Yazzgrl Art in L.A., Cali

Yazzgrl Art booth at the annual Autry Museum Indian Market in Los Angeles, CA
Photo by VJYAZZIE 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

It's November so 'Rock Your Mocs!'

Go out and "Rock Your Mocs!"
Photo by VJYAZZIE 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The life of a 21st century Indigenous person of the America's (a.k.a. the US), is filled with a plethora of life experiences which include living a life in the status quo of America's urban and rural life and also dwelling within the Indigenous communities of reservation and close community life all across the 'Indin Country.'

November has been designated National Native American month, and has been adopted by many educational institutions and thus classrooms and as a result many are amidst celebrating the act of Indigenous adornment. One of these practices is the wearing of tribal footgear via the Indigenous moccasin.

Pictured here are my feet and my desert-style moccasins.  This image was taken as a "selfie" moment while I was visited the family home on the eastern region of the Navajo Nation in northwest New Mexico.  This style of desert moccasin is made with dyed cowhide leather and is fashioned with a thick and hardy leather sole.  Traditionally this type of moccasin was worn by all Navajo and Pueblo people, but now many of us wear sneakers or other fashion-heavy shoes.

This type of moccasin is unique only the the southwest desert Indigenous people which include: Pueblo and Navajo tribal people. Both men and women wear basically the same type of moccasin, but there are some differences in styles.  This style of moccasin pictured fits up to the mid-calf, and is a popular style worn by both men and women.  There are also ankle size moccasins and strictly women's only style of moccasins with deer skin hide that wrap around the calf.

The style of each moccasin is truly unique, and is not only aesthetically pleasing but also is utilitarian in nature. The longer moccasins were made and worn to protect the legs from brush and other plant life that could hurt the wearer.  The southwest Indigenous style of moccasins also concern the spiritual and cultural belief system of each tribal group.

So, on behalf of November as National Native American Heritage month I share this information as a means of celebration and education.  So, celebrate your Indigenous heritage and support and go out and "Rock Your Mocs!"

Blessings in ALL things.

posted 11-14-17

By Venaya Yazzie

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Neo Southwest

Neo Southwest Earrings by Venaya Yazzie
Photo courtesy of VJYAZZIE 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

These are my 'newest' Indi.Ear earring designs.  I really admire them.

The passion I carry for designing and creating modern Indigenous southwest jewelry items is 'rooted' in the vast and strong history of my Indigenous tribal identity.  This design was inspired by the ancient Hopi Pueblo "mosiac" style of jewelry-making. In this pair of earrings I have chosen to use the abalone shell as the main element of the earrings. The other included materials include: heishe shell beads, mother-of-pearl shell and desert turquoise.  The backing of the earrings is a wooded rectangular piece and the earrings are finished with sterling silver wire and french hook.

For the contemporary southwest Indigenous person, wearing cultural jewelry is much more than just "dressing," for it concerns the spiritual and also respect for the ways of our ancestors and the belief system.

I make these pieces in many ways as an homage to my desert People, the Dine' and the Hopi.

Blessings.

posted 11-14-17
By Venaya J. Yazzie
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I am rooted in the high-desert southwestern Indigenous tribal people

My existence in the 21st century.
Photo by VENAYA YAZZIE 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

                      }}}}} - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - >

My life as a Dine'/ Hopi woman is a truly sacred existence. Our lives as Indigenous people is a sacred existence. I am rooted in the high-desert southwestern Indigenous tribal people of what is called the 'American southwest.'  My hardy, resilient desert ancestors dwelled in the areas of what the colonizers called "New Mexico" and "Arizona."  I am the modern voice of my past ancestral history, it is a moving, living tribal voice that will never be silenced or halted.  My cultural history has already been spoken, and when I leave this earth, no one can stop that sacred story that has already lived, and will continue to exist in the canyons, valley and mesa tops of  Dinetah, Navajo land and in the land of the Hopi.

In the time of my ancestors, each individual lived a dangerous life full of wild animals, and wild lands. Yet they survived and were steadfast in their ways of 'knowing.' The southwest Indigenous Epistemology of Navajo and Hopi ancestors aided and protected them in their daily lives.  Though I'm sure there were roadblocks, and ever-present dangers, my People were steadfast and smart and they were triumphant every time.  How do I know this? Well, I am here on this earth, on this land. And, the fact that I was born, and survive and continue the legacy is who we won, how we continue our sacred stories.

