KUYI 88.1 FM, is a Native American

Public Radio Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

station in

Keams Canyon, Arizona Keams Canyon (Hopi: Pongsikya or Pongsikvi; nv, ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. The population was 304 at the 2010 census. Pongsikya is a narrow box canyon that is named after a plant of edible gre ...

. The station, founded in 2000, primarily features locally produced programming for the

Hopi The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the Unite ...

Tewa The Tewa are a linguistic group of Pueblo Native Americans who speak the Tewa language and share the Pueblo culture. Their homelands are on or near the Rio Grande in New Mexico north of Santa Fe. They comprise the following communities: * ...

, and

Navajo The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States. With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...

Native American tribal residents, surrounding communities in

Northern Arizona Northern Arizona is an unofficial, colloquially-defined region of the U.S. state of Arizona. Generally consisting of Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo, and Gila counties, the region is geographically dominated by the Colorado Plateau, the sout ...

, the

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areas and streaming worldwide. Other network programming is provided by

Native Voice One Koahnic Broadcast Corporation (KBC) is a nonprofit media center that provides Native radio programming through Alaska Native governance and operation.Koahnic Broadcast Corporation (2010). Retrieved from http://www.koahnicbroadcast.org/ KBC’s rad ...

. Top of the hour news updates from

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

are aired Monday through Friday. Its musical programming is a mix of traditional Hopi and modern music. As of August 2012, KUYI was broadcasting to an audience estimated at 9,000 people. Its programs include a junior and senior high school class that broadcasts in

, a morning Sunday show aimed at small children, and cultural discussions for adults that are held according to the lunar calendar, in keeping with Hopi tradition. The station's name, Kuyi, is also the Hopi word for "water." A

language revitalization Language revitalization, also referred to as language revival or reversing language shift, is an attempt to halt or reverse the decline of a language or to revive an extinct one. Those involved can include linguists, cultural or community groups, o ...

project, The Shooting Stars Hopi Lavayi Radio Project, has been developed with the Polacca Head Start Center, broadcasting in the First Mesa Dialect for students. As of 2009, all programs were produced by Hopi tribal members. Other local programming has included a weekly teen program by students of

Hopi High School The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country. The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation within the United ...

, and a health program in partnership with the Hopi Health Care Center. In 2007, the station began presenting Annual "Listeners' Choice" awards. The categories for 2010 were: Best Traditional Artist, Best Female Artist, Best Male Artist, and Best Contemporary Artist; the awards celebration was held at the

Hopi Cultural Center The Hopi Cultural Center is a place in the Hopi Reservation on Second Mesa, Arizona where visitors can learn about the culture, history and art of the Hopi people. It also provides lodging and a restaurant that serves Hopi cuisine. A museum is al ...

. The station played an important role in emergency response in 2010, due to its "69,000 watt signal

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echoes across the canyons and bounces off the mesas that make up the 1.5 million acre reservation." In January 2010, the Hopi reservation was without power for two days as the result of a winter storm. KUYI stayed on the air, even when larger radio stations in

Flagstaff, Arizona Flagstaff ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Coconino County, Arizona, Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2019, the city's estimated population was 75,038. Flagstaff's combined metropolitan area has ...

were not operational, and provided emergency information to four counties. Floods in July 2010 left the First Mesa Consolidated Villages without potable water or sewage. KUYI was able to keep its listeners informed for the three days it took for water trucks to arrive.

References

External links

KUYI: Official Website
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KUYI: FacebookKUYI: Twitter
{{NPR Arizona Native American radio UYI KUYI Native American language revitalization Hopi culture UYI Navajo mass media Hopi Tewa 2000 establishments in Arizona Radio stations established in 2000