Navajo Cultural Preservation Efforts Amid Modern Challenges Documented in Photo Essay
Rick Findler, a photographer awarded the Joan Wakelin bursary, captures the essence of Navajo communities within the expansive 27,000 square mile Navajo Nation, spanning New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, as they strive to uphold their language and traditions. Elders and young people continue to practice their culture despite facing issues such as poor housing and limited access to technology. Virginia Brown, 69, reflects on her painful experiences in boarding school, which contributed to a gap in traditional knowledge. The Navajo language, classified as "vulnerable" by UNESCO, is taught at institutions like Holbrook High School. In Whitehorse, New Mexico, 40-year-old Drake Mace tends to Navajo-Churro sheep, while 48-year-old Tara Seaton works remotely from Dilkon, Arizona. About 30-40% of households do not have running water. Efforts to preserve culture include sacred ceremonies and youth programs.
Key facts
- The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American reservation in the US, covering 27,000 square miles across New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.
- UNESCO considers the Navajo language "vulnerable" after a 3.4% decrease in speakers in recent years.
- Approximately 30-40% of Navajo households lack running water, requiring residents to haul water from public sources.
- Virginia Brown, 69, was forced into a boarding school at age six where she was punished for speaking Navajo.
- Drake Mace, 40, weaves rugs using wool from Navajo-Churro sheep on a traditional vertical loom in Whitehorse, New Mexico.
- Tara Seaton, 48, lives in Dilkon, Arizona, working remotely for Texas State University using Starlink internet.
- Jonus Yazzie, 70, conducts peyote ceremonies in Window Rock, Arizona, for spiritual healing.
- The Diné Tah Navajo dance troupe, led by Shawn Rice, performs at schools like Newcomb High School to preserve cultural practices.
Entities
Artists
- Rick Findler
- Virginia Brown
- Drake Mace
- Tara Seaton
- Jonus Yazzie
- Tom
- Shawn Rice
- Victoria
- Ira
- Emmet
Institutions
- Joan Wakelin bursary
- Holbrook High School
- Texas State University
- Newcomb High School
- Diné Tah Navajo dance troupe
- UNESCO
- The Guardian
Locations
- Navajo Nation
- Window Rock
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Utah
- United States
- Winslow
- Whitehorse
- Dilkon
- Tuba City