Welcome everybody.
Waqaa! Ciisquugua. Quyana tiluci.
I am Ciisquq. I also go by Crystal Leonetti and I am here in
Dgheyey Kaq' which is Anchorage, Alaska...
the homelands of the Dena'ina peoples
I am the Alaska Native Affairs Specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
And we're excited today to be doing the Arctic Bird Fest
and connecting Indigenous peoples across the globe
including from Anchorage to Nevada
are the birds that we share
that fly back and forth every year
from the Arctic part of the planet
to all other parts of the planet including in Nevada.
And so we get to celebrate the birds today
with songs from the Pipa Aha Macav, the People of the River.
The Rez Life Bird Singers are enrolled members of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe
a Federally Recognized Indian Tribe whose reservation spans
the states of California, Arizona, & Nevada
in the heart of the Mojave desert.
Lead singer, Johnny Ray Hemmers, is sitting member of the Fort Mojave Tribal Council
and an instructor at the Pipa Aha Macav Culture Center
on the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation.
Rez Life Bird Singers share traditional songs and dances
to preserve the rich history and tradition of the Fort Mojave Tribal people.
So thank you for being here and I will pass the mic to you!
(speaking in Mojave language)
Good evening everyone. My name is Tabytha Ameelyehnah
I'm 12 years old and I'm Fort Mojave.
(shares her descendant information and parents' names)
and I'm the 2021 2022 Little Miss Fort Mojave
(speaking Mojave language)
Hello everyone I'm Anne Marie Garcia.
I'm 10 years old.
(shares her parents' names and descendant information)
(speaking Mojave language)
Hello everyone my name is Gabriela Rockefellar.
I'm 10 years old
(shares her descendant information and parents' names)
I'm 2021 2022 Little Miss Fort Mojave 2nd Attendant.
(speaking Mojave language)
Welcome everyone. I am Mojave. My name is Gloriana Collier. I am 15 years old.
My mother is Gloria Collier and my father is Cecil Collier Jr.
I am the new Jr. Miss Fort Mojave 2021-2022. Thank you.
(speaking Mojave language)
Hello everyone. My name is Tenneil Lockwood. I am 23 years old.
(shares her clan)
My mother is Megan Jenkins (shares father's name)
I am Mojave. Thank you.
(singing and musical instruments)
Thank you so much.
Can I ask one of the young ladies to come forward and teach me how to say thank you in your language?
The way I say thank you is (speaks in Mojave)
(Crystal repeats in Mojave)
Ok well (says thank you in Mojave)
to you, to the dancers, and to the singers.
Thank you for connecting us across all these miles.
That was so beautiful and just really touched my heart.
For everybody watching, and everybody who will watch the recording,
thank you for sharing your culture with us.
I hope that everyone has a really good Indigenous People's Month,
and Native American Heritage Month this month.
Stay tuned in for all the events in the Arctic Bird Fest.
Thank you.