River Blues

I never imagined that my work would bring me back to a community that once existed only as a distant memory.

When I was 8, we left Parker after my mom divorced and life took an unexpected turn. We eventually moved to the Hopi Reservation, where I started 4th grade and began a completely different chapter of my life.

On August, 18th, I took my husband back to where my childhood began. The home I was raised in is no longer there, only the shell of it remains, slowly being reclaimed by the Mojave Desert. I took him to the Colorado River, too, where we used to swim as kids, escaping the brutal summer heat and making memories that I didn’t realize would stay with me for a lifetime. As water rights continue to be a major concern, one day this river will also run dry and be claimed by the Mojave desert.

Standing here now, at the end of my journey with tribal work, I can’t help but feel the weight of how beautifully life can come full circle.

The little girl who once left this place could have never imagined that years later, her work would bring her back.

I’m grateful for every experience that has carried me forward—even the ones that somehow led me back to my past.

Sometimes, the journey isn’t about leaving where you came from. Sometimes, it’s about becoming who you were always meant to be, and then returning with a deeper understanding of where it all began.

Asquali ,

Roicia