Yá'át'ééh.
Yá'át'ééh abíní.
Good morning.
Luci Tapahonso [SPEAKING NAVAJO]
I am--Tódik'ǫzhi is my mother's clan, so I am my mother.
And my father's clan, whom I am born for is Tódich'ii'nii.
My mother's father is Deeshchii'nii.
And my father's father is Kinlichii'nii.
Thank you.
So my father's father's Kinlichii'nii.
And I'm originally from Shiprock, New Mexico,
which is called Naatʼáanii Nééz.
And Naatʼáanii Nééz literally translates to the place of tall
leaders.
And so sometimes when I tell people
that, they say, well, what happened to you?
[LAUGHTER]
And so my original clan, in case you didn't hear, is Tódik'ǫzhi.
And I'm born for my father Tódich'ii'nii.
My mother's father's Deeshchii'nii.
And my father's father's Kinlichii'nii.
So that's how I am known as a Navajo woman, by my relatives,
and by the places they come from, and by my ancestors,
whom I am very grateful.
Have given me and left me so much.
I'm going to begin with a poem that doesn't have a title,
but it's a vignette that is included in A Radiant Curve.
"The round roof hooghan is like a woman's tiered skirt.
It is said that the mother, amá, is the heart of the home.
It is said that there is beauty within when
a home is as it should be.
Beauty extends from the hooghan.
Beauty extends from the woman.
Beauty extends from the woman."