In today's climate of modernity though, we the present ancestors live with new obstacles and dangers. Today, in this generation of Indigenous existence, we each guard and protect ourselves from technology and those unknown, faceless foes on the Internet.  In that 'unreal' space, there exist issues such as the fake, and stealing of personal identity, hacking and other such ill actions. So, we must be aware, be conscious, be weary, be on the 'look' for ourselves, and and behalf of our Indigenous relatives. We should all be our "Brother's Keepers" this is the legacy of our ancestral people, lets not lose this practice of empathy, for this is also our strength.

Too, we each must continue to be steadfast in protecting our Indigenous art and culture.  If there is one person who on non-Native, non-Indigenous who thinks to act upon one of us, they are acting upon ALL of  Us Indigenous! We, the new generation of Indigenous (american) tribal people are strong and not passive and not status quo, we are Warrior. We are the new voice of Indigenous in the 21st century.

Be on guard my Indigenously- Beautyful people, we are Creator's Chosen People - every breath, each step, each act, every laugh, in our inhale and exhale we are a sacred act. Truly.

Bless each other.

Venaya

posted 10-31-17

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Buy only Indigenous-made, legit Art

Genuine SW jewelry items made by Pueblo artesians of Santo Domingo Pueblo, USA

Fine Art, Mixed Media, Cultural art/crafts made only by Indigenous people is legit product.

Don't be fooled by those people outside of the Indigenous Nations who are making counterfeit items and then claiming and selling those products as "Native American" or "Made by Native America." These are only two examples of phrases used to sell fake "Indian," and Indigenous-made art.

The world or Indigenous art and the cultural crafts is under great attack in the year 2017.  There are a plethora of non-Native, non-Indigenous, non-Navajo entities who are blatantly copying our art esthetic in our visual and jewelry art.  The current countries that have made moves on this ill-practice of stealing and creating fake "Indian/ Native American Art" include: Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, China among others.

I have recently been in a conversation with a Dine' (Navajo) jeweler who understands this dilemma that the Navajo people, Navajo artesian, Navajo Nation as a whole is dealing with. This state of stealing and re-creating fake Navajo jewelry items is a sick practice by those who have appropriated my Navajo culture and innate artistic abilities to made counterfeit cultural items.

Please, please do not buy these fake items. Please report the sellers as it is illegal to sell fake "Indian or Native American" art. The Indian Arts and Craft Act of 1990 exists to protect Indigenous people. Here is an some information from the website:

https://www.doi.gov/iacb/act

"The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-644) is a truth-in-advertising law that prohibits misrepresentation in marketing of Indian arts and crafts products within the United States. It is illegal to offer or display for sale, or sell any art or craft product in a manner that falsely suggests it is Indian produced, an Indian product, or the product of a particular Indian or Indian Tribe or Indian arts and crafts organization, resident within the United States. For a first time violation of the Act, an individual can face civil or criminal penalties up to a $250,000 fine or a 5-year prison term, or both. If a business violates the Act, it can face civil penalties or can be prosecuted and fined up to $1,000,000.

Under the Act, an Indian is defined as a member of any federally or officially State recognized Indian Tribe, or an individual certified as an Indian artisan by an Indian Tribe.

The law covers all Indian and Indian-style traditional and contemporary arts and crafts produced after 1935. The Act broadly applies to the marketing of arts and crafts by any person in the United States. Some traditional items frequently copied by non-Indians include Indian-style jewelry, pottery, baskets, carved stone fetishes, woven rugs, kachina dolls, and clothing.

All products must be marketed truthfully regarding the Indian heritage and tribal affiliation of the producers, so as not to mislead the consumer. It is illegal to market an art or craft item using the name of a tribe if a member, or certified Indian artisan, of that tribe did not actually create the art or craft item..."

Be vigilant, be smart when investing and purchasing Indigenous (aka, Native American, Indian art).
When you can buy directly from the seller/artist, and ask questions about the art piece especially when you are buying southwestern Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Pueblo jewelry.  Make sure it is sold as genuine.


Bless.

Neo-Indigenous Adornment

Here are some items that the neo-Indigenous person adorns with.  We are still here, we are steadfast, we are strong.

