Kiosk construction

Scoria Process

NPTAO, a partner in a grant program with the Arizona Department of Tourism, provided the technical assistance for each community to build their own kiosk from the ground up, using a technology called the Scoria Process.

Scoria is a concrete material developed by the Ewers family of architects and is made from volcanic cinders, an abundant building material found throughout the world. Scoria can be utilized to build any type of structure, from bus stops, to community centers, to million dollar homes.

By using scoria, the Hopi village of Hotevilla, Arizona were able to build a 27,000 square foot Youth and Elderly Center for $800,000, compared to $8 million for similar structures elsewhere in Indian Country. The building was designed by Randy Ewers, and completed in late 2004.

Community Plaques

Each community is in the process of developing the information to be displayed on plaques placed on the kiosks, including tribal and local history, location and contact information of local artisans, field tour operators, and other services, and what we've termed "rules of engagement" which inform visitors on tribal-specific etiquette while traveling through sovereign tribal lands.  For example, many visitors at Hopi are unaware of the Tribe's cultural and legal mandate absolutely disallowing any photography or sketching to occur while on the reservation. The information provided will go a long way in keeping an uninformed highway adventurist out of the back yard of a modern Indian family.

Disks

An additional identifying element will be the fabrication of 36" round turquoise metal disks, to be affixed on top of the structures, to uniformly inform travelers that they are on the right track and can find useful, updated information at every site along the way. NPTAO provides the expertise and peripheral funding (the grant pays for all building materials, supplies and equipment, and incidental labor charges) for the two prototypes. Dedication ceremonies are currently scheduled to occur some time during the fall '07 semester.  We are greatly encouraged by the technology transfer aspect of this project, as each tribe now has the expertise required to expand these kiosks sites to strategic locations across their respective reservations. At least two additional kiosks are now in the planning stage and could be completed by the end of the summer.

Map

Finally, Mr. Del Nero is contracted to develop a kiosk-correlated "keepsake" map, to be strategically marketed to hotels, urban and rural visitor information centers, and travel agencies serving Arizona Indian Country.  A portion of this development is also funded through the AOT grant, although he is funded under contract with NPTAO as well.  Both Mr. Ewers and Del Nero generously provide their services at greatly reduced rates and at times, gratis, for our Native-related projects.