Ernest Taho is an indigenous activist who comes from the Yavapai and Hopi Nations. He is also from the Rabbit/Tobacco clan on his fathers’ side who is Hopi. He currently resides on the Hopi Reservation in Polacca, AZ where he and his family have been for the last 10 years after moving back home from Phoenix, AZ.

 

In 2016 a group of Hopi and Tewa community members traveled up to North Dakota to Standing Rock in support of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe against the pipeline which threatened their drinking water. After returning from North Dakota, Ernest got more involved in the Arsenic issue that was at hand. He joined the Black Mesa Trust Organization as a researcher and tech support but soon became the liaison for the water filter project that was in the beginning stages. It wasn't until several months later after gathering as much data as he could on the waters of Hopi that he also discovered that there was more in the water than just arsenic Contaminants such as Uranium and Vanadium were also present in the waters.

 

Since 2001 after the Environmental Protection Agency lowered the Arsenic level from 50 parts per million (ppm) to 10 parts per million which has currently made the Hopi Tribe become out of compliance with regulations. Today Ernest and the Black Mesa Trust Organization along with Mr. McLaughlin of the Clean Water Foundation of Washington and other nonprofit groups, are addressing the water issue on both the Hopi and Navajo (Dineh).

​

For more information, watch the following videos: 

​

Interview with Michiko Hayashi of the Emoto Peace Project and Ernest Taho

​

Hopi arrives at Standing Rock Reservation

​

Rare look into Hopi reservation shows tribes struggles and triumphs

​

Parched Documentary (Kathleen Velo/Ernest Taho @ 13:10 mark)

​