Blessings in crafts of southwest Indigenous origins and narrative

From the visions and dreams of my Hopi ancestry I create ear adornments. Life as a Dine'/ Hopi female being is a blessing, I am never without great appreciation for this identity from the beauty of the Southwest.

Each earring I create is inspired by the ancestral items that have been seen at sacred sites such as Chaco Canyon in New Mexico but also in other still inhabited areas of the Pueblo people, including Hopi.

My late maternal grandfather, Alfred Yazzie Sr., carried and shared the family oral history of life at Chaco before the U.S. National Park system tool it over in the 1930s. It is from this narrative that I still inspired to create such beauty items of my paternal grandfather's lineage at Hopi.

As a modern southwest artisan, I feel very blessed to carry on the tradition and craft of making cultural jewerly adornments. I never take my abilities and cultural knowledge for granted. I am happy to make these earrings, for I don't who will? Such crafts need to be passed on to the coming generations so our collective narratives do not leave us. Blessings, Venaya Yazzie

Brother Peltier pardoned! Thank you, Creator, our Brother Leonard is FREE!!!!

Native Art Voices of the 4Corners Podcast: Artists Voices of NM. AZ. CO, UT

Ya'ashjaachi'li, this is the season of 'melting /baking snow.' A response to nature and how the climate manages the elements such as snow. Within the Dine' ways of being, there traditionally was not calendar that was based on Euro-American concepts of time passage. Instead the Dine' people's lives were wrapped in the state of the seasons approching and passing. In the high desert lands of the Dine' people, near the four corners communities of New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Utah the Dine' exisit in a myriad of 'seasons.' While most of the snow patterns occur in southwest Colorado near the area of Mt. Hesperus and in regions of southeast Utah In northwest New Mexico though the sun shines most of the 365 days and in the winter the nights are frigid, but not alot of snow cover. I mention this weather experience because of this season that my people, the Dine' call Ya'ashjaachi'li. The Dine' language is a very-oriented language, a living language! Among my people, speaking the mother tongue is partake in the never-ending concept of creation. When we speak Dine', we are in essence continuing the story of our lifetimes, our Dine' existence. I know I was very fortunate to have my great-grand parents and maternal grandparents by my side for most of my pre-adult and mature adult life. From there sharing of knowledge and experiences of life in the eastern region of the Navajo nation, I learned by participation and via listening to my elderly community of individuals. As a Dine' woman with Hopi lineage from my paternal grandfather, I now contstantly seek out first person knowledge in my research. In 2025 I plan to continue my efforts of speaking to the elderly people of my four corners community not only through visits with them, but also via the podcast that I produce called Native Art Voices of the 4Corners. This podcast is made possible through funding by the Northwest New Mexico Arts Council and in co-operation with KSJE 90.9 FM community radio at San Juan College. By engaging with Native/ Indigenous artists of NM, UT, CO and AZ stories are told about the act of creating art. From elder's who are silversmiths, to young generations contemporary painters, the podcast places focus on their craft, their skills, their inspiration!

You can tune into the interviews globally at the provided link below. .......................................................................................................>>>>>>--------------------------> NATIVE ART VOICES 4CORNERS PODCAST: ................................<----------------------------<<<<<<<<<<<<<<.......................... Many voices, many stories to celebrate in 2025! Stay tuned in.

Venaya Yazzie to speak at Bears Ears Education Center, UT

Participation in Bears Ears Partnership in Bluff, UT in November.

Link to Register:

Southwest Jewelry Adornment Talk/Workshop in Aztec, NM

Grateful so share my southwest tribal people's narrative to the topic of adornment cultural practices with the community. Blessings All Around. VJY

Sisterhood in Navajoland - Dinétáh

Among the Diné, the Navajo (as many people know us), sisterhood is a sacred state of being. Sisterhood is female and always about k'é, family and female relationship(s). In the Diné philosophy the female being is always associated with "life." In the Diné sisterhood, the girl, the woman is considered a matriarch among her family unit and tribal clan relationships, she is the keeper of the ways of women and of the language of females.

Tribal Diné sisterhood is tied to nurturing the family, when a daughter is born she is called "amá yazhí," or "little mother" which means she too becomes the keeper of the children, her siblings and Diné clan cousins. A Diné girl is born into a wealth of culture and language of women, she is already "rich" in her culture. In the Diné sisterhood we have distinct expressions for our younger and older sisters in our family. The middle girl has to address her sisters of different ages ranges uniquely. She calls her younder sister, "déézhí" or my sister "shidéézhí." In the same respect she addresses her older sister as "adí" or "shadí" - "my older sister."

In the Diné epistemology we are contstantly immersed in family and our acknowledgment of our familial relationships of both male and female, but it is vital that we respect our sacred matriarchhy in the beautyful southwest. Blessings above, behind, below, above- VJYAZZIE 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

What is Matriarchland?

What is Matriarchland? Totá is the traditional Diné (Navajo) place name for what was later named Farmington in the designated San Juan Valley located in northwest New Mexico, USA. This cultural landscape is the original traditional Diné (Navajo) homelands of the People. The land, landmarks, plants, trees and waters encompass a wealthy cultural history of the Diné, but also to other Indigenous people: Jicarilla Apache, Southern Ute, and various Pueblo groups. As a multi-disciplinary artist and poet I can trace the oral history of my family’s matriarchs in this place. The land is a part of our identity and epistemologies. We will always be a part of this land, it is ours and we think of the places as our family. This photograph was designed by Venaya Yazzie who is the originator of the concept of “Matriarchland” which expressed that in the land of Diné (Navajo), belongs to the female members of each Diné familial clanship. Be Matriarch,

VJ Yazzie, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Southwest Poetry Gathering in Totá - Matriarchland

Poets Venaya Y., Sonja H., Mia S., and Landon S. stand in front of the historic Totah Theatre in downtown Farmington, NM.

In celebration of America’s recognition of National Native American Heritage month the Northwest New Mexico Arts Council hosted a poetry reading and writing workshop in historic downtown Totá (Farmington), New Mexico, USA. Among the featured poets were: Mia Sutanto (Zuni/ Indonesian Chinese), Sonja Horoshko, Landon Succo (Navajo) and Venaya Yazzie (Dine'/Hopi). This cultural event was made possible by grants from: National Poetry Foundation, Connie Gotsch Foundation, Northwest New Mexico Arts Council.

This day-long event included a poetry and writing workshop lead by Venaya Yazzie. Also, the event included a book fair and arts fair. There is gratefulness for such an event in the Totá (Farmington), New Mexico community.