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