Fashion in Southwest Cultural Adornment by Venaya Yazzie at Bears Ears Education Center

In September at Bears Ears Education Center Join us!

Matrilocal in Eastern Dine'

Eastern Navajoland

As Dine' (Navajo) people we exist under the identity of our maternal kinship relationships. Although we as a collective are living within the country of American culture, most of us live under the umbrella of a matriarchal governance stystem. We are born from our Dine' mother's and we carry her kinship lineage via one of our many "clans" in the clanship system. It is by blood relation that we as Dine' inherit our ties to the matriarchs of our cultural landscapes across the vast lands of our homelands in New Mexico, Utah and northeastern Arizona. I am of the Hooghanlani' lineage of women in northwest New Mexico in the area called Dine'tah, 'where the People roam.' This area is the original lands inhabited by the Dine', through history many of the Navajo have journeyed westward to Arizona to what is now know as "Navajo Nation." The matriarchal system of the Dine' is still and always will be based on the lineage of women. We will always be the leaders of our homes and regional communities. Even amidst the perpetual adoption of Euro-American culture via colonization, we are Dine' and we are a matriarchy living and existing in our matrilocal areas. Blessings, VJ

Speaker of Culture in the Southwest: Venaya Yazzie

Venaya Yazzie wins Solstice Magazine of Diverse Voices Poetry Award

Solstice Magazine of Diverse Voices summer literary award was judged by acclaimed poet Sandra Lim this year. Venaya's poem titled, when Creation perpetuates - in four parts was chosen as the top winning poem! The winners list from the Solstice Magazine website is listed below:

Venaya Yazzie's original poetry is based on her tribal cosmology, which centers upon the Navajo stories of 'beginnings.' Her culture of Navajo is rooted in the oral history and is an inspiration for Venaya's writing.

The poem excerpt is listed below, and be read in entirety via the website.

The other concepts in which Yazzie draws from is in the perpetuation of Navajo matriarchy and land identity. Venaya writes on aspects of her culture's matrillenial society as she has coined the phrase "Matriarchland." Blessings.

Podcast hosted by Venaya Yazzie, Eastern Navajo Nation

Listen! Native Art Voices 4Corners podcast hosted by Venaya Yazzie Produced at KSJE radio station at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico, USA

Whether in-studio or phone interview, each artist brings their true narrative to the mic. Podcast airs live evety 3rd Thursday of each month, then goes online via most streaming services.

Listen to all past inverviews with area artists of NM, CO, UT, and AZ: NATIVE ART VOICES 4CORNERS PODCAST link

Blessings in crafts of southwest Indigenous origins and narrative

From the visions and dreams of my Hopi ancestry I create ear adornments. Life as a Dine'/ Hopi female being is a blessing, I am never without great appreciation for this identity from the beauty of the Southwest.

Each earring I create is inspired by the ancestral items that have been seen at sacred sites such as Chaco Canyon in New Mexico but also in other still inhabited areas of the Pueblo people, including Hopi.

My late maternal grandfather, Alfred Yazzie Sr., carried and shared the family oral history of life at Chaco before the U.S. National Park system tool it over in the 1930s. It is from this narrative that I still inspired to create such beauty items of my paternal grandfather's lineage at Hopi.

As a modern southwest artisan, I feel very blessed to carry on the tradition and craft of making cultural jewerly adornments. I never take my abilities and cultural knowledge for granted. I am happy to make these earrings, for I don't who will? Such crafts need to be passed on to the coming generations so our collective narratives do not leave us. Blessings, Venaya Yazzie

Brother Peltier pardoned! Thank you, Creator, our Brother Leonard is FREE!!!!