Venaya Speaks!

Fort Lewis College has hosted this event for many years now, and with it a plethora of visiting Indigenous speakers, artists, educators and performers.  This year I will be speaking and leading a workshop titled:

Decolonizing Their Feminism Via Indigenous Epistemology.

Here is info from their FLC site:

 Her workshop will be offered both at 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the La Plata Room and is called: "Decolonizing their Feminism via indigenous Epistemology." The conscious cultural awareness of the Desert Matriarch concerns the Epistemology of Navajo and Pueblo societies of women as intrinsic 'leaders' in their communities. We as 21st century women must re-ignite this concept in our modernity as an act of decolonizing, especially away from the alien Euro-American concept of feminism

Please visit my website  which features more information on my workshops and speaking services and engagements below.

Venaya Speaks!

Dine and the 'Creative-way'

Navajo art made by an young artist Benally from Arizona community
Photo by Venaya Yazzie 2017

As Dine', as modern Navajo people, we have been given vast gifts from Creator, Dyiin.  Many of us recognize this, but many do not.

I was born into a highly tactile-oriented family. A large group of my family and relatives are very creative and therefore "make" items. This is the legacy of the Navajo clan of the Manyhogans people. Our related animal is the Otter, and we are always ensure we "busy" with our hands, we are therefore not idle people.  Many of the Manyhogans people I know are artists, they consist of: painters, potters, silversmiths, weavers, basketmakers and seamstress' among others.

My own family practices many of these activities, its in our DNA passed down to us from our ancestors, from out desert patriarchs via grandfathers, nalis, uncles....and too, through our matriarchs such as our grandmothers, mothers, aunts, cousin-sisters.

I share this with you as I am inspired by the new generation of Navajo artists. During the annual Window Rock Navajo Nation Fair I was able to purchase some new acquisitions from a young Navjao woman painter. I cannot recall her first name, but her last name is Benally. She is from the Window Rock, AZ community an made the two mini paintings I share.  I really adore her "vision" in her colorful, fun depiction of Navajo women. I really believe we are a blessed people with grand visions of Beatuy in our bloodline.  We as Dine' create and perpetuate 'Beautyway' when we make art. This, I believe, is the grand plan of our Creator.

Blessings in all Art things!

posted 09-21-17

by Venaya Yazzie

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

where i wander (poem by venaya)

where i wander
the road is like the sound of female rain
i wander her curved lines
in and out
of reality
of this dimension

Homelands
Photo by Venaya Yazzie 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

this path is like the sound of mother's voice
it lingers in the veins of my eardrum
softly thundering the hues
of creation.

i am the child of desert flora and sage fauna
i am the color of blue in the bow of rainbow. i am
the daughter of the early dawning mist
that settles
on the shiny surface of sandstone red mesa.


i am manyhogans nomadic clan
of monsoon rains
filling, overflowing in puddles of twilight summer.

my brown feet remember the chaotic trek
to this
world of glittering mountains and portals
leading back to our ancestral memory.

my 21st century blood washes through my blue and purple
veins
but the memory they share with the line of cedar bark
carries songs like the longing of coyote for winter.

Navajoland Portal
Photo by Venaya Yazzie 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

the dirt i wander upon
draws the sand from the crevices of first world
i am the new breath of my matriarchs.

-venaya yazzie-




Posted 9-14-17
by Venaya Yazzie
Original poem by Venaya Yazzie
2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Desert Matriarch Earrings by Venaya Yazzie

Desert Matriarch Earrings by Venaya Yazzie
Photo by Yazzgrl Art 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I've adored the historical photographs available in books and online.  I was inspired by those images and began creating these earring adornments about five or so years ago.  Since then the process and method in making these has changed, but the concept stays the same.

Desert Matriarch Earrings by Venaya Yazzie
Photo by Yazzgrl Art 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I currently have these new designs available. They can be viewed on my Squareup site store at:

Desert Matriarch Earrings by Yazzgrl Art

Earring 'Adornments' - The Beaded Kind.

Beaded earring adornments made by Yazzgrl Art
Photo by Venaya Yazzie 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Greetings.

As I've posted previously, I learned to bead from a Oglala Lakota friend from IAIA back when we were students at the old CSF campus in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Since then I've beaded plenty of things including powwow regalia, clothing and jewelry items.

