Our family's female matriarchs are the leaders and thus the 'backbone' of our family units. For the Navajo people/ tribe, she is: mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, cousin-sister, great-aunt and other female relatives.
This being, she is our whole world, one who bundles us up in her hands- protecting us from harm. From her we find and experience the tangible nature of what 'home' is in her arms embracing us. From her we experience the agape kind of human love that heals us: mentally, spiritually and emotionally. In my family, she as matriarch was a member of the generation born during the time of the Great Depression in American society, sometimes referred to as the Post-World War Cohort generation born in 1928-1945. She embodied all that I mentioned, and she is the reason for my work now as a cultural educator and practicing southwest female artist.
In recent dialogue with a good friend, a sister, from the eastern coast of the U.S., our conversation steered to how the Post War Cohort generation of people are passing on. Individuals such as the late and respected civil rights leader John Lewis is one of those individuals who exemplified the counterpart of the matriarch, as a strong, smart patriarch. The late Mr. Lewis and my grandmother, Jane shared that strong and resilient common attitude to, live in such a way that worked to make the community a better place. My grandmother was a constant positive energy and her life choices were an expression of a blessed life. The people from this time are the patriarchs matriarchs our families; our great-grandparents. I simply bring up this topic because this era of America and the society was what my grandmother experienced. She was born in 1930 in northwest New Mexico on the open land of the Navajo lands. Her existence may not have been of monumental importance in the society of America, but her presence was ground-breaking for my Navajo family. In her constant need to create and make cultural items and art, she instilled in me her matriarch ways.
As long I can recall, my grandmother was a "creative spirit." She was a seamstress and traditional weaver. These two skills were embedded in her DNA, passed to her in the blood from her mother and all of her Navajo matriarchs who lived before her. They were weavers of beautiful, grand rugs and they designed and created their own Navajo women's garments and attire.
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| Venaya's grandmothers |
Such contributions to the clothing culture of the American southwest was adopted and sometimes acculturated by mainstream fashion. My grandmother and great-Aunts were steadfast in their cultural clothing expression and in my opinion they were ground-breakers in that way. I share this image above as a visual example of such fashion design and creation by my grandmother Jane (pictured on left) and her her adopted-sister.
The ways of my matriarch Jane were instilled in my spirit on the day of my birth. As I grew into adult womanhood, we perpetuated such activities women in our culture. The recognition of innate gifts given to the human is vital in keeping the richness of a people's cultural ways alive and 'living." I do not mean that one should boast about their skills, but simply and humbly dialogue about the process of making such items and about how those items are necessary to keep life balanced.
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| My late grandmother and her completed rug |
Growing up I was witness on a constant basis on the process of making art in the weaving that was happening in the homes of the above mentioned women of my family. Family is very important to the Navajo dynamics of the home life. When a family loses a matriarch the loss is felt deeply. The days, week, months and years after the death of a loved one is important to be acknowledged, for by doing so the healing is taking place. I know this well as I am amidst such ways now.
Blessings and healing,
Venaya
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