Native Art Voices of the 4Corners Podcast: Artists Voices of NM. AZ. CO, UT

Ya'ashjaachi'li, this is the season of 'melting /baking snow.' A response to nature and how the climate manages the elements such as snow. Within the Dine' ways of being, there traditionally was not calendar that was based on Euro-American concepts of time passage. Instead the Dine' people's lives were wrapped in the state of the seasons approching and passing. In the high desert lands of the Dine' people, near the four corners communities of New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Utah the Dine' exisit in a myriad of 'seasons.' While most of the snow patterns occur in southwest Colorado near the area of Mt. Hesperus and in regions of southeast Utah In northwest New Mexico though the sun shines most of the 365 days and in the winter the nights are frigid, but not alot of snow cover. I mention this weather experience because of this season that my people, the Dine' call Ya'ashjaachi'li. The Dine' language is a very-oriented language, a living language! Among my people, speaking the mother tongue is partake in the never-ending concept of creation. When we speak Dine', we are in essence continuing the story of our lifetimes, our Dine' existence. I know I was very fortunate to have my great-grand parents and maternal grandparents by my side for most of my pre-adult and mature adult life. From there sharing of knowledge and experiences of life in the eastern region of the Navajo nation, I learned by participation and via listening to my elderly community of individuals. As a Dine' woman with Hopi lineage from my paternal grandfather, I now contstantly seek out first person knowledge in my research. In 2025 I plan to continue my efforts of speaking to the elderly people of my four corners community not only through visits with them, but also via the podcast that I produce called Native Art Voices of the 4Corners. This podcast is made possible through funding by the Northwest New Mexico Arts Council and in co-operation with KSJE 90.9 FM community radio at San Juan College. By engaging with Native/ Indigenous artists of NM, UT, CO and AZ stories are told about the act of creating art. From elder's who are silversmiths, to young generations contemporary painters, the podcast places focus on their craft, their skills, their inspiration!

You can tune into the interviews globally at the provided link below. .......................................................................................................>>>>>>--------------------------> NATIVE ART VOICES 4CORNERS PODCAST: ................................<----------------------------<<<<<<<<<<<<<<.......................... Many voices, many stories to celebrate in 2025! Stay tuned in.

Venaya Yazzie to speak at Bears Ears Education Center, UT

Participation in Bears Ears Partnership in Bluff, UT in November.

Link to Register:

Southwest Jewelry Adornment Talk/Workshop in Aztec, NM

Grateful so share my southwest tribal people's narrative to the topic of adornment cultural practices with the community. Blessings All Around. VJY

Sisterhood in Navajoland - Dinétáh

Among the Diné, the Navajo (as many people know us), sisterhood is a sacred state of being. Sisterhood is female and always about k'é, family and female relationship(s). In the Diné philosophy the female being is always associated with "life." In the Diné sisterhood, the girl, the woman is considered a matriarch among her family unit and tribal clan relationships, she is the keeper of the ways of women and of the language of females.

Tribal Diné sisterhood is tied to nurturing the family, when a daughter is born she is called "amá yazhí," or "little mother" which means she too becomes the keeper of the children, her siblings and Diné clan cousins. A Diné girl is born into a wealth of culture and language of women, she is already "rich" in her culture. In the Diné sisterhood we have distinct expressions for our younger and older sisters in our family. The middle girl has to address her sisters of different ages ranges uniquely. She calls her younder sister, "déézhí" or my sister "shidéézhí." In the same respect she addresses her older sister as "adí" or "shadí" - "my older sister."

In the Diné epistemology we are contstantly immersed in family and our acknowledgment of our familial relationships of both male and female, but it is vital that we respect our sacred matriarchhy in the beautyful southwest. Blessings above, behind, below, above- VJYAZZIE 2024 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

What is Matriarchland?

What is Matriarchland? Totá is the traditional Diné (Navajo) place name for what was later named Farmington in the designated San Juan Valley located in northwest New Mexico, USA. This cultural landscape is the original traditional Diné (Navajo) homelands of the People. The land, landmarks, plants, trees and waters encompass a wealthy cultural history of the Diné, but also to other Indigenous people: Jicarilla Apache, Southern Ute, and various Pueblo groups. As a multi-disciplinary artist and poet I can trace the oral history of my family’s matriarchs in this place. The land is a part of our identity and epistemologies. We will always be a part of this land, it is ours and we think of the places as our family. This photograph was designed by Venaya Yazzie who is the originator of the concept of “Matriarchland” which expressed that in the land of Diné (Navajo), belongs to the female members of each Diné familial clanship. Be Matriarch,

VJ Yazzie, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Southwest Poetry Gathering in Totá - Matriarchland

Poets Venaya Y., Sonja H., Mia S., and Landon S. stand in front of the historic Totah Theatre in downtown Farmington, NM.

In celebration of America’s recognition of National Native American Heritage month the Northwest New Mexico Arts Council hosted a poetry reading and writing workshop in historic downtown Totá (Farmington), New Mexico, USA. Among the featured poets were: Mia Sutanto (Zuni/ Indonesian Chinese), Sonja Horoshko, Landon Succo (Navajo) and Venaya Yazzie (Dine'/Hopi). This cultural event was made possible by grants from: National Poetry Foundation, Connie Gotsch Foundation, Northwest New Mexico Arts Council.

This day-long event included a poetry and writing workshop lead by Venaya Yazzie. Also, the event included a book fair and arts fair. There is gratefulness for such an event in the Totá (Farmington), New Mexico community.

