Octavius Seowtewa is a member of the Zuni Tribe and is an A:shiwi (Zuni) scholar, elder and religious leader. He supervises the Zuni Cultural Resources Advisory Team where he provides guidance on Zuni ancestral lands and cultural objects. Seowtewa is also a master silversmith specializing in needlepoint jewelry. Over the last 40 years he has been involved in numerous cultural preservation projects in the Southwest and around the world, including the Bears Ears National Monument Inter-Tribal Coalition. He has written and contributed to various books, journals, magazines, films and multi-media works focused on A:shiwi history and cultural preservation. Seowtewa is also the Community Lead for the Zuni (Re)Connections Through Time project.