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

Indi.Ears Matriarch Earrings

Indi.Ears Navajo Matriarch Earrings by Venaya Yazzie
2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED



Indi.Ears Hopi Matriarch Earrings by Venaya Yazzie
2017 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

I have always adored the historical photographs that we have access to in the 21st century. As an Indigenous southwestern woman I view this images with great respect in mind. These images of my desert matriarchs are my roots. I may not know their names or their tribal clanship, but they are my 'relatives.'

I create these Indi.Ears Earring designs as an homage to them, the Indigenous women who existed before me, whose life created a trail for me to exist now.

These earring designs tell a story of life in the desert, they speak prayer and motion the stories of the past.

Indi.Ears Matriarch Earrings can be viewed and purchase via my Square Up store at this link:

Indi.Ears Matriarch Earrings by Venaya Yazzie