I share this image of my recent completed earring adornments. These pieces are made with 13" Charlotte cut beads and dyed shell ornaments, and are finished with Kidney wire hooks. I am currently in the process of working on others with the same concept and hues in mind.

Please visit my Squareup store site at:

Yazzgrl Beaded Adornments

Blessings.

Posted 9-14-17
by Venaya Yazzie 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

A blessing to see my Navajo people

Navajo Traditional Song and Dance participants in Window Rock, Arizona
Photo by Venaya Yazzie 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The season is nearing fall, or some call it autumn. For the Navajo people, this season concerns new beginnings, especially in the area of harvest season and family concerns.

I was able to be present in the "heart of the Navajo Nation" in Window Rock, Arizona for the annual Navajo Nation fair this weekend. My senses were open to new experiences both visually and spiritually.

My 'adornment' past is embedded in the the traditional Dine' Song and Dance dance arena when I first started dancing in 1997.  I was first gifted some regalia by a former Miss Navajo Nation contestant who is now an elder, who have me a Navajo-style sash belt and a Navajo hair bundle hair adornment. For me this was a "sign" from Creator telling me that was my call to begin dancing among my people.

The modern Navajo Song and Dance is a loose reflection of part of the Dine' ceremony called 'N'daa' which is a Blessing ceremony. This area of the larger ceremony is the social-time of the ritual, where Navajo people dress their best, and choose their dancing partners to dance with. In many ways its is a time when young, unmarried Navajo men and women have an opportunity to socialize with each other, with a hope of making a possible match. But, in the modern era it has become a way to win in competition.

I love attending the Navajo Song and Dance as it is a blessing to see the Navajo people in their full Indigenous Adornment. From infants to the elders, most every participant is dressed their best as they dance with their partners in the arena.

I share this image to give you a taste of the grandeur of the Navajo adornment by two participants this weekend.

Many Blessings!

Posted 9-11-17

by Venaya Yazzie

All Rights Reserved

Hope and Trauma in a Poisoned Land

My art installation at the Coconino Center for the Arts, Flagstaff, AZ
Photo: Venaya Yazzie 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The reality of Uranium contamination became real for me last year.  I was a part of a group of artists, both Navajo and non-Navajo, who visited the western region of the Navajo Nation reservation last year. We all experienced first-hand the poisoned land near the communities of: Cameron and Grey Mountain, Arizona. And, we all were able to sense an overlying oppression of the land by Uranium left by the government and by private mining entities in the years 1944-1986.

Although they have all left the contamination behind, uranium tailing still remain on the land and in the air via open, abandoned mines, and open pits where contaminated water used to be held.  This only one version of the plethora of injustices that have been done to Indigenous peoples and their ancestral lands. In Navajoland, this site is one of many that have been left for the new generations of Navajo people to deal with and live with.

As a participant in this group exhibition Hope and Trauma in a Poisoned Land, I was able to contribute this posted art installation. For me, this experience was eye-opening, and I was physically, emotionally and spiritually affected by my visit to western Navajo. This art installation concerned a visual depiction of the life of  a Navajo in a contaminated land. I used the ochre color hue to express the presence of what has been called "yellowcake," which is uranium. 

You can visit the exhibition in person through October in Flagstaff at the Coconino Center for the Arts, and or visit their website:

Uranium in Navajoland

The realness of this situation is pure sadness, and I can offer my prayers for protection.


Posted 9-8-17
VENAYA YAZZIE
ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 2017

A continuance of 'hozho'

Ancestral ways of living via the Navajo loom
Photo by Venaya Yazzie 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The things we do as Indigenous People is our resilience.

In the everyday life activities we perpetuate, we are growing stronger. The was in which we as southwest desert people enact our traditions, we are pursuing and attaining the goodway of life that our Creator gifted to us.

As Navajo women, we continue the matriarch tradition of weaving. The entire process of weaving is enacting the intangible concept of 'Beautyway' to a very tactile, tangible form via: the Navajo woman's loom, her weaving tools, the wool she uses and the design that this is imagining in her mind's eye.

All the ways we are as Navajo people, is the perpetuation of 'creation.' Even our Navajo tongue, our language is a continuance of 'creation' - the Navajo world is always in constant motion. So, with that knowledge, many of us work to stay balanced and thus keep the faith in our philosophy of 'hozho.'

As a Navajo woman who was raised up by my maternal grandmother, I was given the knowledge of the Navajo woman's weaving way of life, via the weaving tools. As an adult it is my responsibility to enact the ways of the Navajo weaving way. No one is saying, "You need to weave." I must be proactive and just do it.

I captured a moment in our home here in this photograph. In it you can see the Navajo loom and above it you can see my great grandparents. The history they established and left is for me to live from and by. I must be steadfast in my ways, this is a continuance of 'hozho' - it is my resilience!

Posted 9-7-17
VENAYA YAZZIE
ALLRIGHTS RESERVED 2017

Navajo Doll-making

Navajo Doll made by YazzGrl Art
Photo by Venaya Yazzie
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2017

As many may be aware of my blog Indigenous Adornment is dedicated to the southwestern perspective of cultural adornment. This concept is open to all aspects of 'adornment' and therefore I would like to share some of my family's new creative flow via the Navajo Doll.

Having been raised in a family of matriarchs who design and create their own garments, I also have picked up this skill. Sometimes I make cultural clothing, fashionably bags and purses and sometimes I or we all make cultural clothing for dolls.

These 'dolls' are usually purchased from retail stores and then we in a sense "re-create" them as Navajo dolls. We make their culturally-based garments, jewelry and also give them a traditional Indigenous hairstyle.  I many ways we do make-overs for the average doll and 'beauty-fy' them by dressing and adorning them in Navajo regalia.

This doll I one envisioned by me, but a community of the women in my family contributed to her final look.  I purchased this doll because I just fell in love with her face.  She reminded of those historical photographs of Navajo children dressed to the "nines" in their Navajo dress and jewelry. This joint effort of clothing, moccasins, jewelry and tiny Bluebird flour sack bag were all hand-sewn. 

i will have entered this Navajo Doll in my state's fair and also have plans to showcase her in the local Navajo Nation fair exhibit.

Truly it is a blessing to share the act of sewing with my matriarchs, and I am thankful for the new opportunities to make more things with them.

In a good way.

by Venaya Yazzie

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2017

We Are the Seeds Indigenous Art Market, Santa Fe, NM

Venaya painting her art designs on clothing attire for a Fashion Show
Photo courtesy of Venaya Yazzie
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2017

August 17-19, 2017

The inaugural show, We Are the Seeds Indigenous Art Market took place in Santa Fe, NM  this past weekend. I was an artist participant where I showcased and sold my original Yazzgrl Art.

Many activities occurred from Thursday to Saturday at this Indigenous market at the Railyard District of the Santa Fe community. It  was at this time that I was able to also be a participant in an Indigenous Fashion show on Friday. Some area fashion designers made garments of raw duck canvas and asked women artists to paint upon the garments. I was able to paint my artwork on a skirt garment made by Navajo designer Jolonzo Goldtooth of JGindie Designs.

Venaya Yazzie  original  art designs on clothing attire made by JGindie
Photo courtesy of Venaya Yazzie
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2017

This is the art image I produced on the skirt made by Jolonzo. I chose to paint a figure of a woman, herself 'adorned' in her "fashionable" clothing and too, with the desert stars around her.  I really liked the way this turned out, and am even now inspired to make my own garments, or accessories in which I can paint upon.

Venaya posed with model wearing JGindie attire at the Fashion Show
Photo courtesy of Venaya Yazzie
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2017

This photo depicts me with the Navajo model who is wearing the entire garment, the models who wore all the garments made by the Indigenous fashion designers visited the artists booths after the show. The skirt I painted upon is pictured on the model. I was very grateful to have been a participant in this event during the event.

Blessings

Balance

Photo of sweetgrass and eagle wind fan
PHOTO BY VENAYA YAZZIE 2017
All Rights Reserved

Balance.

For me this presence is essential in my life.  I strive and am conscious of keeping life 'in balance' so that I may be able to be healthy in mind, spirit and body. As an Indigenous person this essence is who I am, it's an internal tool, one that is just known to many.

I hope August finds you well and in a good way. I send you blessings and hopes for the coming change of seasons soon.

Blessings all around.

VJY

2017

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

'Walking in a good way'

'hózhó naashá - walking in a good way'

Photo by Venaya Yazzie 2017

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Hózhó naashá - this is a true, distinct Diné expression.

When I dress in my desert woman's cultural attire, my way of being, and thinking changes.  I am no longer just a mere woman in America, instead I become a spiritual being that the ancestors and Creator really 'see.'

I am a member of the Diné  southwestern Indigenous people becuase I was born from a Diné woman. As a matrilineal society, we are Diné from the mother's bloodline.

Cultural Indigenous adornment is everything to me. I know who I am when I wear my matriarchal attire, there is nothing that can compare to this way of being.  It's beyond usual. And I am blessed.

VJY

2017

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

some hané

+

this land in the marrow of my bones
this sky in the rim of my desert ears 
this turquoise lives in the stories of my birth.

+

-venaya yazzie-

2017

Empowered Dine' Women

With Miss Navajo Teen at Women's conference today.
Shiprock, NM

Coordinators of the conference: Miranda, Shirley and Karen
Shiprock, NM 2017

What a wonderful day I had in Shiprock, NM! I attended and presented at the 9th Annual Celebration of Women conference today.

The blessing was just in being present to share and spend time with a diverse group of Navajo women of all generations.  The narratives of each woman was medicine and the perpetuated dialogue was all about having and giving 'love' to each other by way of language and in prayers.

The attendees who attended are now some very empowered Dine' Women! There was much healing and affirmations of good ways throughout the day, and to the celebration of the Dine Matriarch, the warrior-women in all of us.

Many thanks to the Northwest New Mexico Arts Council for making my attendance and presentation possible, and also to Shirley Montoya.

Shil nizhon.

Hádít’é: Lifeways of the Desert Matriarch Southwest Workshop

Please contact me via email

for inquiries concerning this cultural presentation

and visit my site here:

Indigenous Adornment Workshop



Her 'Beautyway'

Female Navajo child with lamb
Photo source Internet
Photographer Unknown

This image has made its way across the Internet for some time now, I do not know the photographer but assume it was captured by a non-Navajo person visiting the area. The era of this scene seems to be maybe during the 1930s-1950s.

There are many assumptions that can be made by quickly viewing this image, but if one takes the time to really "see" the image, it tells its story to the viewer.  It depicts a young Diné (Navajo) female child sitting outdoors with a lamb in her lap.  She is 'adorned'  in her southwest desert tribal clothing with cultural adornments on her shirt.  It is a cute capture to be sure, but for me it also shows the engagement of tribal sovereignty, not so intentionally  by her, but of those who consciously dressed her.

Even in modern society many people assume that the Diné are an intact culture, but sadly we are amidst American colonization. Its true that the year 1492 was documented as "first contact" for many Indigenous people living in the eastern coast and into Florida and Puerto Rico. But for the Indigenous desert dwellers of the now labeled 'American Southwest' "first contact" was not that long ago.  It was the Spaniards who first approached the Indigenous lands of the area. In 1535 under the direction of Spaniard Cabeza de Vaca the Europeans began their trek of the coast of Texas to displace and perpetuate grand acts of violence upon the southwestern 'first footprint' people.

For my Diné  the first encounters with the Spanish happened around 1540 by conquistador Coronado, who trespassed on Indigenous lands in the area of what we call Dinétah, near present day Navajo Dam area in northwest New Mexico. And at that the early Diné  ancestors did their best to stay clear of the newcomers.  But in 1864 the Euro-American government leader Kit Carson engaged a forced march of Diné  from Arizona to a prison internment camp in central New Mexico at Fort Sumner near present day Santa Rose, NM. The Diné  were held hostage at this prison till 1865 when the Diné  leaders spoke up and insisted we be allowed to go 'home' to our ancestral lands. This was a time of great suffering, violence and death. But we endured and kept faith and hope and today my Diné  are stedfast in perpetuating their existence.

I share this story because it lingers in this image of a young Navajo girl with her lamb.  Every image you see of a Navajo man or women, this story is with them, it is their aura if you will. This history is what is called the Long Walk of the Navajos, for us it is expressed as Hweeldi, 'the time of sorrows.' Just like this image of this child, it is in our Diné  DNA, it will never leave us, it is the reason for our present existence in the 21st century.  Though this trauma can have a great many ill effects, many of the Diné  keep it as a reminder that we have endured and can keep existing as Diné  people in a modern world.

