Gabriel Yaiva

Gabriel Yaiva

Worldwide, there are many poor. Most Americans think they exist in other countries. Nothing could be further from the truth. In actuality, a huge number are found on First People's reservations or are from a First People's Tribe.

Wikipedia states, “The country’s 2.1 million Indians, about 400,000 of whom live on reservations, have the highest rates of poverty, unemployment, and disease of any ethnic group in America” Native Americans remain at the bottom in almost every measurable economic category. Indians earn only a little more than half as much money as the average American-less money per capita than whites, blacks, Asian Americans, and Hispanics. Nearly one-third of Native Americans live in poverty, which is more than twice the rate for Americans in general. American Indian couples earn $71 for every $100 earned by all United States married couples.

Reservation problems consist of violence and drug use, out-of-home placement of foster children, loss of federal funding, under-funded education, employment issues, and lack of family support, housing, and transportation

In a world searching for dominance, defiance, and material possessions, one very special Native American is devoting his life force to making a positive difference in the lives of the young generation of all United States Native Americans.

According to Stan Bindell in an article printed in Gallup Independent 04-08-2010, "Many Native American youth know the drug dealers and bootleggers in their communities, but they don’t know about the Native American role models who are doing incredible work."

One of these is Gabriel Yaiva. He is of Dine' and Hopi descent. He is of the Reed People/Arrowhead Clan and born for the Eagle Clan, maternal grandparent are of the Coyote Pass People and his paternal grandparent is of the Bear clan, this is how he identifies himself as a Native male.

He and a few others have established a website, Nativeworldnetwork.com, to let native youth know these amazing Native Americans are out there.

Yaiva is also a hip hop artist, producer, business owner, promoter, marketing specialist, play write, author of short stories, pow-wow singer, and an active participant in his community for positive change.

Originally from Pinon and Hotevilla Arizona, he grew up and graduated high school from Shiprock New Mexico. He graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelors of Science in Applied Indigenous Studies and a minor in Economic Development.

Yaiva was deeply involved in gangs, drugs and alcohol as a young man. At age nineteen, he came close to losing his life in a knife fight with another Native brother and had nearly took another mans life.

This incident changed Yaiva's life for the better and has been his motivation for the work he does in his community, the need for consciousness and positivity in his music and in his relations with family, friends and the world. Through perseverance, guidance, and faith he turned his life around for the better and now openly shares his experience of how he was able to do it, and that anyone can do it.

Yavia is currently the director of the Peace and Balance Project: A substance abuse prevention and gang awareness inititive. This project is part of the Native Movement collective.

The Peace and Balance Project works with youth in the southwest and also does special presentations and performences around the country such as on reservation and universities including the Muckleshoot rez outside of Seattle, WA, the Haulapai rez, the Hopi and Navajo rez, University of Wyoming, University of Wisconsin, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, and soon the Ivy League school, Brown University plus many reservation Jr and high schools.

The Peace and Balance Project also host a variety of projects including a summer survival skills camp doing cultural exchange with inner city youth and youth from various reservations considered "at risk".

Another project of Peace and Balance is the Educating and Healing Through Hip-Hop. This is dear to Yaiva's heart as he is a hip-hop artist himself.

Yaiva is a solo artist but is also a member of the highly celebrated group, The Dream Team. The Dream Team consist of 2005 Nammy winner for Debut Artist of the Year, JayNez, New Mexico's #1 rated DJ, DJ Kiss.

The media has distorted the image of hip-hop and have attacked our youth violently and mentally with images of violence, promoting drug use, trafficing, misogny, lavish and unattainable lifestyles, and disrespect of our sister, mothers and grandmothers.

Yavia invisions healing happening through educating about hip-hop and the media, youth empowerment through realizng the strength of their voices and
opinions, and realizing the power they have to change the world through positive language and lifestyles.

One of Yavia's goals is to educate and heal the community through the power of music. In all generations, youth listen to and express themselve through music.Yavia expressed, "We hope to teach that not all hip-hop is negative and through music we hope eventually heal."

Yaiva has released his past 3 cd’s thru this Peace and Balance program, where all proceeds go to supporting and building capacity of the program. Yaiva has spoke at over 300 schools since 2003 and 2010 to an estimated 50 thousand students.

As a business man, Yaiva is the founder and owner of 4th World Entertainment, an independent record label that has released nine nationally selling albums and produced over 30 successful events to showcase Native talent in the southwest. 4th World Entertainment also specializes in promotion.

Another of his achievements is being the Marketing Specialist for Native Green Leadership Academy (a non-profit green education group). Through the work with NGLA, he has co-facilitated economic development planning sessions, lead sustainability workshops and presented classroom with green educational resources.

Yaiva is consultant to various organizations including the Grand Canyon Trust as a co-facilitator of the "Intertribal Conversations on the Colorado Plateau Elders Gatherings" and to the Bikeh Hozho Community Development Corp.

Speaking at a Hopi High School Yaiva told students of the need to express themselves and how they can help the environment. He has been working with the Grand Canyon Trust on many issues that impact the Hopi and Navajo Nations.

Tony Skrelunas, director of Native American programs with the Grand Canyon Trust, was also along to speak to the students. Yaiva and Skrelunas have formed the Green Leadership Academy. This is an outreach program that helps communities establish an economic base through renewable energy.

“We have to teach the youth about the environment--and it’s about more than recycling,” Yaiva said. “It’s the new center of jobs with wind turbines, cars and solar panels.”

Yaiva said it’s not people his age or older who are going to be the trailblazers in this creation, but the youth. Those listed on nativeworldnetwork.com are 40 or younger.

Just as with all generations that have gone before us, our youth are our future. Cudos to Gabriel Yaiva for taking the initative to make a positive difference to not just First Peoples Tribes but everyone through his influence with the youth of today..

Yaiva in Hopi means to rise gracefully and Gabriel has done just that.