Kiva will honor Fort Lewis College alumna

The view from Rim Drive that stretches beyond Durango’s rooftops is naturally contemplative, but the Mallin family hopes a new stone kiva will help bring people together to enjoy it.

Friends and family of Natanya Joy Mallin-Jameson are building a kiva in her memory near the Lions Den, an overlook along Rim Drive where some picnic in the stone shelter.

Mallin-Jameson grew up in Durango and graduated from Fort Lewis College before she died of a rare form of cancer on Feb. 14, 2014. She was 27.

“Natanya was all about relationships and building relationships, and that is what this structure is about,” said David Mallin, her father.

It is being paid for with money raised for Mallin-Jameson’s medical expenses that was not used. Construction started in May, and a public dedication is set for Sunday, although some landscaping work remains to be done.

“This is a gift back to Durango from us,” Mallin said.

Mallin considered putting in metal benches but was later inspired by the kivas at Mesa Verde National Park built by the ancestral Puebloans for religious purposes. Nat’s Kiva, a few hundred feet down the city trail from the stone shelter, is not a replica of Puebloan kivas because it is built above ground and different techniques were used.

The walls are built without mortar with a slight inward tilt, so that it will fall in on itself and get tighter over time, said Matt Norton, founder of Durango Dry Stone.

“It has the potential to last for generations on generations,” he said.

The floor features stone art. At the center is a white heart surrounded by a spiral made of red and purple stones on a white background.

It will remain without a roof so visitors can enjoy the scenery.

Mallin-Jameson’s husband, Ryan Jameson, said it is an appropriate tribute because it overlooks her hometown, where many of her friends and family live.

“She is gone, but her energy is completely living on through everyone she touched,” Jameson said.

Mallin-Jameson graduated from FLC with a degree in psychology and later attended the Aveda Institute in Denver, where she achieved her licensed cosmetology degree.

“She thought she could reach more people in a salon chair than on a couch. She also had a passion for bringing out people’s inner joy,” Mallin said.

mshinn@durangoherald.com

Public dedication

An open kiva gathering will be from 1 to 5 p.m. today. The kiva is just east of the Lions Den, on the trail that goes along Rim Drive.

Mariana’s Authentic Cuisine will be sold in the Lions Den.