In 1969, Kurt traveled several times to the southwest with his trusty Nagra tape recorder and met with a number of Hopi Elders, including Thomas Banyacya (pictured - 1910-1999). In subsequent years, Thomas was visited by the Dalai Lama, and addressed the United Nations in 1992. He worked tirelessly as a spokesperson for the Hopi ("People of Peace"). The first interview transcript below is of a discussion with Thomas Banyacya and another Tribal Elder named Ralph Selina.
Kurt's questions focus on Hopi philosophy, spiritual views, challenges facing them and their land (including mining operations by Peabody Coal), and the Hopi Prophecies. Notably, the recent reduction of the protected portion of Bear's Ears National Monument by the Trump Administration (2017) directly affects the Hopi homeland.
Kurt also separately interviewed a Hopi tribal member named White Bear; their discussion concerns the author Frank Waters, whose book Book of the Hopi was published in 1963. Their conversation then turns to rabbit hunting, the preparation and ingredients of traditional Hopi meals, and the preservation of Hopi teachings.
Finally, this article includes Hopi commentary selected by Kurt from the transcripts, which he included in his 350,000-word online book, With Hidden Noise.
Over several years, the tapes of these interviews were carefully transcribed by Kurt's students, but generally have been otherwise unavailable.
