A new addition has been added to the Labriola National American-Indian Data Center: An Indigenous History Table

There’s a new addition to the Labriola National American-Indian Data Center at ASU’s Hayden Library. The center brings together the work of Indigenous authors, and this new addition is a 25-foot table that reflects the Indigenous heritage and evokes the ancient canal system built by the Hohokam tribe. Horizonte host Jose Cardenas learned more from the designer of the table, Selina Martinez.

“This table will be on the ASU Tempe campus in the newly renovated Hayden library, specifically it is on the second floor in the Labriola collection which is the Native American collection at the library,” Martinez said.

She continued that this table is significant because it, “recognizes the local indigenous people of this place…this table focuses on this territory…sometimes we forget who was here before us and the land that ASU, Tempe and many of the other campuses sits on, were some of the main territories, main communities of those ancestral people.”

Martinez collaborated with Jeffrey Fulwilder who is a local Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community member and artist who typically works with metals and, “he helped inspire an initial sketch or idea or concept of what the table could be and integrating those basket-tree patterns.”

The table itself references basket-tree designs that are embedded with storytelling aspects. It refers to an ecosystem of plants that are used to create these baskets.

The 25-foot long table is made with fiberglass resin, with steel and powder-coated in a copper color, and beneath it, there are some temporary lights that are being tested that illuminate those colors from the bottom.

In addition to the custom table, there are 12 custom chairs.

“As an architectural designer I usually try to focus on the narrative for the other person I’m collaborating with and in this case it was Jeffrey…who led the process I would say of conceiving the idea of what the concept could be to utilize the symbology of the community,” Martinez said.