The Indigenous Artist Continuum Hekiu, which means “past” in O’odham, aims to go above and beyond land acknowledgments on the ancestral lands of the O’odham, Piipaash and Yoeme and has offered its multifaceted cultural expertise via consultation and art-for-hire services to businesses and municipalities across the Valley.

Three Hekiu members, Dwayne Manuel (muralist/paint/graphite), Helema Andrews (multimedia) and Jacob Butler (traditional arts), are Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community members.

Most recently, Hekiu finished a new mural project in Tempe. The mural is located on the south-facing wall of the parking garage at 201 S. Ash St.

“The mural establishes and illustrates the cultural and historical significance of the O’odham and Huhugam (the ancestors of the O’odham) culture,” said Manuel. “It solidifies the O’odham presence in this land since the beginning of time.”

Manuel and Thomas “Breeze” Marcus (O’odham/Ponca–muralist/paint/digital pencil) led the project with the help of assistant painters Jordan Manuel, Eagle Sky Jefferson II, RJ Lopez, Suk Fulwilder, Yessenia Fulwilder, Allen Lewis, Aaron Rivers and Doug Miles.

Manuel and Marcus led a walk-through of the mural on the morning of October 25. Approximately 50 to 60 people attended, including Tempe City Council members, staff from the City of Tempe, Tempe community members, and supporters and family of the artists.

The mural is composed of six sections that are meant to be viewed east to west, which is aligned with counterclockwise O’odham traditions.

For the last three years, the artists had been planning the mural with the Downtown Tempe Authority, starting with the initial conversations about the project all the way up to the final layer of paint applied to the surface.

The painting took about six weeks to complete. The artists used Montana 94 spray paint exclusively.

Marcus said the mural represents parts of a much longer history in the area known as Tempe, as well as the greater Phoenix area.

“[The mural] shows the O’odham and ancestral connection to the area known as Oidbad, but also the larger metropolitan area, where our culture has always been,” said Marcus.

Other members of Hekiu are Selina Martinez (Yoeme–architecture), Amy Davila (O’odham/Wasco–multimedia), Chandra Narcia (O’odham/Laguna Pueblo/Hopi–multimedia), Yolanda Hart-Stevens (Pee Posh/Quechan–clay handler and beader), Joshua Yazzie (O’odham/Diné–weaver and digital artist), Missy Mahan (O’odham/Euchee/Mvskoke–tattoos, art), Tiffany Enos (O’odham–paint and digital media) and Amy Juan (O’odham–desert foods master).

Andrews said that it’s important that the original inhabitants of this area are recognized.

“From my knowledge, there has never been a working group like Hekiu to represent the O’odham, Piipaash and Yoeme,” said Andrews. “I think the thing that makes us stand out is we are not made up of just one type of creative; we have all sorts of creatives who work in different mediums.”

Narcia said that collaborating with fellow O’odham, Piipaash and Yoeme artists has been a rewarding experience.

“I believe our creativity will inspire pride in our culture and make it clear that we are still here, vibrant and strong,” said Narcia, who hopes to see more of this kind of representation in surrounding municipalities. “As the Indigenous people of this land, we are often underrepresented in the imagery throughout the cities around us. It’s been an honor to be part of a group dedicated to creating art that truly reflects who we are.”

Upcoming Hekiu projects include a bus stop in Tempe designed by Yazzie and Butler, a multimedia collaboration with San Xavier Farms, and a meeting with the City of Scottsdale for a possible collaboration to reflect the collaboration with Tempe, according to Davila. For more information about Hekiu and the work they are doing around their traditional lands, visit their website at www.hekiu.org.