Arizona

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Photographs by Andrew Lewis. The Pecusa family is Hopi and Pima from the village of Bacavi on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. Their immediate family has been farming in the area for at least four generations. Before them, ancestral people farmed their land intermittently for nearly a thousand years. The Pecusa family farms in a largely traditional manner, using little farm machinery and employing ancient dry land farming practices that allow them to grow corn in an arid environment that receives only eight to twelve inches of rain per year.

When not farming, Davis Pecusa also serves on the Hopi Tribal Council. The Hopi Tribe recognized Davis recently as "Farmer of the Year." His son, David, has studied under him for as long as he can remember and recently has begun to study western organic and permaculture farming practices. He also has a strong interest in the growing and preservation of heirloom native seeds from the Southwest. David will soon be leaving his job as kitchen manager at Hotevilla Bacavi Day School so that he can pursue his farming interest full-time. His dream is to teach and introduce younger generations to farming and sustainable living practices.

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