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Hozhoo naa' naa' On February 5, 2004, Native America lost one of it's great community leaders, John R. Maestas. John was a strong leader among leaders, a peacemaker among men, and wise well beyond his years. I first met John back in the late 1970's when he was with the Native American Studies program at BYU. I was a volunteer with the powwow there. He started the Native American Studies program for the LDS church at BYU. John's sons Robert and Steven and I danced at many powwows together, and we also enjoyed attending rodeos together. John was only 61 when he left us. In reading his obituary, it struck me how short it was in length, and how like him the obituary truly was. John never bragged about anything that I'm aware of. What really struck me was that while the obituary was short, it could never have covered the accomplishments he had achieved. He touched so very many lives that no amount of paper could begin to express his impact upon others, particularly myself. John was a father-friend when I needed help. He was a hand when I needed a hug, he was wise when I needed direction. John was humble and spiritually very strong, and had found a means of balancing his Tewa culture with his LDS religion that few Native American people can find. I never have heard a person utter a poor word about John in any of my
travels, and people around the world would surprise me by telling me that they
knew him. His wry sense of wit is well remembered and will be sorely missed. His
proud white buckskins will be equally missed in the powwow and ceremonial
arenas. John sought the best of everything, and sought to provide the best for
anyone around him. Seeing him with his wife and children was a true testament to
what 'family' means. He always seemed to treat Theresa, his wife, like she was
his newlywed bride. Steven, Robert, and Tricia were always a lot of fun to be
around when they were with their dad, Tricia was particularly funny in the way
she'd play with him and make jokes with him. |