Visualize

I've been amidst research concerning 'Indigenous Adornment,' but more specifically the early ways of Dine' (Navajo) adornment.  Recently I found a wonderful publication titled, Desert Mesa by A.W. Icke and it has the most brilliant description of Navajo 'adornment in the era of the 1930s.

Visualize.

...but their real dress consists of white cotton trousers, split or a few inches up the sides, a velvet blouse, often some bright hue, dull red moccasins with silver buttons, and a belt studded with silver disks, called conchos. Often turquoise earrings and necklaces are added, and if you look closely, you will see a tiny turquoise bead tied in the knot of hair, a very precious goodluck charm.

The publication written by a non-Indigenous woman gives a good description of her study of Dine' male attire. I adore this passage.

The more I read about 'adornment' the more I am inspired. I am feeling very good about my own manuscript in progress.

Blessings.

Inspired

Art by YazzgrlArt studio
Photo courtesy of Venaya Yazzie
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2017

In this winter season I have been so very inspired.

Lately, I've been working on some new mixed media pieces on various art paper varieties. These works are inspired by my desert matriarchs, and too by the new generation of Indigenous women leaders in Native America, aka. 'Indin country.'

I am very pleased with the new imagery and content of my new works of 2017, and therefore am looking forward to the plethora of upcoming art shows and exhibitions this year.

I am a painter, an artist

The artist that is me
Photo courtesy of Venaya Yazzie
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2017

My life has been blessed. I truly believe this. The Creator God I believe in blessed me with the most loving and amazing maternal grandparents. They took me in as an infant and raised me up in a good way.  I don't know what my life would have been like if they weren't there to guide me.

But, the life I grew up in wasn't at all perfect. In fact I grew up in a family plagued with many issues that gave strife, but the one social ill that lurked in my extended family was alcoholism. As a child I was afraid of some of my male relatives because I knew them to be two different people, sometimes they were nice to me and sometimes they were mean. As I grew older I understood it was the affects of alcohol that determined their demeanor. But, I think I am stronger for being amidst that drama, growing up with social ill in my life was challenging, but it did not affect who I was to be as an adult in this world.

All my life, I have been 'drawn' to the Arts... or should I say the 'Art Way.' As an Indigenous person, as a desert being, as a Navajo and Hopi woman Art was and is part of a way of life. We, as a distinct and strong culturally aware people do not separate art from life. For in many ways we are taught that the creative spirit is in all the things we do on a daily basis. So, art and living the art way was normal. I had my wonderful aunts and grandmother's who were weavers and other extended family members who were silversmiths and jewelry makers.

But, one thing that was void in this talented family was the painters. I guess that role in many ways was set aside for me. So, I grew up with the art tools that I sought out on my own and retrieved them and used them for my early art. As a young person,  I loved my art classes in elementary school, and thus excelled in my high school art courses.

When I was two years out of high school I found my path to the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Arts school in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I figured out puzzle of applying for higher education, sent in my paperwork and my high school art portfolio and was accepted.

Art is my life. I am a follower of the art muse. That is how it is for me. And I believe it will always be that way. Art has been my constant companion through the myriad of ups and downs of life. Art has never broken my heart or shouted terrible words to me, Art is my sacred. I share this with you because I think the world needs the Art Way. Art can heal. It has the power to change lives and to stay as a ever-present muse if you accept it and respect it.

Blessings.

By Venaya J. Yazzie 2017

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Woodcut Monoprints from YazzGrl Art

I present some new works from my YazzGrl Art collection via my Square Store.

These are my latest mixed media works. They are hand-pressed and pulled Woodcut Monoprints that have been re-worked with mixed media techniques. They are available at this link site:

YazzGrl Art

‘I will have a good cry and then pick myself up and get myself ready for another round of battles’

Beloved brother Leonard Peltier
Photo source Internet

Our beloved brother, Leonard Peltier recently expressed, "I will have a good cry and then pick myself up and get myself ready for another round of battles." It is said he said this after learning that President Obama did not grant him clemency.

