Dear Editor,

Some very extraordinary guests will soon be visiting the island - Native American elders from the Hopi tribe in Arizona. Radford Quamahongnewa and his family will be guests of Elaine Wint and Carol Narcisse and will be speaking at their wellness festival in Kingston on April 28-30.

The Hopis are revered for their ancient wisdom and prophecies. Radford is a traditional spiritual leader and the spokesperson for the elders of the village of Shungopavi, the "Mother Village" of the tribe.

This is not a casual visit but rather one of great significance - one that completes a "sacred circle" and is part of ancient prophecy. They are coming to Jamaica because the island has helped them in their sacred task. Conscious reggae music has been popular on the reservation for over 20 years.
It has become a powerful drumbeat, reinforcing their ancient instructions of love and forgiveness. In the last two decades, there have been almost 70 reggae concerts on the Hopi reservation featuring Jamaican artistes such as Culture, Freddie McGregor, Don Carlos, Black Uhuru, Junior Reid, The Wailers, The I-Threes, Peter Broggs, Dennis Brown, Sly and Robbie, Steel Pulse, Mikey Dread, Israel Vibration, Sugar Minot, Dean Fraser, Abijah and Burning Spear. All reinforced the tribe's message of love and helped the tribe, especially the youth, to stay on the road home.

As Hopi Tim Randolph, one of the original people who took reggae to Hopiland recently said, "It was the music itself and the message. Jamaicans were oppressed like us and are farmers and cultivators like us. When Bob sang of police roadblocks, we could relate. We had them in Hopiland. The reggae concerts brought us all together, whites, blacks, Mexicans, Jamaicans. The message was positive. It kept the youths out of trouble." And as Gerry Gordon, another founder of reggae in Hopiland says, "Miles may have separated the Hopi from the Jamaicans, but their experiences are the same. It was like Bob sang, 'Same tree - different branch.' "

The Hopi elders are coming to Jamaica with their message of love and forgiveness to close this sacred circle - to repay the Jamaican people who through their turmoil have birthed a musical message of love that has helped the tribe complete their sacred mission. We encourage everyone to listen carefully to their message. Draw it deeply into your hearts and minds. As you have helped the Hopi complete their covenant, they now can help Jamaica to complete hers - to help her "play her part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race".

Julia, Alicia and Robert Roskind
roskind@boone.net

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