Handpainted Yazzgrl Art Earrings

Earrings by Venaya Yazzie

Earrings by Venaya Yazzie

Matriarch Power - Via Cultural Garb

Neo-Matriarch Gear
Photo by Venaya Yazzie
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 2020

Every day the Indigenous woman, the modern Matriarch makes a plethora of decisions, not only about Her family, but about Herself. Each of us Humans, 'Ala'ashdla'ii,' the"five-finger earth dwellers" - as we Dine' refer to ourselves in this Universe - have our personal rituals, or routines.  On the daily, we ponder on what we will do, who we might see, what we might consume, where we might trek and most importantly, what we will wear! This capture is shared with you to showcase a typical weekend outfit for me, which helps to give a kind of empowerment. Knowing that I am wearing items of my culture and too the tradition of turquoise adornment give me that Matriarch Power to be sure.

For the Dine' femme, 'adszaa,' in 2020 our personal routine might involve prayer first, then we decide what will will 'adorn' our bodies with.  It might be a Beautyful wool, Pendleton coat, or a fine colored- Babushka, granny scarf, and maybe some jewelry items for our necks, fingers and ears via rings.  For the Dine' woman, I am sure it will involved the addition of 'dootlizhi' -turquoise or some sort.  This is where our Dine' identity involves the spiritual.  As as Humans, as 'Ala'ashdla'ii,' the"five-finger earth dwellers tangibly and spiritually identify ourselves to the spirit world by adorning ourselves with turquoise.

This tradition of turquoise adornment is passed down knowledge from our rich oral history of high desert ancestors. As Dine' babes we are gifted with turquoise that is attached to our cradleboards, or put on our tiny wrists in a turquoise bracelet.  The concept of wearing turquoise is on about trends in American fashion, its deep and holds a deeper, richer meaning, and foremost is about our identity as Dine' People in this dimension, the Fourth World.

Along with our turquoise, we also believe in the Beautyways of clothing adornment.  We love the garments our living Matriarchs design and create via our tribal clothing for both men and woman and our traditional hair styles.  We love the modern fashion too, skinny jeans and all! But, what we remember to keep close to us as we dwell in and out of modern American culture is that we are unique group of people on this earth.  We, as man and female beings, wear Gap, Kmart, Columbia gear, but also make sure we mix is up with our own cultural identity. We wear tribal identity on our shoulders so to speak, its turquoise and silver rings on our hands and wrists as we hold our Chanel handbags. This is who we are in 2020, we are resilient every time, all the time!  Well, I hope the most of us are, and I don't mean to generalize about all Dine' - Navajo - people, because I know not all of us are 'woke.' Yet...

Blessings all around.

Venaya Yazzie

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

2020

#ootd#fashion#jewelry#turquoise#beauty#columbia#Gap#Kmart#Chanel#Navajo#women

Dine' Femme Aesthetic via: Ja'atlo'

The aesthetic of the Dine' creator (artist) is truly unique.  As silversmiths we are the original designers and tangible creators of the Squash Blossom Necklace. Our tribal and cultural jewelry items are one of a kind.

Today I share with you the Dine' earring.  It is a constant item of the female environment, the earring.  We as Dine' refer to this  "earring" as Ja'atlo'.  It is historically and heirloom item that is worn as a necklace addition of a mature Dine' woman. But, in her youth it was worn as ear adornments on her desert ears.  Made traditionally with earth elements of turquoise and mother of pearl shell, the earring stands alone as the monumental narrative of women's adornment.

I share this Ja'atlo' from my private collection as an example of the basic earring design.  The long lines of this jewelry item make it screen with elegance and strength.  It is a simple design yet speaks volumes of the story of the female matriarch in the Navajo community.

To be sure, even in 2020, the Dine' women are still immersed in the human act of 'adornment' and this our case its Indigenous Dine' Adornment.  I hope you will always remember that every piece of jewelry in Navajo and Pueblo culture carries huge story with it and therefore perpetuates narrative everytime!

Blessings in all things.

