By Joan Ward | Pagosa Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
This Sunday, June 18, at the 10:30 a.m. service, the Pagosa Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will be honoring the summer solstice a few days early.
Joan Ward will discuss the summer solstice at Chimney Rock National Monument and Judith Jubb will present on celebrating with Puebloan peoples in the southwest at summer solstice.
Jubb will introduce a circle dance step with Hopi music and will share poetry and prayers, and show a few objects used in ceremonies. Come participate and meet your neighbors in Pagosa Springs.
The first day of summer by the universal solar calendar initiates a flurry of celebrations throughout America for native people in many locations and include music, dancing, regalia, rodeos, storytelling, traditional foods and, of course, bartering goods. In the southwest, pottery, beadwork, silverwork, leather crafts and beautiful weavings of all kinds are a part of coming together. Marriages between clans are also traditionally popular as a means of solidifying good relations between extended families and groups.
Powwows are wonderful festivals open to the larger population and are easily accessed in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, California and elsewhere while on family vacations. AAA has listed activities for tourists including Dulce — Jicarilla Apache; Albuquerque and Taos, N.M. — Puebloan; Winslow, Prescott and Montezuma, Ariz. — Sinagua and others. San Jose, California hosts one of the largest celebrations open to many nations. The Ignacio Powwow — Southern Ute — occurs in September as the equinox approaches.
Jubb was raised in Colorado and exposed to the American Indian cultures around her from youth. Her interest in art history expanded while attending the Maryland Institute of Art. She has had opportunities in her life to work with shamans and medicine women throughout the American West in religion and healing through prayers.
While traveling abroad, interacting with respected spiritual leaders of many traditions, she learned diverse techniques of using elements available on the planet.
Jubb is a published author and has toured and spoken to many organizations on subjects relating to the long history of human beings’ artistic and spiritual expressions. The ancient art of dowsing for water has enhanced her awareness of the environment and cycles of the Earth. In 2005, she was asked by members of the Hopi Nation Water Clan to find water, if possible, in their area. The southwestern United States has long been in drought and crops have been harder to cultivate. The water table has dropped due to overuse in adjoining states. As the climate is changing everywhere, this is becoming an increasing issue around the world.
Ward is a member of the fellowship and a long-time volunteer at Chimney Rock National Monument. She is greatly appreciative of the site and its significance in the world of the Ancestral Puebloans.