Gathering of 4Corners Poets & Writers - community event!

....................................................... In recognition of National Native American Heritage Month the community of Tota' (Farmington) will celebrate those who create and write. The Northwest New Mexico Arts Council and affiliated entities are sponsors of this multi-cultural experience! EVENT DETAILS- Featured poets and writers include: Mia Sutanto, Poet ( Indonesian Chinese/ Zuni Pueblo) Zuni, NM Landon Succo, Slam Poet (Dine') Navajo Preparatory School, Tota', NM Sonja Horoshko, Painter/ Poet Cortez, CO Venaya Yazzie, Poet/ Artist (Dine'/ Hopi) Tota', NM

Memory of a one-of-a kind Matriarch.....blog post by Venaya Yazzie

Grief............ It always seems to follow behind or stand beside me. It seems to lingers in the shadows of the giant cottonwood trees. It seems to lie beside bosque at the Animas river. I have witnessed how grief has changed my life path. So, what do I do when grief becomes so grand in my path? Well, I chose to walk around it. I intentionally chose to move on and scold it away. Even though I still mourn the passing of my family's matriarch, I know I must always choose to keep going, or as my grandmother would say "keep trucking."............. It's been over three years since my "masani'" my "mom" - my maternal grandmother passed onto the next world. I miss her daily, I think of how she was, smiling and gleaming with happiness for life. I miss the everyday tasks of home life with her. She made amazing dough for bread torillas. I miss seeing her in the kitchen. I miss just driving with her beside me, telling her stories of the past - about our family and about the land and historical landscape. She was my best friend, my heart..............

I am so very grateful to have lived beside her and to have laughed and cried with her when she was here in the space called earth. Because of my faith in God, I know I will see her again....

I share this because I was honored to write a blog post for the New Mexico Humanities Council, for the Pasa por Aqui blog. I have titled my post, Pre-pandemic grief, ancestral memory, mourning the world in 2020 and healing in the present. ................................... I composed it for many reasons that I feel are universal in much of humanity's experience, both past and present. Please vist at: .................................................................................. Pre-pandemic grief, ancestal memory, mourning the world in 2020 and healing in the present

New Mexico Poetry Anthology 2023 & Venaya's Poetry

--------------------New Mexican poet and member of the eastern Dine' people groups, Venaya Yazzie (Navajo/Hopi) was selected among a myriad of other state poets to be included in the 2023 edition of the New Mexico Poetry Anthology. Venaya's poem titled, Ancestors in Us, with Us is based on memories of ther childhood at the homelands of her great grandparents, Jim and Louise Werito at Huerfano, NM.-------------------

Blessed to be a part of this wonderful anthology of creatives in the 505! A link to the New Mexico Magazine article: & A link to purchase the anthology: Museum of New Mexico Press link

Shima' Jane was a Navajo weaver

Photo credit VJYAZZIE, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, 2023 Family love. Shima' Jane was a weaver. She sat at her loom envisioning traditional designs, walking in the world of her creativity. Shima' Jane was a beauty way of life. She was happiness and kindness and where ever she roamed she emitted true love. She is missed. Blessings, VJ Yazzie, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Paying respect to our family Matriarch Jane Werito Yazzie

Rest in Peace Shima' Jane Werito Yazzie Hooghanlani'Asdzaa'(Manyhogans) Woman

September 1930 - February 4, 2020

She was born into the chill of autumn among the heirloom corn and Navajo melon varieties. Our family's Matriarch was the 'glue' to our family. She is truly missed each day, but we continue to live on and keep her in our memory. . In the early morning of February 4, 2020 Jane left this space of existence. We, her daughter's were with her, by her side as she left. . It's been 3 years and 3 months since that 3 am moment and I still miss her like it was yesterday. All that she taught me stays with me as I continue this walk of life. Though she is no longer walking beside me, she is with me. I carry her memory and knowledge and I continue this life. . Shima' was a tresure to all places she visited and to all humans she came in contact with. Love you Mom. . Blessings all around. VJ Yazzie, 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Our Diné right to OUR water

As a Diné Nation, Navajo Nation citzen, I am applauded that my people have to practically beg for water, our communal human right to water in 2023. This modern situation we ind ourselves, as a group of people, is a good example of what the goverment thinks about us. We know we were not meant to be here in 2023. For it was their hope that we would have all died out. But, we as Diné did not. WE ARE HERE, present and thriving. That is our truth, and we need our WATER! Blessings

Dine' Nation - Navajo Nation WATER RIGHTS in 2023 national news

LINK HERE below: Dine' Nation - Navajo Nation Water Rights