Venaya Yazzie
New Mexico, USA

01-05-20

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Indigenous trade of the Russian/Polish 'Babushka' Floral Scarf

Photo credit Etsy site:
 https://www.etsy.com/hk-en/listing/671377408/russian-floral-scarf-vintage-scarf-lurex

The Masani' Scarf

Anywhere you go today in Indin' Country you will most likely see the visual candy of the colorful rose flower scarf.  In 2020 the scarf is worn and used by a plethora of Indigenous  North American people from infants to the elders.  This scarf is no doubt 'beautyful,' but its beauty also lies in its rich history of how the Indigenous people have appropriated it into their lives and community.

Growing up in the Indigenous southwest community in northwest New Mexico, USA - the floral scarf was worn exclusively by my elder desert matriarchs. It was and is the Dine' (Navajo) grandmothers who adorned their heads with the mentioned Russian/Polish Babushka scarves.  For the Dine' grandmother's the scarf was/is a treasured women's accessory item. It is worn when at celebratory events or when Navajo women travel to urban communities in the nearby bordertown communities.  It is an item that an elder Dine' grandmother wants to be seen in, in a sense maker her feel special and 'beautyful.'

As a young girl, I fluidly recall my own 'Masani' (maternal grandmother) wearing her floral scarf.  She had a closet full of her wonderful women's items that I would love to open and just look at.  Her special travel suitcases were filled with her most treasured items, and I was very aware of how priority they were to her.

Today, one can walk in any bordertown community of Arizona, Utah and New Mexico and you will most likely spot a 'beautyful' Dine' grandmother wearing such a scarf.  So the tradition of adorning oneself with this scarf carries on into the new decade, but it is also changing its initial use in diverse ways by the new generations of Indigenous people both in and out the American southwest.

The Russian Floral Scarf

Historically this type of scarf was worn exclusively by the elder Russian/ Polish women community of people. The 'babushka' scarf was worn for the purposes of shielding the women's head, her hair, ears and face too.  It is then primarily a gender based article of accessory, as historically it is the females who wore them.

From Wikipedia is quoted:

The first shawls were produced in the small town Pavlovsky Posad in the Moscow Oblast in the middle of thf 19th century.  The basic tone of the woolen shawls is usually black while the composition of the motives is a mixture of large and small floral ornaments.  Mostly roses are the motives on the scarfs. The shawls were often worn with traditional Russian folk costumes.

It seems then the scarfs were adopted by the Indigenous European Gypsy community of people, and so were then made mobile in their travels with the gypsies.  As with most cultures the culture is meant to morph and change, so as with scarf and its purposes.

Scarf Trade Item

So you may be asking, Why do Indigenous women in the Americas wear this scarf?  Though the scarf was initially produced and worn exclusively by the elder women in the Russian and Polish communities it is now a global item.  Here in Indin' Country the scarf arrived as a trade item of the early male explorers of the northern Native communities of Alaska and Canada.  Eventually the scarf made its way to the people of the desert southwest to the people of the Dine' (Navajo ) and Pueblo communities of women.  For the Dine' women it was worn on her head in a scarf cover fashion. For the Pueblo woman the scarf in a larger version with added fringe, was worn as part of her traditional women's garment, on the back as a free flowing accessory.

Neo-Indigenous Designs

This trade item has become a relevant part of the 21st century Indigenous north American women's everyday attire and it will continue to be used in diverse ways. It is used to make clothing items such as skirts and shirts, as earrings, as aprons, etc.

As mentioned the scarf has become a staple design in the Indigenous community of art / folk art / craft creators. The people who create art items are utilizing this prized scarf in very new ways for the new generations of Indigenous people.

In American pop culture the scarf has also been in the spotlight and has become somewhat of a trendy fashion vibe for both male and female individuals.  In today's world of fast fashion and technology chaos the history of this scarf seems to be unknown, I hope that we learn such histories in the future.

I am happy to share this information with you, Ahe'hee' / Thank you very much for reading my blog.  I pray for good things in 2020 and to be more inspired.

