3 Takeaways:

• The Hekiu art collective premieres a land acknowledgement video for Tempe on Oct. 16
• A bus shelter design commissioned by Tempe Arts & Culture and Tempe Public Art has a planned installation for spring 2026
• Hekiu is under contract with Scottsdale Public Art for a project along the Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt

The Indigenous art collective Hekiu (meaning “past” in O’odham), featuring members of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, has been busy advising, consulting and providing resources for local collaborators, which include municipalities and tribal entities.

Hekiu members help bridge the gap between non-Indigenous and Indigenous cultural knowledge and art to tell the story through their lens and in their own way on their own traditional lands.

In the consultation section of their website at www.hekiu.org, the group says it strongly believes in self-representation in art and culture and notes that “not all information in regards to culture needs to be shared with the world, and we stand by that.”

Besides consultation, speaking on panels and advocating, the collective offers art-for-hire services including multimedia, canvas painting and murals.

“Hekiu projects are [an investment that can take years], and each member continues to produce art and participate in projects and events independently,” said Hekiu member Amy Davila (O’odham/Wasco).  

Most recently, Davila and Hekiu members Helema Andrews (Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community) and Chandra Narcia (O’odham/Laguna Pueblo/Hopi) helped create a land acknowledgement video commissioned by the Tempe Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Hekiu collaborated on the project with Tempe Fire, Rescue and Medical Services and the SRPMIC Cultural Resources Department.

“Land acknowledgments are not always the answer. They are a step in the right direction to recognize the ancestral lands of our people.  But as a collective we want to encourage to go beyond a land acknowledgement and actually get to know Native artists or people in surrounding tribal communities to build better relationships,” said Narcia.

The video, which was scheduled to premiere on Thursday, Oct. 16, will be shown before every Tempe City Council meeting and will be featured at other city events.

Tempe is also home to a bus shelter design project by Hekiu members Joshua Yazzie (Gila River Indian Community) and Jacob Butler (Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community). The project is in the fabrication phase and has a planned installation for spring 2026, according to the collective.

The bus shelter design was commissioned by Tempe Arts & Culture and Tempe Public Art.

Hekiu is currently under contract with Scottsdale Public Art for a project at Vista del Camino Park along the Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt, an 11-mile section of parks, lakes, paths and golf courses in Scottsdale.