Stories

Shiprock Chapter, NM

Sweat lodges, prayer, elders, singing, dancing, beadwork, and drum-making all help reconnect people to who they are. Addiction makes people lose their identity. Culture helps restore that.

Toadlena/Two Grey Hills Chapter

I grew up in a small community called Sand Springs in Red Valley, where my grandparents had their homestead. much of my childhood was spent being raised by my aunts. The women in my family shaped who I am today.

Tsayatoh, NM

My wife and I applied for our homesite in Black Hat. At first, we thought it would be a simple process. Instead, it became one of the most stressful experiences our family has gone through. At chapter meetings, I heard people say they had already been waiting five to eight years.

Church Rock, NM

Growing up on the Navajo Nation, my experiences taught me the importance of family, culture, faith, and connection to the land. My story reflects the resilience of Native communities and the strength that still exists.

Shiprock, NM

Our language is who we are. It is powerful. It is medicine for our Diné people. Everything must begin from our own foundation our language, our culture, and our understanding of the world.

Tuba City, AZ

Every morning began the same way. I’d wake Brandon up, help him bathe, get dressed, give him his medicine, and make sure he was ready for school before helping him onto the bus. While he was away, I’d wash his bedding, clean his room, and prepare everything . . .

Chinle, AZ

Making a positive difference in the lives of our elders and individuals with disabilities means everything to me. I believe respect, love, and compassion are at the heart of caregiving.

Tsé Daa’ Kaan, NM

Growing up, both of my parents struggled with alcohol. But I wasn’t alone my grandma stepped in. She became everything we needed. She made sure we had food, a clean home, and someone who was present. She taught me how to cook, how to clean, and how to take care of others.

Tsé Daa’ Kaan, NM

Back then, we didn’t really hear about sickness the way we do now. People didn’t talk about diabetes or high blood pressure. That started to change later, around the 1980s and 1990s. That’s when I began to see more people getting sick. Even the animals were different.

Pinon, AZ

It took me years to get my homesite lease. There were constant fights and disagreements with surrounding families, people claiming land that didn’t belong to anyone. There were times I was ready to give up, and take my family back to the city. But something inside me wouldn’t let me leave. This is where you are from. You have to fight for it.

Twin Lakes, NM

I believe it is important to take care of your community and not expect anything in return. Helping others out of kindness and looking out for future generations is something we should all focus on. Even when services are limited, communities can stay strong by supporting one another.

Fort Defiance, AZ

When I was growing up, Navajo was spoken everywhere in the home, outside, with family, with neighbors. It wasn’t something we had to think about. It was just part of our everyday life. Herding sheep was something every household did. We were outside, learning responsibility, learning from our elders. We attended traditional ceremonies, and those teachings stayed with us.

Naschitti, NM

My grandfather, born in 1896, passed into the spirit world in 1979 when I was twenty-seven. My grandmother died in 1955, at which time I was four years old. They had four children; one lost their life during World War II before 1940 and another passed away in 1930.

Teec Nos Pos, AZ

These younger people don’t always know how it used to be. Back then, winters were heavy. Snow would drift so deep you had to dig your way out. The hills were covered, nothing like what we see today.

Dilkon, AZ

There is no cell service where we live, which is in a place called Sunflower Butte, southeast of Dilkon. If we need medical help, we have to drive to the hospital, which is about 15 minutes to Dilkon. For more advanced care, we are referred to Winslow, which is about 30 minutes away. From the main road to our house, it is about a five-minute drive, but the road is very rough.

Tsé Daa’ Kaan, NM

Being shaken awake before sunrise, I can still hear my cheii’s voice calling out, “Get up! The sheep are on their way to the grazing fields.” I would jump up half asleep, grabbing a piece of hot ash bread with peanut butter and my gallon jug of water, running out into the dark morning with the sunrise not far behind.

Window Rock AZ

I see companies coming into Diné land, wanting to take what we have, pulling from the ground without thinking about the people who live here. They don’t see what we see. To them, it’s resources. To us, this is home. This is where we live, where our families are.