This image of a Diné  child 'adorned' in her tribal adornment depicts how we have endured and taken parts of the American culture and thus used it for our survival. Historically, the Diné  have adopted the used of velveteen  and calico cotton to make their garments both for men and women. This child wears a velveteen blouse, I assume a handmade garment by her matriarchs and also a tiered-shirt with ribbon or ric-rac  edging. Her shirt is 'adorned' with silver buttons, which was a mainstay for Diné  clothing in this era.

Though this child may have not be aware of her act of decolonization, she is the inspiration for a Diné  women living in 2017 -  she sits in her 'Beautyway.' She is my muse, and she is my faith that my Diné  will continue to be strong and steadfast in keeping hold of the culture of our ancestors who came before us.

Blessings in all things.

By Venaya J. Yazzie 2017

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Our tribal attire is not your fashion trend

Close up view of an heirloom Zuni Pueblo-style stranded
necklace with bird adornments.
Photo by Venaya Yazzie 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

In my opinion modern Euro-American "fashion" and its politics has no connection to cultural fashion of the Indigenous tribal peoples of 21st century people.

First of all Indigenous clothing and 'regalia' is not about perpetuation of "fashion" in America.  Instead Our tribal clothing attire concerns the spiritual. Yes, many of the tribal people of the Americas have adopted the fabrics or textiles of contemporary culture, but that is only due to aspects of Euro-American colonization affects of the current generations. We have survived colonization and it is true that many of us are still amidst the process of assimilation, but be sure we survive with our traditions of adornment culture intact. This expression does not merely press the tangible aspects but it also concerns the spiritual concepts of our tribal adornment.

Our garments we make concern story, they are our oral histories made into shirts and skirts. The additions of silver, shell, elk teeth, turquoise, whatever it may be, are our prayers intended to bring protection and blessings to the wearer of the garment.

Specifically here in the high-desert southwest, Navajo and Pueblo communities are very aware of this philosophy. Too ensure our survival of our tribal existence and identity in our current tribal garments we pray and visualize our direct ancestral designs given to us, and being the motions of 'creation' of these beautiful garments.  For the Navajo women, we make our wool rug dresses of our warrior matriarchs, and weave ancient land and storm cloud patterns to keep us strong and protected. For the Pueblo, they work in cloud designs to their garments in order to page homage and instill teaching about the connection of land and rain.

I speak only from experience as a Navajo/Hopi person. I cannot speak for all the other 500+ tribal nations across the country. But, I do know we all have connection in our tribal belief systems and that many parallels exist. 

Secondly, our Indigenous expression via our garments and jewelry are not fashionable trends that mainstream American society is about. Our tribal clothing is not and never should be meant to be "trendy." I say this as it was understood and passed to me via my elders and matriarchs. Yet, I have seen and currently see how globally non-Indigenous people have illegally taken our tribal designs and clothing styles.

This type of tribal appropriation is what we have to deal with as Indigenous people in 2017 - we must keep up our guard in all areas of our culture to ensure our distinct identity and designs.

Thirdly, the American fashion industry concerns American consumerism and materialistic tendencies.  The mass production of garments ensures that poor Third World countries keep up the forced labor and low wage garment factories just so a majority of entitled Americans can all wear name-brand products.  The homogenization of America's fashion is a sad tale, for it means that everyone should be the same, basic and 'safe,' a concept that does not in anyway reflection the diversity in our tribal people's viewpoints and overall Indigenous epistemologies.

The truth is that the Indigenous tribal clothing and jewelry of the Americas is about keeping the spiritual vision and 'medicine' of the souls of the People intact. The Indigenous tribal clothing and jewelry we have made and continue to create is Our armor,  Our distinct tribal designs are Our strength. By wearing these items we are collectively stating that we are alive, we are surviving and moving forward with our tribal ways and identity.

Be sure we are not the "vanishing race" that Edward Curtis labeled us, instead we are stronger, brighter, and more enlightened than ever. That is and always how Creator intended it all to be.

Perpetuate Beautyways everytime.

