When We Harm Wolves, We Harm Ourselves."
“When We Harm Wolves, We Harm Ourselves”: Hopi Elder Speaks Out After Killing of Two Mexican Gray Wolves
Clark Tenakhongva, former Vice Chairman of the Hopi Nation, artist, and U.S. Army veteran, has issued a powerful and urgent call for reflection following the recent killings of two collared Mexican gray wolves—Ella and Asiza—on ancestral Hopi lands in Arizona.
In a recent op-ed published in High Country News, Tenakhongva speaks not just as a rancher with over 65 years of experience, but as a keeper of cultural memory and spiritual perspective. The wolves, he explains, are not threats, but sacred beings. In Hopi tradition, they are called Kwewu—fellow people of the land, placed here by the Creator to maintain natural balance by culling the sick and the weak.
“The same voice that would say the only good Indian is a dead Indian is the one that says the only good wolf is a dead wolf,” Tenakhongva writes, drawing sharp parallels between the history of Indigenous erasure and today’s war on wolves.
Ella was found murdered near Mount Taylor. Asiza, likely pregnant, was “mistakenly” killed by Arizona Fish and Game. Both were within lands the Hopi have considered home since time immemorial. These acts are part of a larger trend of misunderstanding and hysteria around wolves—particularly Mexican gray wolves—despite their critical ecological role and spiritual importance to many Native communities.
Tenakhongva challenges the idea that wolves must die for ranchers to thrive. As someone who has raised cattle for decades, he speaks from experience when he says peaceful coexistence is not only possible—it’s essential.
“We Hopi have survived for tens of thousands of years because we know that when we harm the land and the animals, we harm ourselves.”
He urges modern society to reexamine our relationship with the wild and reject fear-based wildlife policy, emphasizing that overgrazing—not wolves—is among the greatest threats to Western ecosystems.
🔗 To read Clark Tenakhongva’s full op-ed, click here.
(Link to full article)
Help Us Protect Wolves and Honor Indigenous Wisdom
These killings are not isolated. They reflect a systemic failure to respect wildlife, sacred lands, and the voices of Indigenous leaders. At Women for Wolves, we are working to change that—through education, legislation, and on-the-ground wolf advocacy.