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ON THE COVER
Mark Lopez works on the bas-relief sculpture of the main altarpiece of the San Xavier del Bac Mission just south of Tucson, Arizona. Photo by David Burckhalter.

FEATURES

Restoring San Xavier del Bac: Our Church
A report on the restoration of the Tohono O’odham’s architectural and cultural wonder, the 200-year-old San Xavier del Bac mission church, an unprecedented project of a Vatican restoration team and the O’odham people of southern Arizona. By Bernard L. Fontana. Photos by David Burckhalter.

The Long Road Home
The return of more than 2,000 Mayans who fled their Guatemalan homeland a decade ago due to civil war is chronicled. By Joel Simon. Photos by Mark Downey.

Traditional Painting in Oklahoma
A project in Oklahoma records and preserves the oral history associated with the state’s long, accomplished and proud Native American painting traditions. By Joan Frederick. Illustrated with historic art works by the Kiowa Five, works of living Oklahoma artists and historic photos.

Sports Action
The vision of the Native American Sports Council, the newest member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, is explored. By Mary Brennan.

SOAR from the Heart
An intimate view of Tom Bee (Dakota), founder of Sound of America Records. By Jill O’Brien.

Honor the Earth
The story of a powwow celebration on the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Chippewa reservation near Hayward, Wisconsin that began in 1971 as a protest demonstration against [DAN: AGAINST WHAT???DP]. Story and photos by Dave Hurley.

Red Nation Celebration
A preview of the upcoming first annual Native music and performing arts festival in Santa Fe, which will include Kashtin, Bill Miller, Robert Mirabal, the American Indian Dance Theater and Joanelle Nadine Romero. By Seth Roffman.

DEPARTMENTS

Guest Essay
The first woman principal chief of the huge Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma looks back over almost two decades of service to her people. By Wilma Mankiller (Cherokee).

Spirit of the Harvest
A traditional fruit compote in a vanilla-based syrup from Veracruz, Mexico. By Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs.

Museum House Call
The role of the conservator in preserving priceless Native artifacts—what they look for in terms of danger signs of deterioration. By Gloria Fraser Giffords.

Exhibit Watch
Keeping Our Stories Alive, an exhibit of Diné and Inuit art of Canada at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Santa Fe. By Gary Allen Hood.

NMAI Report
News on the development of the National Museum of the American Indian—students gain from Heye Center visits.

Book Reviews
Spirit Faces: Contemporary Native American Masks from the Northwest, by Gary Wyatt; Mask Arts of Mexico, by Ruth D. Lechuga and Chloe Sayer; and Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa, written and illustrated by Shonto Begay (Navajo).

Video/Audio Reviews
The Pipemakers, by Woodpecker Productions; Lisa Larue: Beloved Tribal Women, from Natural Vision Records.

Artists in Profile
Michael Chiago: A look at the Tohono O’odham artist and his paintings of traditional life. By Susan Edmond.

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