 |
| Heirloom Navajo-made turquoise cluster watch bracelet Photo by Yazzgrl 2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED |
Everything big or little - has a story. This, in the Dine' world is called 'hane,'
My life as a child was surrounded by stories. They were the most beautiful stories that originated from the mouths of my desert matriarchs. As far back as I can recall, I close my eyes and can picture the silhouette of my maternal great grandmother Louise Begay Werito. I can see her in my mindseye, sitting on the porch of her eastern Dine' home, and she is talking, talking about 'life.'
My childhood was nourished by her Navajo-tongue, her expressions and glottal tones, almost like a narrator in a grand history book. My 'masani' Louise did not speak English, instead she spoke the most sacred language on this earth; her being was the language of her ancestors. Just the thought her her brings a lump in my throat because now as an adult I truly appreciate what she was all about. She was a sovereign Navajo woman, she was a survivor, she was the embodiment of Navajo 'hozho.' These memories of keep of her offer me that peace of mind I need at times, her voice still lingers on the rims of my ears, I can hear her - smile at me...
The monsoon rains of the late 70s on the high desert dirt and sand and sagebrush are also among the memories of my shared life with my matriarchs and numerous cousins at Huerfano, New Mexico. And too is the beautiful blue of my grandmother's turquoise and silver jewelry.
I share this image of an heirloom Navajo-made turquoise cluster watch bracelet that belongs to my maternal grandmother, but it is one that is on its journey to soon rest on my wrist. As my grandmother says, she is 'shrinking' in golden years and so this bracelet is not fitting as it used to. The other day she asked me to put it on, and wouldn't you know it fit perfectly on my brown wrist. I know with the look in her gleaming eyes that she said, 'your bracelet.'
When I look at my grandmother' s 'adornment' collection I see many stories they carry with them. Each piece, whether a pair of earrings or a necklace carries a tale of how they came to be and how they made their way to my 'masani's' life. Its a story just like my great-grandmother's, full of expression and history. I love that this is so because I know when I wear them I too become a part of the continued 'hane'.
Origin is our roots, this is our story.
By Venaya J. Yazzie 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
