Yesenia Hunter

Professor at Heritage University

Yakama Nation, Toppenish, WA

September 7th - September 11th, 2025

Washington. She grew up on the Yakama Reservation, which is what sparked her passion for creating a community in that area. Over the years, Yesenia has built an incredible community of people interested in finding what it means to create a sense of place in the Yakima Valley. An example of this is her collaboration on the quinceañera exhibit at the Yakima Valley Museum. The specific inspiration behind this idea came from Yesenia’s interest in how different Latino generations foster a sense of place while engaging in different traditions like a quinceañera. Additionally, she has been researching the historical resistance and resilience of Yakama Nation women. While with our group, Yesenia acted as both our host and professor for the week. She shared with us the ways in which she has changed her relationship with the land over the years. She also shared her own personal experiences with the agriculture industry in the valley, demonstrating the complicated history behind it. Lastly, Yesenia connected us to her students at Heritage University so that we could all learn together about places such as Fort Simcoe.

As our week in the Yakima Valley came to a close, we were gifted with a night of music from Yesenia and her family. Throughout the week, Yesenia mentioned the importance of art and music in her life, explaining that she felt like she had truly found her voice when she sang. This was made clear to all of us when her powerful voice rang through the valley and her foot tapped to the beat of the music in a synchronized rhythm.

by Ashley Hagen