President Nez! Silversmithing, Pottery, Museums

The majority of our time in the Navajo Nation was spent building relationships with the Black Mountain Church community. But, we also managed to fit in a number of guest speakers, field trips, hikes and other activities. Crystalyne Curley, Senior Public Information Officer and Assistant to the President, met with us at Black Mountain Church early in our stay. She gave us a civics lesson on politics in the Navajo Nation and some of its political history. Incidentally, Ms. Curley is also a former Miss Navajo (2011-2012).

Another highlight was a trip to Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation. In Window Rock we visited the Navajo Nation Museum where, among other things, we read an original copy of the Treaty of 1868. This Treaty allowed the Navajo (Diné) to return to their ancestral homelands and is an important symbol of Navajo sovereignty. After the museum we visited the capitol building right next to the Window Rock Navajo Tribal Park & Veterans Memorial. Crystalyn convinced President Jonathan Nez to come out and meet with us. He gave me a fist pump and talked to us for 10 or 15 minutes before posing for a picture with the group.

One evening we met with Benny Begay. Mr. Begay talked to us about his life as a traditional practitioner and rodeo champion. On another afternoon, Gabriel Natan spoke with us about his work as a silversmith. He shared his story, showed us the tools of his trade along with many examples of his work (bracelets, necklaces, rings). Check him out on instagram (natan_jewelry) or facebook (Gabriel.Natan Jewelry). We also spent a morning learning about pottery making with Mary Mitchell Trejo. Mary is also our local coordinator in Navajo and it is largely through her connections and planning that we were able to make any and all of these events happen. And there was more but this is a taste of some of the ways we have been engaging with Navajo people and culture.