Arizona State graduate plans to use degree to further Hopi farming and honor ancestors

On May 10, Michael Kotutwa Johnson, son of Col. Johnson and Nancy Johnson, received his Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Natural Resources from the University of Arizona.

Michael is a member of the Hopi Tribe and plans to put his education to use on the Hopi reservation. His first intention is to get the Hopi back into farming in order to get back to using methods ancestors used to survive – 85 percent of the Hopi Tribe’s income will be gone when the Kayenta coal mine is closed by Peabody Energy Co. in December. According to Johnson, it is absolutely necessary Hopi members on the reservation to get back into farming to produce food for their families. As long as tribal members can harvest Hopi corn and beans, they will survive as Hopi ancestors have in the past.