Connections of Cultural People. Turquoise.

When I think of turquoise my mind smiles.

Turquoise in the diverse culture of the Dine' people is about happiness.

In most cases turquoise ADORNMENT gleams ideas and thoughts about beauty for the wearer and too for the people in their daily circles.

I have always believed the Dine' had a cultural connection to the people of Mongolia the regions of Tibet, including the Chuk Chi people. The connection I found is through turquoise ADORNMENT.

For the Dine' turquoise evokes wellness, happiness, health, good thoughts and this is the same for the people of Tibet. For some Tibetans, only unprocessed turquoise is worn, and is worn for ceremonial and celebratory times.

It is truly amazing to me to see this tangible connection between two groups of beautiful people.

Global Connections. Turquoise Adornment.




Tibetan women ADORNED in Turquoise.

 


Dine' woman ADORNED in Turquoise.



just wear it. Turquoise.

Just thinking about the importance in of turquoise in the lives of 21st century Dine' people.

Yes, it has monetary value, but moreover I really believe it has greater spiritual value for many.

As Dine', we refer to the stone as dootlizhi, simply it refers to the color of the stone.

For many it is the end all be all of true beauty.

Dootlizhi is Dine'. It is the essence of our laughter, and history and lingers in the strands of our

desert hair. We ADORN ourselves for recognition by our Creator. 

  Dootlizh is beauty, it is what makes our world beautiful.

Mental & Spiritual Adornment.Navajo world.

Mixed media conceptual art from Eternal Matriarch series.
Venaya Yazzie 2013

Thankfully it is true. For in the 21st century there exists a word in Dinétah that concerns the organic perpetuation of Diné lifeways on many levels, but I will talk specifically about the idea of ADORNMENT as an act of mental and spiritual well-being.

Growing up amidst the tangible cultural jewelry of my matriarchs, I acquired the jargon of female ADORNMENT, and too I learned the language of what Navajo ADORNMENT. The expression is ha'dít'é. As a young girl I did not fully understand what the act of wearing turquoise, white shell, abalone shell or coral jewelry meant, but as an adult desert woman I fully grasp the meaning.

Ha'dít'é is the essence of the Diné act, or ritual of the Emergence. As a Diné woman I understand that when I put on my coral and turquoise string of beads, I am re-enacting the motions of Diné presence and existence on the earth. We express earth as Nahasaan Ni himá, and it is because of Her that we have a continuance of life.

Ha'dít'é is the re-enactment of daily blessings in Diné epistemology.
As Diné I, we ADORN ourselves with earth's hard and soft goods as a way of perpetuating hózhó, as a way of ensuring the blessings of the Holy People.

For me, Ha'dít'é, is a visceral act.  This need is an innate act to ensure my mental and spiritual well-being as a woman of the desert, a woman of Diné and Hopi descent.

Nizhoni go ha'dít'é dooleeł

Venaya Yazzie2013

Southwest.INDIGENOUS native.

I truly believe in destiny and so I feel that everyday I wake I must fulfill that path that was made just for me.

I was born in the fall in the high desert southwest on the sovereign Dine' (Navajo) Nation. I was born among strong, spiritual Indigenous matriarchs, they raised me up to be the image of their best ways of being. I am happy about this.

I have recognized that my destiny is to ensure that their matriarchal ways are not forgotten and that they are perpetuated into the 21st century.

So, I ADORN myself on a daily basis. I wear my turquoise and sometimes white shell or abalone to show my respect for the beliefs and custom of tribal identity for my elder matriarchs.

In the Navajo way, we have a specific (holy) word for ADORNMENT. It is a great word that perfectly describes the sacred action of Navajo Adornment. This word is not stagnant, it is verb-oriented, it holds power and speaks volumes about such an act. I am thankful this word is a part of my daily vocabulary and dialogue. This word blesses me: above, below, in front and in back. I am balanced.

Nizhonigo Naasha.in every way. Everday.

Inspiration.EarART



EarART Designs by Venaya Yazzie


As a part of my work in the area of INDIGENOUS ADORNMENT practices in the 21st century I have created a line of earrings for ADORNMENT purposes.

My earrings are inspired by my original Art Paintings and are made on light weight Balsa wood.
You can visit my website at
www.earartdesigns.weebly.com


Blessings

EarART Designs.by Venaya

EarART Designs by Venaya Yazzie

The designs featured here are my own designs. I began making a version of these earrings in 2009 and was inspired by the images of women I paint. One day a collector of my paintings jokingly if I could make her a necklace of my small paintings. I did, and from that first jewelry piece I expanded my vision and started making the EarART jewelry via earrings.

 I am happy to say that ART can be worn as jewelry, the wearer of the piece is wearing Fine Art on their ears.  What could be more of a blessing!

Community workshop.INDIGENOUS ADORNMENT

Indigenous Adornment workshop in Aztec, NM.

I have been fortune to be sponsored by the Northwest New Mexico Arts Council, it is a blessing to me to be able to hold my Southwest Jewelry ADORNMENT workshops.

Originating within the southwestern INDIGENOUS lands I know what it means to practice ADORNMENT. INDIGENOUS ADORNMENT is who I who I was brought up to be amidst of, to perpetuate such a human way of living is a blessing. I live it, so I can only keep moving forward on this journey of the BEAUTY Way as a Navajo/Hopi woman.