Echo from the Buttes: Honoring tradition, culture and heritage
A rite of passage for Sun Devils for more than 80 years, Echo from the Buttes is one of the oldest ASU traditions to welcome new students each fall. This year’s event was no different, continuing the long-standing tradition of inviting students to hike up ‘A’ Mountain to paint the large gold letter ‘A’ white as a symbol of a fresh start.
“To me, Echo from the Buttes represents being welcomed into a longstanding community. Starting college can be overwhelming, but Echo from the Buttes is how we demonstrate to new students they won’t do this alone,” Preston Swan, director of marketing and communications for the ASU Alumni Association, said. “They are part of a tradition that spans generations, and that no matter how they got here, they are all Sun Devils now.”
‘A’ Mountain is situated in the Hayden Butte, which is a sacred place for local tribes, including the Ak-Chin Indian Community, Tohono O'odham Nation, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Gila River Indian Community. An important aspect of Echo from the Buttes is to honor these tribes and their sacred ancestral land, with each event beginning with an indigenous blessing and a land acknowledgement.
Following the blessing and land acknowledgment, students hike up the mountain together to the large letter, where they are given white paint to forever leave their imprint on the iconic 'A'.
“I think everyone should attend Echo from the Buttes because it’s such a great opportunity to meet new people while doing an activity that is almost sacred to ASU,” Raquel Lopez Anchia, an industrial engineering senior ASU student and marketing director for the Student Alumni Association, said. “Every single person hiking that mountain is experiencing the beginning of a new chapter of their life, which creates such a great atmosphere to create new friendships.”
The ‘A’ is repainted in gold before the first home Sun Devil football game of the season, restarting the cycle of new beginnings for another year.