By Venaya J. Yazzie 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

shił hózhó - happiness

 +      +      +      +

Happiness

comes

when you

believe

in what your are doing,

know

what you are doing,

and

love

what you are doing.

+      +      +      +

 quote by B. Tracy

Navajo-style hat band

Navajo-style hat band (full view)
Photo by Venaya Yazzie
2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Navajo-style hat band (detail view)
Photo by Venaya Yazzie
2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This year I have been in research mode concerning my subject of 'Indigenous Adornment' - but more specifically Diné adornment,  I have found the beauty of the unique cultural item: the Navajo Hatband.

The two images I have posted above are ones I captured of the new piece my grandmother and  I collaborated on. This hatband features a leather strap, buckle fastener and the most remarkable of all, the historic Navajo-made quarter buttons. I have had these coin buttons for some time and have used them on a velvet shirt I made. But, in this opportunity I liked the idea of adding them to make this hatband even more aesthetically pleasing.

This hatband was inspired by some historical photographs I have seen in photography books of the early Diné in Arizona Navajoland.  It seems that the 1940s - 1950s (this trend carried on into 1970s) Diné male adornment concerned the 1940s era felt Stetson cowboy hat. In many of the photographs I viewed the Diné men favored the black version of the popular cháá - Diné term for "hat."

I often write and favor discussion of Diné female adornment, but I was really intrigued by the hats worn by Diné in Navajoland in the 1940s era. 

Photo by Donald Allam Blair
Source: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/explore/glimpses-navajo-life-1950s-photographs-don-blair/

In my research I visited the National Cowboy Museum online site and discovered the photographs of Anglo photographer Donald Allam Blair from Oklahoma. He photographed the Diné  people in the community of Window Rock, Arizona in September 1955. Among the many wonderful photographs was this on of an elder Diné man 'adorned' with his hat, his earrings and traditional Diné male hairstyle.  Though you cannot see if he as a hatband on his hat, I still find this image worthy of showing an example of the type of hat worn in this era.

I for one am grateful for the non-Native photographers who captured images of my Diné people of the past - images such as this exist to inspire the new, 21st century generation of Diné people.

Blessings

By Venaya J. Yazzie 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The Animas River, my water relative

The Animas river, my water relative
Photo by Venaya Yazzie
2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I have been blessed in full abundance, for I was born in the presence of two rivers. The high-desert waters of the Animas and San Juan Rivers have always been flowing their dialogue in my ears.

The river is in my bones.  I have great adoration for the waters that flow in my community of To'ta'.  My eastern Dine' relatives trekked this land and blessed themselves with the water of the Animas and the later San Juan.

Water is life. That expression is the reality of us as humans, but it rings so true to the desert people of the Navajo and Pueblo people of New Mexico. This state is also home to the grandeur of the ancient Rio Grande river, which trials down the middle of the state to Mexico.  But, the Animas is my corner of heaven. I visit this river daily and I blessed myself with her water. This ritual for me as a Navajo/Hopi woman is prayer, it is in essence 'beautyway.'

For the most part I think mainstream, non-Indigenous America sees the rivers as a place to use for recreation. But I know that the Navajo people in this community see the river as a relative, as an extension of our K'e'.  Our Dine' clan system is primarily made up of water clans. My paternal clans are affiliate directly from water. I am therefore 'born for water.'

In 2015 the Animas river was contaminated by the abandoned mine tailings from the upstream Gold King Mine and that flow of pollution then fed into the San Juan river, which runs through the Navajo Nation in NM and UT. During that time in August 2015 our sacred desert waters turned a fowl yellow-ochre hue.  In my mind the river died that day. It was a time of mourning for many of us Navajo people, our water relative was in distress.  But, we enacted our prayers, recited in our mother tongues and we offered our humble plant medicines to her...and we hoped and waited for our beautiful water relative to return to us.
....
Perhaps she did go away from this world for a time, and then returned  from the spirit place. Since then the Animas exists and was reborn and chose life and now she is healing herself.

I believe we as Dine' should consciously visit the Animas and San Juan rivers on a daily basis, where we should offer our prayers and bless ourselves with her waters.  This is an act of respect for the water. This process is a humble way of existing, it is about our continual survival of us and of our Dine' ways.  Lets not forget.

#animasriver

Blessings.

By Venaya J. Yazzie 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED