This Social Justice Film Institute is a Community Benefit Cinema cause for the Duwamish Longhouse. All donations and sales will go directly to Duwamish Tribal Services.

Gary Stroutsos will present an evening playing traditional Hopi flute music and showing the accompanying documentary, Öngtupqa. Öngtupqa – the Hopi name for Grand Canyon, that translates to “Salt Canyon” is the creation of musicians’ Clark Tenakhongva, Vice Chairman of the Hopi Tribe and renowned traditional singer; Gary Stroutsos playing the Hopi long flute, and Matthew Nelson playing clay pot percussion.

This documentary film Öngtupqa shares Hopi cultural connections to the canyon through music and spoken word, stunning images of Grand Canyon, live music footage, time-lapse imagery, and much more. The trio recorded the album inside the Grand Canyon’s Desert View Watchtower, a stone edifice located on the south rim of the canyon, whose architecture is inspired by Puebloan ruins. Clark Tenakhongva, Gary Stroutsos and Matthew Nelson use their mastery of voice, flute and clay pot percussion to bring the acoustics within the Watchtower to life. Öngtupqa music is an acoustic soundscape intended to honor the surrounding landscape through music created on-site that could never be replicated in a studio far from the views and spirit of Grand Canyon.

Gary Stroutsos live performances have captivated audiences around the world. His meditative flute music and time-honored stories evoke the lands and cultures that he has studied over the course of his 35-year career. Gary’s mission is to carry the music forward to future generations and to promote stewardship of diverse cultures and the natural environment.