Blessings in all things,

Venaya Yazzie

New Mexico

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

#indigenousadornment#ootd#fashion#nativeamerican#women#navajo#russia#babushka#polish

Yazzgrl Art Skirt Designs: Hybrid Version

Venaya with a buyer in the Four Corners, USA community

I n s p i r e d

Throughout 'Indin' Country the cultural - or tribal - norms tend to leave the confines of the "rez" and move to become trends in other communities.  Such is the ribbon skirt.  From what I have come to know, it is a design that originates in the Plains culture of North American Indigenous women.  The ribbon skirt is a basic straight skirt that is adorned with various colors and widths of satin ribbon.  It is become commonplace in the powwow circles which perpetuate that Pan-Indin' culture.  As a person who at one point was a powwow Jingle Dress dancer, I have seen the ribbon skirt design plenty of times.

As many Indigenous women ( and men too) have come to design and create the cultural/tribal fashions of their roots, I too do the same. For me though it is more about the 'inspired' version of the skirt.  I call my skirts I design and create - Hybrid Ribbon Skirts.

Yes, I am inspired by the ribbon skirt, but they are grounded in the southwestern matriarch's style in of the three-tiered Dine' (Navajo) women's skirts.  Growing up amidst my female matriarchs, I admired how they would were their full skirts.  Sometimes they were made of plan cotton, sometimes it was the fine calico prints, and then at other times these skirts were made of satin or fine velveteen.  And, too the matriarch's of the southwest, high desert lands would adorn their skirts with hues of ric-rac or fancy satin ribbon.

Now - I design and make my skirts to share with other sisters, and other women in the world. I am also sure to tell them ( the collector ) of the story of skirts and of Indigenous women's clothing in the tribal communities of North America, Canada and Mexico to South America.

I share this image as a means of continuing that narrative of the Indigenous women's skirt culture.

Blessings All Around -

VJY

2019

#indigenousadornment#ootd#fashion#nativeamerican#women#navajo

Fashion & Accessory Designs by Venaya Yazzie - Yazzgrl Art

Yazzgrl Art Designs

Made in the Indigenous Dine' nation by New Mexico artist, Venaya Yazzie

'Be Matriarch' Crossbody bag with 100% cotton, denim, applique detail, satin ribbon, lined with zipper closure and denim strap.

'Be Matriarch' Crossbody bag made by Venaya Yazzie

(front view)

'Be Matriarch' Crossbody bag made by Venaya Yazzie

(back view)

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'Be Matriarch' Handbag with 100% cotton, duck canvas, applique detail, satin ribbon, lined with zipper closure and strap.Available $120

Contact manyhogansgrl@hotmail.com

'Be Matriarch' handbag made by Venaya Yazzie

(front view)

'Be Matriarch' handbag made by Venaya Yazzie

(front view)

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Ahe'hee' Thank you for visiting.

'Hogan Poetry' - Dine'tah, NM

New Mexico Poet, Venaya Yazzie at San Juan College Library

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p o e t r y

as it is called is the n a r r a t i v e of a human life - it is pure expression of that tangible experience of living.

p o e t r y

for the Dine' individual concerns history, and prayer mixed with song. it is not the poetry that america knows it - it is deeper, more meaning full, and truth. 

➕4me it is hané mixed w/yiin: story & song

➕4me it is perpetuation of being, of Iiná

➕even when i am just listening & absorbing the sounds of words: its dimensional

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                                             . . . .

Last week on Thursday night my path met up once again with two of my fellow Dine' sisters and poets: Tina Deschenie and Esther Belin.  As a Dine' woman I hold these two women in high esteem and refer to them has my 'cousin sisters' a loving expression among the female community of Navajo people.

The gathering brought together the community of people in Farmington who have adoration for the Literary Arts. The theme of our combined works seems to center around our fathers and the always, the land. Poetry is a type of medicinal concept for many people, and for me it sis truth.  I write because I need to and also because it helps me to remember my life moments are meaningful.

All and all the night of Navajo Poetry was 'beautyful' indeed.

Blessings all around.

vjy

#hoganpoetry#navajo#woman#poetsw#505life

Voice of Navajo Poets - SJC poetry reading

Voices of Navajo Poets announcement

Venaya Yazzie, Esther Belin, Tina Deschenie

Sponsored by the Northwest New Mexico Arts Council, San Juan College Native American Center and Library the Voices of Navajo Poets took place on Thursday, November 14, 2019 in Farmington, NM.  The invited poet matriarchs included:

Tina Deshchenie, Crystal, NM

Esther Belin, Bayfield, CO

Venaya Yazzie, Huerfano, NM