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Anita
Poleahla, Founder and President of Mesa Media,
Inc. holds new 2017 Calendar
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Mesa Media Inc. will have some new Hopi Lavayi products available
to purchase in time for the holiday season; 2017 Hopi Calendar,
one of five tiny books, Hopi alphabet coloring book, Hopi word cloud
posters, and a Hopi Language application.
Mesa Media Inc. President Anita Poleahla said the Hopi calendar
is in its third print; the 2017 calendar includes 28 color pages,
moon phases, most major holidays and character traits for each month.
"The artwork for the calendars was done by local Hopi artists,
most of whom are students at Hopi High School," said Poleahla. "I
tell my students to draw me something that reflects the month I
want a drawing for and they create it for me. They get a stipend
for their artwork as well."
One of the new items Poleahla is excited to talk about is the
Hopi language app that will be free to download on to your phones
and tablets.
"We used our students for this project as well," said Poleahla.
"We used Kaden Mahle's voice for the application and other students
pitched in with their artwork."
Poleahla said the application is a spin-off of an old Jeopardy
game she owned. The application was designed by Peter Baumgard;
Poleahla hopes to build on the use of technology for future Hopi
Lavayi products.
New books that will be available to purchase is a tiny book
titled, Ana! Tooto nuy mu'a and the Hopi Alphabet Coloring Book.
The Tiny Books are simple books that will teach children simple
words such as "ouch" and "scratch". The tiny books are 10 to 12
pages and there will be a total of five different tiny books printed.
"It is repetitive words and I'm sure they will learn what the
words are and how to use them," said Poleahla.
The Coloring book is of the Hopi Alphabet and is illustrated
by high school students.
Poleahla said she is happy to announce the Hopi Cultural Center
is selling Mesa Media Inc. products if people are interested in
purchasing any of the items available online.
"All of Mesa Media Inc. products are in Third Mesa dialect because
of academic value and because I cite the Hopi Dictionary all the
time," said Poleahla.
Poleahla currently teaches the Hopi Language class at Hopi High
School where she has students from all Hopi villages. Poleahla took
a Hopi language class from the late Emory Sekaquaptewa; he taught
his students how to change a word to reflect each village's dialect.
That is what Poleahla teaches her students so they can learn it
in their own dialect.
Poleahla said she would like to see a Hopi textbook developed
for the Hopi Language class before she leaves so that it could be
used by the students.
"I will have a rough draft in place by the time I leave," said
Poleahla. "I also want to create lessons for all of the music CD's,
language learning CD's and DVD's we have now."
During the summer break, Poleahla is busy creating new products
for Mesa Media Inc., she is the creator and developer of all the
language learning materials.
Mesa Media Inc. was founded in 2004 by Poleahla and the late
Ferrell Secakuku. In 2005 they became a 501(c) (3) non-profit Hopi
organization.
"The mission of Mesa Media Inc. is to revitalize the Hopi language,
which encompasses the philosophy of land stewardship maintained
by Hopi people for centuries."
Through grants, they are able to produce these Hopi language
learning products to keep the Hopi language alive and to keep the
cost of these products at a reasonable price so that everyone can
learn.
Poleahla remembers the first cassette her and Secakuku released.
"We recorded ourselves with a handheld recorder and then transferred
it onto a cassette tape," said Poleahla as she smiled and laughed.
"It was a lot of work because we had to print and stick the labels
onto the cassette ourselves, then we advanced to CD's; and now I
can just send a request to order more CD's and it comes pre-packaged.
We have come a long way."
Poleahla said Secakuku was the composer on three of the music
CD's; he always knew which words to use and how it should be sung.
The last CD, "Living through Hopi Songs", they released together
and dedicated it to their grandchildren.
Secakuku passed in 2007 and Poleahla believes he is still with
us in spirit and each progress Mesa Media Inc. makes, Secakuku and
Sekaquaptewa is looking over them.
The next learning materials Poleahla is working on is a color
by number coloring book, a Facebook Hopi word of the day and is
planning a workshop for Mesa Media Inc. to be held in June 2017.
The following is Mesa Media Inc.'s language learning products
are available for purchase:
2017 Calendar; Posters: Neeveni - Edible Hopi Plants by
Max Taylor, Hopi Clans and Kiisonvi, Noosiwqa - Hopi Foods;
Hopi Language CD's: Hopi Lavayvenpi - Hopi Alphabet in Conversation,
Piklawu - Making Piki, Uylawu - Planting, Noovalawu - Preparing
Food & Cooking a Meal;
Music CD's: Learning Through Hopi Songs, Teaching Through
Hopi Songs, Living Through Hopi Songs, Taatawi- Puwvitstawi pu Tiitaptawi
Hopi Lullaby & Game Songs;
DVD's: Itam Hopi yu'a'atotani! Let's Speak Hopi! Vol.1-3,
Iisaw Haalayi: The Coyote is Happy;
Books: Hopilavayvenpi. Tutuveni ang kuwanlewita'a. Hopi
Alphabet. Color the Pages, Hopihiniwtipu- Significant Events for
Hopi People, Tsangaw uma oki. Itam haalaytoti- We are glad you are
here. A handbook of secular Hopi teachings for Teachers and Professionals-Celebrate
My Hopi Corn, Celebrate My Hopi Toys.
Mesa
Media, Inc.
Mesa Media, Inc.'s mission is to revitalize the Hopi language, which
encompasses the philosophy of land stewardship maintained by Hopi
people for centuries. In 2004, fluent Hopi speakers Anita Poleahla
and Ferrell Secakuku founded Mesa Media, Inc. because they believe
that all Hopi people deserve the opportunity to understand the richness
of the Hopi language and its teachings.
http://www.mesamedia.org/Mesa_Media.html
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