speaker from Walpi Village on First Mesa. He served on Mesa Media's Advisory Board for 2 years. He is from the Fire Clan or KooKoop and has many responsibilities as a clan leader. His Hopi name is Saqhongva, which was given to him by his godfather who is from the Bamboo clan. This name means standing tall and strong. Daryl is also a father and grandfather. He says "The Hopi language is very important to me in that it is our identy. It serves as our passport to our next life. Like those before me I feel that it is a duty/responsibility to pass this on so our future generations may reap of its fruits and prosper as we have from our forefathers efforts." Thank you Daryl for all you have done to perpetuate the Hopi language.

Greg Glassco

Greg Glassco served on Mesa Media's Executive Board for 3 years. He received an M.S. degree in Anthropology from Northern Arizona University while working on a farming revitalization project at Bacavi Spring on Third Mesa. Greg is a professional archaeologist and currently works for the Yavapai Prescott Indian Tribe in their office of cultural preservation. He is an accomplished farmer who exchanges knowledge of cultivation and seed collection with native people all over the Southwest. Thank you Greg for all you contributed to Mesa Media.