Quilting For The Elders

At the annual rug show last November, quilts played an important role, all be it one that was mostly behind the scenes. Masuda Medcalf helped organized the effort to make over forty quilts that were presented to Elders and weavers at the Thursday afternoon "quilt party".

An avid quilter, Masuda, frequents a local quilting shop known as Elaine's Quilt Block, The owner, Marilyn Cowan, became aware of this project and suggested that making quilts for our Elders could be the focus of her shop's charitable project for 2011. Every year Marilyn chooses a charity and makes the materials needed to produce a full-sized quilt available at no charge to quilters who are willing to make a quilt to be donated to the selected charity.

The following flyer was produced by Marilyn to provide quilters with specific details:

Below is the display at Elaine's featuring the project:

 

To date over 30 quilters have volunteered their time for this charitable effort and many have already returned their quilts. Although the process of picking up a kit and delivering the finished quilt is easiest for local quilters, Marilyn is willing to provide kits to out-of-town quilters as long as they pay the shipping costs.

Recently Linda had a chance to join with Marilyn for lunch and then tour the quilt shop. To their mutual surprise, it turns out that they were neighbors and friends during their junior high school years here in Salt Lake. They had lost track of one another so this became a happy reunion.

The last photo shows Linda and Marilyn holding one of the first quilts to be returned.

 

Marilyn says that quilters are generous by nature and that participating in a project like this is stimulating to their creativity.

If you would like to participate or have further questions, visit Elaine's Quilt Block web site for contact information.

Winter Stories Night 2011

by John Aldrich

We were treated to another immersion into Navajo culture during the annual Winter Stories night on January 30th. Organized by Rodger Williams, this popular evening at the warehouse is well-attended by both ANE volunteers as well as local Navajos who come to share in this winter tradition.

To add to the ambiance of the occasion, Rodger encouraged everyone to think of the warehouse as a "large hogan" for the evening. Attendees also brought a variety of food offerings to share with others.

The program featured a variety of talents including story telling, singing, and drumming. Below is Harry James, who provides the popular Pow Wow event at the annual rug show.

Lacee Harris, a local Ute, is an animated and entertaining story teller. In past years he has usually shared tales of Ma' ii  (coyote), the perennial trickster. This time, however, he related a story about Mouse which contained many lessons about life.

Eileen Quintana, along with her daughter Tinisha, took part in several presentations. Here is Tinisha demonstrating a string game, another traditional Navajo winter pastime. In this photo she has created cat's whiskers.

Eileen and Tinisha performed together in this back-and-forth song celebrating the connection between mother and daughter.

One of the highlights of the evening were several performances by the Cliff Eagle Singers, a drum group led by Emerson Bill. To conclude, here's a video clip of the group performing a ribbon dance song.

Upcoming Special Events

by John Aldrich

Two special events will take place at the ANE warehouse within the next several weeks, and all are invited to attend.

The first is the annual Winter Stories Night on January 30th. This event, organized by Rodger Williams, has been a popular occasion in recent years and honors the Navajo tradition of sharing stories among family and friends during the winter season.

 

Prior to last year's event, Rodger wrote a blog about the importance of these stories in Navajo culture.

This year Winter Stories Night will take place at the warehouse on January 30th at 5:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.


The second event will be a special evening devoted to volunteers sharing stories about food run experiences.

The event flyer explains the details, but if you have additional questions, feel free to call Linda or call the warehouse at 801-474-0535.

Linda's Vision

by Linda Myers

(note: Linda wrote this piece for the recent ANE newsletter. As we start a new year it serves as a reminder of the power of Linda's vision and the strength of her purpose to help the Elders.)

Twenty-five years ago my life changed after watching a documentary called Broken Rainbow and listening to a young Navajo woman speak about the plight of her people. I didn't know what to do - but I knew I had to do something.

When I traveled to the land with Grace Smith Yellowhammer, she said something to me that I still remember. "The people are so despondent and helpless. They're giving up caring. They need someone to care about them, even a hairbrush or a jacket, something that would make them feel good about themselves." As I looked at the condition of their homes and the simple lives, I knew I had a voice and somehow I would find a way to share with others about their simple needs.

As I look back, I think of so many people who offered help to me. When I would get home from work at night I would sort through donations and pack food in any boxes I could find. We have come a long way since those days, and even though times are challenging for us now, they haven't changed very much on the land for the Elders over the last twenty-five years.

Many of the original Elders twenty-five years ago relocated and were given new homes. Many more were displaced and left the homes and returned back to their homelands.

Poverty on the reservation is hard to rise out of - education is the greatest way out and presents many challenges to students because of lack of funds and support. My goal with the old ones is still the same - to help them live out their lives in their traditional ways.

Food is the greatest gift I know -firewood has helped relieve their greatest worry of freezing to death. Drinking water in many areas is only safe by buying bottled water. The Elders have taught me a lot about survival. To sell their rugs for them is to touch each of them daily, to feel their hands in the rugs, to know even in their old age they will weave to eat and feed their families. They have shown me how giving and generous they are with so little.

Their strength has kept me going many times when I am tired and overwhelmed. I have experienced a different kind of love not in words but in the gentle touch of holding their hands and feeling their prayers. They have blessed me and all the volunteers who help them.

With five hundred Elders we assist now, it isn't often I visit each of their homes. We send letters to them from the program letting them know we are thinking of them and, through donations, include Food Certificates or Firewood Checks, and boxes of yarn to weave their rugs with.

When I visit their homes, I often see the letters taped to the wall that show the pictures of the volunteers or the families that sponsor them. I look forward to the New Year and to the blessings it will bring. We have struggled to keep many things going as simply as we can, to help the money donate to go to the Elders directly.

I have so much gratitude for all the volunteers and supporters who come into my life daily with working hands to give their time, such a precious gift, and to all of you who adopt Elders  and generously give to help them.

We send you our Heartfelt Blessings.

A Bond

by John Aldrich

A close bond is created when a sponsor adopts an Elder. Heartfelt feelings flow in both directions. The extent to which an Elder is able to express those feelings is frequently limited by their ability to communicate. As many Elders do not speak or write English they find themselves dependent on other family members, often grandchildren, to create those words for them. Some Elders are more fortunate than others in having someone willing to take on this task.

On the March 2009 food run to Navajo Mountain the stars crossed for Emma Seaton, an Elder newly enrolled in the Program, and Gina Zimmerer, a volunteer on her first food run. After adopting Emma, Gina returned to Navajo Mountain in August where the following picture was taken.

Gina had made a quilt to present to Emma. Here are their hands resting on it. A bond was created.

During the recent holiday season, Gina was thrilled and surprised to receive a gift from Emma - - - a hand woven rug.

Along with the rug was  the following note created on Emma's behalf  by her granddaughter.

 

This exchange embodies the spirit of the Program!

Spring Food Run Dates Posted

Following in the same general time frames as in recent years, the dates for the spring food runs are as follows:

• March 29-31: Oljato-Navajo Mountain food run.
• April 26-29: Dilkon-Leupp-Birdsprings food run.
• May 3-7: Many Farms-Tsaile-Pinon food run.
• May 8-12: Sanders-Big Mountain-Teesto food run.

For further information and specifics about these food runs please see the pertinent section of the Volunteer Activities Page of our web site.

Rug Show 2010

by John Aldrich

This year's rug show was held from November 12th to November 14th and was again a heart-warming success. Twenty-eight Elders and weavers, along with their families, traveled from the reservation to Deer Valley in Park City for the event. As always, the show proceeds were all returned to the reservation to help see the families through the upcoming winter.

Although the public portion of the show starts Friday evening and extends through Sunday, there is actually much more that happens at the event. Planning, of course, extends throughout the year, but the real activities begin on Wednesday when many volunteers gather at the Snow Park Lodge to set up the show. It seems like a daunting task at first, but with many seasoned veterans on hand, the transformation takes place in roughly five hours. The following photo shows Becky Harris with the group that helped set up the central table with displays of jewelry, dolls, and other craft items.

The Navajo families begin arriving Wednesday afternoon and are escorted to condos that have been donated for their use during the event. Each condo has been stocked with food for the next five days, and on Wednesday evening a welcoming dinner is held. This year a local Navajo family offered to cater this meal which made it an even more special event.

On Thursday and Friday school children are invited to come to the show to witness demonstrations of Navajo culture. Coordinating this with the schools, teachers, children and their parents is a big job and was handled capably this year by Masuda Medcalf who is seen below with the first round of students on Thursday morning.

While at the show the children get to see demonstrations of weaving, yarn preparation, corn grinding, and hear about other aspects of Navajo culture; they also listen to singing and story telling. At the end they also get a taste of traditional fry bread. In the next photo students watch attentively as Elders weave.

Thursday afternoon, after the final school program, entertainment is provided in the form of a "game". This year the theme was quilts. Over forty hand-made quilts were made by volunteers and then presented while being "modeled" by volunteers. Elders and weavers could then choose by quilt or model.

Thursday evening a dinner is held at the Grub Steak Restaurant in Park City with the food donated by the restaurant. This event provides an opportunity to honor various people who have worked on the show or who have otherwise made significant contributions to the Program during the year. Program co-founder, Grace Smith Yellowhammer, received one of the new Pendleton ANE limited edition blankets.

Friday night is the official opening of the show to the public. This is a fund raiser for the Program and includes an auction which was again very successful as well as entertaining.

Over the course of the following two days a variety of events take place in addition to the selling of rugs and crafts. Saturday morning is the time to crown the new Shi Yazhi princess. This year the honor fell to Sariah Williams.

 

On both Saturday and Sunday weaving demonstrations are conducted during which each weaver has a chance to describe their rugs and what weaving means to them. Here Julius Chavez, a fine local male weaver, describes the great cultural significance of the weavers' tools.

Saturday afternoon is the time for the popular Navajo Grandma Idol contest. Loosely based on the American Idol model, the participants are given a theme and have only a few minutes to come up with a related song. This year the theme was herding sheep and the winner, Carol Blackhorse, was the oldest Elder at the show. At 96, Carol is still going strong, and her family has a challenge keeping her off her horse.

 The top three finishers, determined by audience response, received special prizes, but all participants received stuffed sheep in appreciation for their efforts.

The annual veterans ceremony is held on Sunday morning. During this moving event, all veterans in the audience are individually honored. We often have a Navajo Code Talker as guest speaker, but this year we actually had two. This is very unusual as there aren't many of these heroes left.

The final event of the show is the popular Pow Wow featuring singing and a variety of dancing. A crowd favorite every year is the hoop dancer.

 

This has been just a quick overview of the event. If you are interested in seeing additional photos you are invited to view a slide show of pictures from the event.

But nothing can take the place of actually being there, so we hope to see you all next year.