It is my belief that our Brother is made to be an example, he has been in prison almost as long as I've been on this earth. A great injustice has been done and is currently committed , as long has he is in prison, the Indigenous community is disrespected. I believe that we as Indigenous need to keep Peltier in our prayers, to keep his spirit strong and for protection.

In a sense, our Brother is us and we are him. As long as we are on this earth, we all share his struggle against injustice. His identity and our identities as modern Indigenous people is our hope for our future. We must never forget him in our prayerlife.

If you would like to support Leonard via a letter or cards to support him, please do so. Here is his address:

Leonard Peltier #89637-132

USP Coleman I

PO Box 1033

Coleman, FL 33521

We are still fighting to 'exist' as Indigenous

Indigenous life-way.
Photo by Venaya Yazzie
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2017

Injustice. The word just sounds evil. My Indigenous people have been through so much since 'contact.' We as Indigenous have stood, been knocked down, cried, mourned since the European came to the shores of our ancestral homelands. Through all the autrocities that have been committed against us as Indigenous, we still stand steadfast.  During this time of great political change in America, we as Indigenous keep strong to our ways, our Indigenous prayer-ways keep and sustain us.

Although the statement is often said, "We are all one, we are all humans" the fact is that my Indigenous people are not like the ordinary man or woman. We have maintained our ways of being, our Indigenous epistemologies are our survival life-givers. We still have our sacred Indigenous languages that are sustained via our prayer lives, our spiritual lives are strong as ever.

In this year of 2017 across America my Indigenous brothers and sisters, and the elders too, are amidst a plethora of turmoils. We are all still fighting to 'exist' as Indigenous people - for the America of our ancestors time and in the 21st century still does not want us here. They still maintain the same colonialist theories and tactics to 'wipe' us off this earth. In North Dakota the People are still standing steadfast against the Dakota Access Pipeline, still doing all they can to protect the sacred waters and sacred sites.  The 'NODAPL' Water Protectors are our present day warriors, they have the blood of their historical past of warrior-hood flowing through them.

I share this with you because I am hoping to bless the People, to bless this land which was tainted from the very beginning. We are Indigenous are the direct, sacred creation of the only one and true Creator God. We were put on this earth for a purpose, I believe it is to remind "they, the others that the Earth is sacred, and that the elements of Earth are blessings to maintain the spiritual life, and that WE Indigenous are watching.

This blog is dedicated specifically to my southwest desert Pueblo and Navajo ancestors, but really too to all Indigenous of North and South America, and it is still about 'Indigenous Adornment' but these other issues we face too are a part of the experience. I 'adorn' myself as a way of stating visually that I am a child of the desert lands, and I wear my turquoise as a way of respecting the beliefs and ways of my southwest Indigenous heritage.

I 'adorn' to say, 'I'm still here, my life is relevant, my Indigenous existence is sacred.'

Blessings.

By Venaya J. Yazzie 2017

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Nizhon Earrings made by YazzGrl Art Studio

Here I post another version of my YazzGrl Art earrings. These one-of-a-kind earring pair are called "Nizhon Earrings."

These depict imagery of a southwestern Navajo woman with a traditional women's hairstyle and dress. She wears her own 'adornment' via her turquoise earrings and necklace,  Each earring is unique as each is hand-painted with acrylic paints and features sterling silver jump ring and earring hooks to complete.

You can view these wonderful earrings also at my Square Store account at this following link:

Nizhon Earrings

Earring muses

"Muse I" Handpainted earrings by Venaya Yazzie
Photo by YazzGrl Art
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2017

"Muse II" Handpainted earrings by Venaya Yazzie
Photo by YazzGrl Art
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2017

These images feature my one-of-a-kind earring designs which are inspired by my YazzGrl artwork imagery, they are each unique and are hand-painted on wooden discs.  The later earring "Muse II" featured an added adornment of Sleeping Beauty turquoise stones.

You can find these and other of my art items on my Square Store account at the following link:

YazzGrl Art Earrings