Artist Duane Koyawena is piloting a custom R2D2 unit in front of the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Ariz. It's life-size and has all the signature bleeps and squawks of the original. But its appearance has a unique Southwestern spin.
"When I was thinking about it, I was like ... wouldn't it be cool to see an R2 that's decked out [and] looks actually like a pottery?" he says. "So along with that comes the designs, and so the tans and the reddish burn marks from when they fire their pottery."
At first glance the traditional Hopi maroon-and-tan patterns are a surprising look for the famous droid. But Koyawena says it makes total sense for R2.
"A lot of elders, or our uncles or friends, always tell us in ceremony or something going on 'nahongvitah,' which means to give it your all, or just to be strong and to persevere. So, I feel like the Hopi R2 kind of fits in that same line," he says.
Koyawena is one of 25 artists from more than a dozen Southwestern tribes taking part in the art exhibit "The Force Is With Our People." The pieces reflect Star Wars themes, such as endurance and rebellion, that have resonated powerfully with the franchise's devotees for decades. As it turns out though, Star Wars also speaks strongly to the historical experiences of many in the Southwest's Indigenous communities.
'The Force Is With Our People' Connects Indigenous Culture To A Galaxy Far Away
Photo: Ryan Heinsius/KNAU Caption: Geri Hongeva (left), who voiced C-3PO in the Navajo translation of A New Hope; artist Duane Koyawena (center); and engineer Joe Mastroianni with Hopi R2 at the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff.
