A taste of Native culture
The United National Indian Tribal Youth (UNITY) hosted its' midyear conference in Mesa this past weekend, bringing scores of students from across the United States to participate in Native youth leadership exercises and to build community amongst Native youth.
The three day conference was supported in part by the Arizona State University American Indian Initiatives, the Yavapai Apache Nation, the San Carlos Apache Tribe and 12News. UNITY, in its 40th year, seeks to foster the spiritual, mental, physical and social development of American Indian and Alaska Native youth and to help build a strong, unified, and self-reliant Native America through greater youth involvement. Sessions featured subjects from environmental advocacy to budgeting for young adults and the importance of voting. The local Mesa Strength Youth Council also invited students attending to a "Taste of the Southwest," encouraging visitors to learn about different Arizona tribe's food and drinks from prickly pear preserves of the Hualapai to the Pascua Yaqui's atole.
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Students are greeted Saturday morning with a start of events of the UNITY midyear conference in downtown Mesa, Feb. 13, 2016.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Dr. Bryan Brayboy, special assistant to the president for American Indian Affairs at Arizona State University, speaks to students about the importance of persevering in their life goals during the UNITY midyear conference.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Jessica McCool, representing the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, smiles as she listens to Dr. Bryan Brayboy's speech.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Army Sgt. Rich talks to Shelby Begay, of the Navajo nation, about options during the career fair at the UNITY midyear conference.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Chickasaw youth Madyson Mitchell, left, Hailey Ellis and Kelsey Norton learn about the Arizona State University American Indian Initiatives organization during the UNITY conference's career fair.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Students participate in a "native" icebreaker during the UNITY midyear conference. Students were asked to walk around and form groups of different numbers and act out different groups, like "smoke signals," here.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Students scramble to form groups of two during an icebreaker exercise during the UNITY midyear conference. Students walked around the room and formed groups of different sizes to act out certain scenes.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Madeline Jeans, of Navajo-Pascua Yaqui tribe, laughs as she and others create a poster introducing different foods of Arizona tribes during the "Taste of the Southwest."
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Pascua Yaqui tribe member, Destiny Olea, left, and Sasha Villa of the Tohono O'odham tribe help prepare cups of atole, a creamy corn-based drink usually served warm and presented by Pascua Yaqui youth during the "Taste of the Southwest."
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Kaylee Wood helps serves up Navajo blue corn pancakes, or abe neezmásí, during the "Taste of the Southwest."
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Kaya Perkins explains how the Tohono O'odham collect saguaro fruit in season and reduce it to a syrup called bahidaj sitol which they serve on chumith, pictured here, all of which were made by the tribal members for the "Taste of the Southwest."
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Students of the Hualapai Tribal Youth Group serve up prickly pear preserves and candy during the "Taste of the Southwest."
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Students of the Page UNITY Club serve up Navajo tea for visitors during the "Taste of the Southwest."
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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The group Indigenous Enterprise group performs a dance during the Cultural Exchange at the UNITY midyear conference.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Students follow the lead of members of the intertribal AZ Warriors basketball team which led students in a Choctaw friendship dance during the Cultural Exchange at the UNITY midyear conference. Students led each other by the hand, pulled against their back and followed the leader through the room from a slow walk to a fast run.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Students catch their breath and laugh following the high speed Choctaw friendship dance during the Cultural Exchange at the UNITY midyear conference Saturday evening.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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Members of the Indigenous Enterprise group pose for a photo with UNITY students during the Cultural Exchange Saturday evening.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow
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San Carlos Apache students share their creation story during the Cultural Exchange at the UNITY midyear conference Saturday evening.
Photo by Deanna Dent/ASUNow