Matriarchland. Indigenous Adornment.Happiness & Beauty All Around. Be Matriarch.

Created as an homage to my desert ancestors, I focus on the historical significance of Indigenous southwestern tribal adornment culture and the perpetuation of those adornment practices perpetuated into the 21st century. In honor of my Navajo & Hopi Pueblo People & my ancestral matriarchs, and male relatives who adorned themselves with elements of the earth. Be Matriarch. Hózhó Nashá- Beauty all Around. Venaya Yazzie

Friday, June 9, 2017

Navajo Poet - Poetry by Venaya Yazzie

#navajopoetry by #venayayazzie

This poem I authored is by far the one I am most proud of.

Its titled, sodizin, sodizin which refers to the sacred act of Navajo prayer. The term is an verb that perpetuates the act of reverence for a Navajo person.

To read the poem please visit As/Us Journal where it was published. The link is below:

sodizin, sodizin by venaya yazzie

Blessings

Navajo Poet - Venaya Yazzie - Dine'/Hopi

My life has been blessed to have poetry as a part of it.

My family and the stories I hold in memory are part of what I write about.

This capture is from a publication As/Us Journal

If you would like to visit the poetry click on Navajo Poetry link below:

Navajo Poetry

Másání’s hands are always 'busy' and 'adorned'

'Masani's hands are magic
Photo by Venaya Yazzie 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

As Diné, as Navajos I know we are blessed. My great grandparents to tell us this as young children. They seen how we were blessed with beautiful lands and glorious family. Today I see what they were talking about in my grandmother.

This week I was able to sit among the women in my family as we received and prepared wild tea most commonly referred to as 'Navajo tea.'

My másání as the leader in the process. She is always sharing her wisdom and stories with her family and friends. I snapped this image as she was engaged in wrapping or bundling the wild tea. Her hands are magic and they are always beautifully adorned with her grand turquoise.

She is blessed and we are blessed to have her in our lives.

This tea is what we call "dé'" or as "Navajo tea"

The summer has begun an so has the picking and harvesting of naturally growing wild tea. This wild tea has been used by the Navajo people, and other Indigenous tribal people, for hundreds of years. This tea is what we call "dé'" or as "Navajo tea."

The organic tea grows in the high-desert areas of the American southwest and can be found at this time of season (and throughout summer ) blooming its bright yarrow-colored flowers. When these yellow flowers are in full bloom the tea plant is ready to be harvested. The plant itself is a long, slender green plant that can grow up to 2 feet high and holds several leaves that branch off of the main stem. When harvesting this plan the Navajo way is to give an offering to the plant so that it can bless you and also grow again. Also, when picking the plant one must not pull it out by the roots, but instead should cut or break off the plant at the bottom. By doing this method one can ensure that it will grow again.

The tea must be rinsed off and prepared, many Navajo do this in several ways, but one common way is to bundle the tea and tie with a cotton string. The tea must be air dried or sun dried to ensure it will not mold. Then it can be stored in a cool, dry place throughout the year. When one is ready to drink the tea it can be boiled to make a hot tea, but some even make it into an iced tea in the summer.

This tea has been used by the Navajo for medicinal reasons, of which one is to alleviate stomach problems. When a woman is pregnant or has cramps the tea is consumed to ease the pains.

For the Navajo weaver though the plant's blooming yellow flowers are highly esteemed, as the blossoms are used to make a rich yarrow-colored dye for the traditional Navajo vegetal-dye weavings in their Navajo wool rugs.

By Venaya J. Yazzie 2017
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED