WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.400 align:middle line:90% 00:00:02.400 --> 00:00:06.330 align:middle line:84% Luci Tapahonso is originally from Shiprock, New Mexico, 00:00:06.330 --> 00:00:09.720 align:middle line:84% is now a professor at the University of Arizona. 00:00:09.720 --> 00:00:12.300 align:middle line:84% She has also taught at the University of New Mexico 00:00:12.300 --> 00:00:15.300 align:middle line:84% and the University of Kansas in Lawrence. 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:17.390 align:middle line:84% She's the author of two children's books, 00:00:17.390 --> 00:00:19.980 align:middle line:90% including Navajo ABC-- 00:00:19.980 --> 00:00:23.940 align:middle line:84% A Dine Alphabet and Songs of Shiprock Fair 00:00:23.940 --> 00:00:27.570 align:middle line:84% and five books of poetry, including most recently, 00:00:27.570 --> 00:00:29.400 align:middle line:90% Blue Horses Rush In-- 00:00:29.400 --> 00:00:33.060 align:middle line:84% Poems and Stories, which won the Mountains and Plains 00:00:33.060 --> 00:00:37.680 align:middle line:84% Booksellers Association Award in 1998. 00:00:37.680 --> 00:00:41.790 align:middle line:84% Among her honors are the 1998 Kansas Governor's Art Award 00:00:41.790 --> 00:00:45.960 align:middle line:84% and Distinguished Woman Award from the National Association 00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:51.450 align:middle line:84% of Women in Education and the Girl Scout Council. 00:00:51.450 --> 00:00:55.830 align:middle line:84% Luci Tapahonso [? is one of ?] the most distinguished voices 00:00:55.830 --> 00:01:00.180 align:middle line:84% in American poetry and a very bright light 00:01:00.180 --> 00:01:03.180 align:middle line:84% in the constellation of new writing 00:01:03.180 --> 00:01:05.790 align:middle line:84% from American Indian people that we 00:01:05.790 --> 00:01:09.540 align:middle line:84% have had the privilege to celebrate in the past decade 00:01:09.540 --> 00:01:11.700 align:middle line:90% or so. 00:01:11.700 --> 00:01:15.690 align:middle line:84% To say she is a poet in a way diminishes 00:01:15.690 --> 00:01:17.850 align:middle line:90% the reach of her work. 00:01:17.850 --> 00:01:22.470 align:middle line:84% She is a captivating and often comic storyteller, 00:01:22.470 --> 00:01:26.340 align:middle line:84% a lyric singer, a thoughtful witness 00:01:26.340 --> 00:01:30.210 align:middle line:84% of contemporary and ancient culture 00:01:30.210 --> 00:01:34.590 align:middle line:84% and of how those two strands of being 00:01:34.590 --> 00:01:39.750 align:middle line:84% can continue to coexist in us, a task 00:01:39.750 --> 00:01:44.970 align:middle line:84% she fulfilled so memorably in writing about the Hohokamki 00:01:44.970 --> 00:01:51.090 align:middle line:84% village that was destroyed to build an expressway in Phoenix. 00:01:51.090 --> 00:01:55.560 align:middle line:84% And I rely on Luci to be a teacher, one 00:01:55.560 --> 00:01:59.130 align:middle line:84% who educates the heart to take nourishment 00:01:59.130 --> 00:02:04.050 align:middle line:84% from the essentials of our shared humanity. 00:02:04.050 --> 00:02:08.850 align:middle line:84% And that harmony of being present for one another 00:02:08.850 --> 00:02:13.890 align:middle line:84% feels so natural and easy in her work, 00:02:13.890 --> 00:02:19.440 align:middle line:84% as simple as sitting down together for a cup of coffee. 00:02:19.440 --> 00:02:21.560 align:middle line:90% Please welcome Luci Tapahonso. 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:42.000 align:middle line:90% 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:47.210 align:middle line:84% Yá'át'ééh, [SPEAKING DINÉ BIZAAD] good evening. 00:02:47.210 --> 00:02:59.490 align:middle line:84% [SPEAKING DINÉ BIZAAD] I'm originally from Shiprock, New Mexico, 00:02:59.490 --> 00:03:03.560 align:middle line:84% and I've just told you what my clans are, Tódik'ǫzhi. 00:03:03.560 --> 00:03:06.530 align:middle line:90% And I'm born for Tódich'ii'nii. 00:03:06.530 --> 00:03:15.020 align:middle line:84% My grandparents are Deeshchii'nii, their shicheii 00:03:15.020 --> 00:03:17.750 align:middle line:90% is originally from Rock Point. 00:03:17.750 --> 00:03:23.360 align:middle line:84% [SPEAKING DINÉ BIZAAD] They're from Red Rock around Oak Springs, 00:03:23.360 --> 00:03:27.440 align:middle line:84% they're Kinlichii'nii, the red house. 00:03:27.440 --> 00:03:32.857 align:middle line:84% I'm going to begin this evening reading a poem called, 00:03:32.857 --> 00:03:33.690 align:middle line:90% Sháá Áko Dahjiníleh. 00:03:33.690 --> 00:03:41.130 align:middle line:90% 00:03:41.130 --> 00:03:45.820 align:middle line:84% I want to thank all of you for coming. 00:03:45.820 --> 00:03:54.630 align:middle line:84% It's really a wonderful feeling to see all of you here. 00:03:54.630 --> 00:04:02.640 align:middle line:84% As you know, we've just moved here, and the welcome to Tucson 00:04:02.640 --> 00:04:05.460 align:middle line:90% has really been something. 00:04:05.460 --> 00:04:10.650 align:middle line:84% I want to thank the Poetry Center for asking 00:04:10.650 --> 00:04:13.590 align:middle line:90% me to read this evening. 00:04:13.590 --> 00:04:15.240 align:middle line:90% I'm very honored to do so. 00:04:15.240 --> 00:04:19.170 align:middle line:84% I want to also thank American Indian Studies for all 00:04:19.170 --> 00:04:21.820 align:middle line:84% the support they've given me not just this year 00:04:21.820 --> 00:04:26.310 align:middle line:84% but for many years in various things 00:04:26.310 --> 00:04:28.560 align:middle line:84% as well as the College of Humanities 00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:32.670 align:middle line:84% and the English Department where I 00:04:32.670 --> 00:04:36.960 align:middle line:84% have a number of very good friends for a number of years. 00:04:36.960 --> 00:04:41.970 align:middle line:84% And the university has also been very gracious. 00:04:41.970 --> 00:04:48.330 align:middle line:84% President Likins is a really warm and caring person. 00:04:48.330 --> 00:04:58.080 align:middle line:84% We are honored that he has come out and welcomed us to Tucson. 00:04:58.080 --> 00:05:02.520 align:middle line:84% [DINÉ BIZAAD], that's what they do at home when people come home 00:05:02.520 --> 00:05:04.320 align:middle line:84% or when you come to a new community. 00:05:04.320 --> 00:05:07.960 align:middle line:84% They come out, and welcome you, and eat for you. 00:05:07.960 --> 00:05:12.360 align:middle line:84% So we've really been eating a lot in Tucson. 00:05:12.360 --> 00:05:17.340 align:middle line:84% The community of Tucson has also been very generous, [DINÉ BIZAAD]. 00:05:17.340 --> 00:05:20.160 align:middle line:84% This is a poem called, Sháá Áko Dahjiníleh, 00:05:20.160 --> 00:05:23.370 align:middle line:84% "Remember the Things They Told Us." 00:05:23.370 --> 00:05:28.050 align:middle line:84% "1, before this world existed, the holy people 00:05:28.050 --> 00:05:33.570 align:middle line:84% made themselves visible by becoming the clouds, sun, moon, 00:05:33.570 --> 00:05:39.210 align:middle line:84% trees, bodies of water, thunder, rain, snow, 00:05:39.210 --> 00:05:42.750 align:middle line:84% and other aspects of this world we live in. 00:05:42.750 --> 00:05:46.740 align:middle line:84% That way, they said, we would never be alone. 00:05:46.740 --> 00:05:49.350 align:middle line:84% So it is possible to talk to them 00:05:49.350 --> 00:05:54.240 align:middle line:84% and pray no matter where we are and how we feel. 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:59.610 align:middle line:84% Biyázhí daniidlí, we are their little ones. 00:05:59.610 --> 00:06:03.570 align:middle line:84% 2, since the beginning, the [? people have gone outdoors ?] 00:06:03.570 --> 00:06:05.250 align:middle line:90% at dawn to pray. 00:06:05.250 --> 00:06:10.260 align:middle line:84% The morning light, adinídíín, represents knowledge and mental 00:06:10.260 --> 00:06:11.640 align:middle line:90% awareness. 00:06:11.640 --> 00:06:15.270 align:middle line:84% With the dawn come the holy ones who bring blessings 00:06:15.270 --> 00:06:21.450 align:middle line:84% and daily gifts because they are grateful when we remember them. 00:06:21.450 --> 00:06:25.620 align:middle line:84% 3, when you were born and took your first breath, 00:06:25.620 --> 00:06:27.990 align:middle line:84% different colors and different kinds 00:06:27.990 --> 00:06:32.040 align:middle line:84% of wind entered through your fingertips and the whirl 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:35.820 align:middle line:84% on top of your head within us as we breathe 00:06:35.820 --> 00:06:40.230 align:middle line:84% or the light breezes that cool summer afternoon. 00:06:40.230 --> 00:06:44.400 align:middle line:84% Within us, the tumbling winds that precede rain; 00:06:44.400 --> 00:06:48.180 align:middle line:84% within us, the sheets of hard, thundering rain; 00:06:48.180 --> 00:06:52.080 align:middle line:84% within us, dust-filled layers of wind that sweep in 00:06:52.080 --> 00:06:53.790 align:middle line:90% from the mountains. 00:06:53.790 --> 00:06:58.230 align:middle line:84% To see this, blow on your hand now. 00:06:58.230 --> 00:07:02.310 align:middle line:84% Each sound we make evokes the power of these winds, 00:07:02.310 --> 00:07:07.830 align:middle line:84% and we are at once gentle and powerful. 00:07:07.830 --> 00:07:12.930 align:middle line:84% 4, think about good things when preparing meals. 00:07:12.930 --> 00:07:15.840 align:middle line:84% It is much more than physical nourishment. 00:07:15.840 --> 00:07:19.660 align:middle line:84% The way the cook or cooks think and feel 00:07:19.660 --> 00:07:22.080 align:middle line:90% become a part of the meal. 00:07:22.080 --> 00:07:26.850 align:middle line:84% Food that is prepared with careful thought, contentment, 00:07:26.850 --> 00:07:32.220 align:middle line:84% and good memories tastes so good and nurtures the mind 00:07:32.220 --> 00:07:36.210 align:middle line:90% and spirit as well as the body. 00:07:36.210 --> 00:07:39.600 align:middle line:84% Once, my mother chased me out of the kitchen 00:07:39.600 --> 00:07:43.890 align:middle line:84% because it is disheartening to think of eating something 00:07:43.890 --> 00:07:47.700 align:middle line:90% cooked by an angry person. 00:07:47.700 --> 00:07:49.110 align:middle line:90% That was when I was a teenager. 00:07:49.110 --> 00:07:51.900 align:middle line:90% 00:07:51.900 --> 00:07:56.400 align:middle line:84% 5, be careful not to let your children sit or eat-- 00:07:56.400 --> 00:07:59.880 align:middle line:84% sit or play on tables or countertops. 00:07:59.880 --> 00:08:03.000 align:middle line:84% Not only is it bad manners, but they 00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:06.420 align:middle line:84% might have to get married far sooner than you would ever 00:08:06.420 --> 00:08:08.130 align:middle line:90% want. 00:08:08.130 --> 00:08:12.960 align:middle line:84% 6, don't cut your own hair or anyone else's after dark. 00:08:12.960 --> 00:08:16.470 align:middle line:84% There are things that come with the darkness 00:08:16.470 --> 00:08:19.230 align:middle line:90% that we have no control over. 00:08:19.230 --> 00:08:22.620 align:middle line:84% It's not clear why this rule exists, 00:08:22.620 --> 00:08:26.730 align:middle line:84% but so far, no one is willing to become 00:08:26.730 --> 00:08:29.940 align:middle line:84% the example of what happens to someone 00:08:29.940 --> 00:08:31.830 align:middle line:90% who doesn't abide by it." 00:08:31.830 --> 00:08:34.940 align:middle line:90% 00:08:34.940 --> 00:08:38.000 align:middle line:84% This is called, "Yes, It was My Grandmother," 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:43.309 align:middle line:84% and this is for shinálí, my father's mother, 00:08:43.309 --> 00:08:49.280 align:middle line:84% who was also a very renowned weaver. 00:08:49.280 --> 00:08:52.100 align:middle line:90% "Yes, it was my grandmother. 00:08:52.100 --> 00:08:56.810 align:middle line:84% Yes, it was my grandmother who trained wild horses 00:08:56.810 --> 00:08:59.030 align:middle line:90% for pleasure and pay. 00:08:59.030 --> 00:09:03.980 align:middle line:84% People knew of her saying, she knows how to handle them. 00:09:03.980 --> 00:09:06.800 align:middle line:90% Horses obey that woman. 00:09:06.800 --> 00:09:12.620 align:middle line:84% She worked, skirts flying, hair tight secured, wind and dust. 00:09:12.620 --> 00:09:19.280 align:middle line:84% She rode those animals hard and was thrown time and time again. 00:09:19.280 --> 00:09:23.960 align:middle line:84% She worked until they were meek and wanting to please. 00:09:23.960 --> 00:09:28.310 align:middle line:84% She came home at dusk, tired and dusty, 00:09:28.310 --> 00:09:32.330 align:middle line:90% smelling of sweat and horses. 00:09:32.330 --> 00:09:36.770 align:middle line:84% She couldn't cook, my father said smiling. 00:09:36.770 --> 00:09:40.640 align:middle line:90% Your grandmother hated to cook. 00:09:40.640 --> 00:09:46.100 align:middle line:84% Oh, grandma, who freed me from cooking, 00:09:46.100 --> 00:09:49.040 align:middle line:84% grandma, you must have made sure I 00:09:49.040 --> 00:09:53.780 align:middle line:84% met a man who doesn't want to share the kitchen. 00:09:53.780 --> 00:09:58.730 align:middle line:84% I am small like you and do not protect my careless hair 00:09:58.730 --> 00:10:01.070 align:middle line:90% from wind or rain. 00:10:01.070 --> 00:10:06.390 align:middle line:84% It tangles often, grandma, and it is wild and untrained. 00:10:06.390 --> 00:10:11.150 align:middle line:90% 00:10:11.150 --> 00:10:19.730 align:middle line:84% This is a poem, a sestina for all of you 00:10:19.730 --> 00:10:23.120 align:middle line:84% English majors and for people who might 00:10:23.120 --> 00:10:28.400 align:middle line:90% be thinking of taking my class. 00:10:28.400 --> 00:10:30.920 align:middle line:84% A sestina, as you may know, is a poem. 00:10:30.920 --> 00:10:32.270 align:middle line:90% It's in Italian form. 00:10:32.270 --> 00:10:34.160 align:middle line:90% It's a poem of 6's. 00:10:34.160 --> 00:10:36.710 align:middle line:90% And it has six stanzas. 00:10:36.710 --> 00:10:42.350 align:middle line:84% It uses six words which repeat in a certain form 00:10:42.350 --> 00:10:48.410 align:middle line:84% at the end of each line, and the ending word of each stanza 00:10:48.410 --> 00:10:53.825 align:middle line:84% is the last word of the first line of the next stanza. 00:10:53.825 --> 00:10:55.460 align:middle line:90% I really like this form. 00:10:55.460 --> 00:11:01.400 align:middle line:84% I particularly like combining Navajo and English. 00:11:01.400 --> 00:11:06.800 align:middle line:84% I think it's a real gift to know more than one language. 00:11:06.800 --> 00:11:10.010 align:middle line:84% This is a poem that's called, "The Canyon was Serene." 00:11:10.010 --> 00:11:12.620 align:middle line:84% And you'll see that it's really a song 00:11:12.620 --> 00:11:15.890 align:middle line:84% in that once you begin writing in this form, 00:11:15.890 --> 00:11:17.640 align:middle line:90% it starts off on its own. 00:11:17.640 --> 00:11:19.650 align:middle line:84% You don't know what's going to happen. 00:11:19.650 --> 00:11:23.010 align:middle line:84% So this was a surprise for me in many ways. 00:11:23.010 --> 00:11:26.840 align:middle line:84% And in fact, I had to go back after I was maybe 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:30.710 align:middle line:84% in the third stanza and fix the first two because the poem did 00:11:30.710 --> 00:11:33.110 align:middle line:90% something that I didn't expect. 00:11:33.110 --> 00:11:35.960 align:middle line:84% It's called, "The Canyon was Serene." 00:11:35.960 --> 00:11:44.020 align:middle line:84% And as I said, it's a poem of 6's. 00:11:44.020 --> 00:11:47.830 align:middle line:84% "Tonight, as the bright moon fills the bed, 00:11:47.830 --> 00:11:53.080 align:middle line:84% I am certain that I can't rise and face the dawn. 00:11:53.080 --> 00:11:56.140 align:middle line:84% Dreams of Chinle and the mountains 00:11:56.140 --> 00:12:00.130 align:middle line:84% urged me to drive back to the rest. 00:12:00.130 --> 00:12:06.010 align:middle line:84% My family knows why I left, but my husband's gentle horses 00:12:06.010 --> 00:12:08.770 align:middle line:90% must wonder where he went. 00:12:08.770 --> 00:12:11.950 align:middle line:84% Since it happened, there has been no way 00:12:11.950 --> 00:12:16.180 align:middle line:84% to weave this loneliness and the quiet nights 00:12:16.180 --> 00:12:21.550 align:middle line:84% into that calm state called hozjo. 00:12:21.550 --> 00:12:24.350 align:middle line:90% Maybe it doesn't exist. 00:12:24.350 --> 00:12:27.760 align:middle line:84% These days, it makes me sad and jealous 00:12:27.760 --> 00:12:31.870 align:middle line:84% that some Navajos really live by hozjooji. 00:12:31.870 --> 00:12:37.900 align:middle line:84% Yes, I am jealous of how the old ways actually work for them. 00:12:37.900 --> 00:12:41.260 align:middle line:84% They wake, rise, and pray each morning 00:12:41.260 --> 00:12:43.450 align:middle line:90% knowing they are blessed. 00:12:43.450 --> 00:12:48.340 align:middle line:84% For me, the beauty way is abstract most of the time. 00:12:48.340 --> 00:12:51.580 align:middle line:84% At dawn, I rush out and drive to work 00:12:51.580 --> 00:12:54.520 align:middle line:90% instead of praying outside. 00:12:54.520 --> 00:12:58.000 align:middle line:84% They say we should weave these ancient ways 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:01.270 align:middle line:90% into our daily lives. 00:13:01.270 --> 00:13:05.770 align:middle line:84% Do you remember the horses his mother gave at our wedding? 00:13:05.770 --> 00:13:08.710 align:middle line:84% They're traditional people and brought horses 00:13:08.710 --> 00:13:14.140 align:middle line:84% to my family, such strong and exquisite animals. 00:13:14.140 --> 00:13:18.850 align:middle line:84% We heard that people were jealous, but we dismissed it. 00:13:18.850 --> 00:13:22.180 align:middle line:84% Back then, I rode horses for hours, used 00:13:22.180 --> 00:13:25.600 align:middle line:90% to weave until sunset each day. 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:29.080 align:middle line:84% Once, we went camping in Canyon de Chelly. 00:13:29.080 --> 00:13:33.280 align:middle line:84% The moon rise was so bright, we could see tiny birds 00:13:33.280 --> 00:13:34.630 align:middle line:90% in the brush. 00:13:34.630 --> 00:13:38.020 align:middle line:84% The four-wheel drive got stuck in the sand, 00:13:38.020 --> 00:13:41.320 align:middle line:90% and two guys helped push it out. 00:13:41.320 --> 00:13:46.180 align:middle line:84% That night, the beauty of the old Canyon, the moon, 00:13:46.180 --> 00:13:50.050 align:middle line:84% and the surprise rescue proved that the beauty 00:13:50.050 --> 00:13:54.520 align:middle line:90% the elders speak of does exist. 00:13:54.520 --> 00:13:59.950 align:middle line:84% Late that night, a small herd of wild horses came to our camp. 00:13:59.950 --> 00:14:04.450 align:middle line:84% They circle and sniff the worn-out four-wheel drive. 00:14:04.450 --> 00:14:07.810 align:middle line:90% It smelled of gas and sweat. 00:14:07.810 --> 00:14:10.790 align:middle line:90% The canyon was serene. 00:14:10.790 --> 00:14:15.100 align:middle line:84% It's easy to be jealous of the people who live there, 00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:20.530 align:middle line:84% how much more substantial the sunrise blessing seen there. 00:14:20.530 --> 00:14:23.200 align:middle line:84% During those summers not long ago, 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:27.070 align:middle line:84% it was easy to weave story and many others like it 00:14:27.070 --> 00:14:29.050 align:middle line:90% into my rugs. 00:14:29.050 --> 00:14:35.140 align:middle line:84% Back then, I used to weave and pray, weave and sing. 00:14:35.140 --> 00:14:37.390 align:middle line:84% The rhythm of the batten comb meant 00:14:37.390 --> 00:14:40.570 align:middle line:90% that beauty was taking form. 00:14:40.570 --> 00:14:43.360 align:middle line:84% Nights like that and his low laughter 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:49.510 align:middle line:84% made my rugs rise evenly in warm, delicate designs. 00:14:49.510 --> 00:14:54.970 align:middle line:84% Once I wove the colors of his horses into a saddle blanket, 00:14:54.970 --> 00:14:59.200 align:middle line:84% he teased me and said that my brother would be jealous 00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:02.500 align:middle line:90% because I had not made him one. 00:15:02.500 --> 00:15:08.470 align:middle line:84% Sometimes, memories of his riding songs drive me to tears. 00:15:08.470 --> 00:15:12.490 align:middle line:84% What ever happened to that saddle blanket? 00:15:12.490 --> 00:15:16.930 align:middle line:84% Once on a drive to Albuquerque, the long, red mesas 00:15:16.930 --> 00:15:23.200 align:middle line:84% and smooth cliffs showed me how to weave them into a rug. 00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:24.970 align:middle line:90% I was so happy. 00:15:24.970 --> 00:15:29.530 align:middle line:84% Here I was, sometimes frustrated of weavers who seemed 00:15:29.530 --> 00:15:32.950 align:middle line:90% to live and breathe designs. 00:15:32.950 --> 00:15:36.970 align:middle line:84% I learned that beauty can't be forced. 00:15:36.970 --> 00:15:39.670 align:middle line:90% It comes on its own. 00:15:39.670 --> 00:15:45.100 align:middle line:84% It's like the silky sheen of horses on cool summer mornings. 00:15:45.100 --> 00:15:49.480 align:middle line:84% It's like the small breezes, the sway and rise 00:15:49.480 --> 00:15:52.240 align:middle line:90% of an appaloosa's back. 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:57.010 align:middle line:84% Back then, we drove sheep home into pure beauty 00:15:57.010 --> 00:16:00.340 align:middle line:90% of Chinle Valley twilight. 00:16:00.340 --> 00:16:04.180 align:middle line:84% Will I ever weave like that again? 00:16:04.180 --> 00:16:09.880 align:middle line:84% Our fine horses and tender love cause jealousy. 00:16:09.880 --> 00:16:11.500 align:middle line:90% He's gone. 00:16:11.500 --> 00:16:14.785 align:middle line:90% From his grave, my tears rise." 00:16:14.785 --> 00:16:29.850 align:middle line:90% 00:16:29.850 --> 00:16:49.930 align:middle line:84% I want to-- this is a story that I remembered when I was here 00:16:49.930 --> 00:16:52.180 align:middle line:90% in Tucson some years ago. 00:16:52.180 --> 00:16:56.320 align:middle line:84% I've been fortunate in that this university has 00:16:56.320 --> 00:17:01.860 align:middle line:84% been asking me to become a part of the university 00:17:01.860 --> 00:17:03.120 align:middle line:90% for some time. 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:05.730 align:middle line:84% And one year, one spring, I was here. 00:17:05.730 --> 00:17:10.290 align:middle line:84% And when you're interviewing for a job, 00:17:10.290 --> 00:17:13.720 align:middle line:84% you go out to dinners, and receptions, and all this. 00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:17.640 align:middle line:84% So there's a lot of people in the English department 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:19.050 align:middle line:90% with whom I'm good friends. 00:17:19.050 --> 00:17:20.833 align:middle line:84% And we were supposed to go out to dinner, 00:17:20.833 --> 00:17:22.500 align:middle line:84% and they're supposed to ask me questions 00:17:22.500 --> 00:17:25.920 align:middle line:84% about what I would teach, and how would I do this and that. 00:17:25.920 --> 00:17:29.100 align:middle line:84% But instead, we just started telling stories. 00:17:29.100 --> 00:17:31.110 align:middle line:84% And I guess it's OK that I say this now 00:17:31.110 --> 00:17:34.090 align:middle line:90% that I'm actually here. 00:17:34.090 --> 00:17:36.270 align:middle line:84% So we were telling car stories, and we 00:17:36.270 --> 00:17:38.350 align:middle line:90% had a really, really good time. 00:17:38.350 --> 00:17:42.480 align:middle line:84% And this was one of the stories that I told. 00:17:42.480 --> 00:17:47.560 align:middle line:84% And they were telling me, have you written the story down? 00:17:47.560 --> 00:17:50.120 align:middle line:84% They asked me if I had written it down, and I hadn't. 00:17:50.120 --> 00:17:52.150 align:middle line:90% So I did, and it's called-- 00:17:52.150 --> 00:17:54.790 align:middle line:90% I remember this one in Tucson. 00:17:54.790 --> 00:17:57.640 align:middle line:90% It's about a car. 00:17:57.640 --> 00:17:59.410 align:middle line:84% "When I lived in Albuquerque, I was 00:17:59.410 --> 00:18:02.230 align:middle line:84% going to my part-time job at the bookstore 00:18:02.230 --> 00:18:06.350 align:middle line:84% across from the university campus one afternoon. 00:18:06.350 --> 00:18:10.690 align:middle line:84% My friend, Nita, offered to drop me off on her way home. 00:18:10.690 --> 00:18:14.500 align:middle line:84% I didn't know she meant that literally. 00:18:14.500 --> 00:18:17.260 align:middle line:84% She had just bought a new used convertible 00:18:17.260 --> 00:18:21.040 align:middle line:84% and was so excited when she was able to purchase it. 00:18:21.040 --> 00:18:24.070 align:middle line:84% She had had her eye on it for months 00:18:24.070 --> 00:18:29.200 align:middle line:84% and had even lit candles at church hoping she could get it. 00:18:29.200 --> 00:18:31.370 align:middle line:90% Nita and I were good friends. 00:18:31.370 --> 00:18:34.480 align:middle line:84% We had both married young and had our older children 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:38.080 align:middle line:84% about the same time, life-changing events occurring 00:18:38.080 --> 00:18:40.030 align:middle line:90% in quick succession. 00:18:40.030 --> 00:18:43.310 align:middle line:84% For years, we both struggled to attend classes, 00:18:43.310 --> 00:18:49.630 align:middle line:84% pay daycare bills, and dress our kids and ourselves decently. 00:18:49.630 --> 00:18:53.290 align:middle line:84% So money was one thing there was never enough of. 00:18:53.290 --> 00:18:57.580 align:middle line:84% Anyway, it felt good when Nita finally saved enough money 00:18:57.580 --> 00:19:01.930 align:middle line:84% to buy the car she really wanted, the one she had dreamed 00:19:01.930 --> 00:19:05.230 align:middle line:84% about, neither an affordable little compact that 00:19:05.230 --> 00:19:10.200 align:middle line:84% got great mileage nor sturdy car her parents gave her when they 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:13.730 align:middle line:90% bought a larger luxury car. 00:19:13.730 --> 00:19:17.260 align:middle line:84% True, it was a used car, but car main gears 00:19:17.260 --> 00:19:20.080 align:middle line:90% weren't made anymore. 00:19:20.080 --> 00:19:23.600 align:middle line:84% A classic, we kept saying to each other. 00:19:23.600 --> 00:19:28.720 align:middle line:84% It was beautiful, a shiny orange body and creamy leather top. 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:30.430 align:middle line:90% The price was good. 00:19:30.430 --> 00:19:32.320 align:middle line:84% And at the time, we didn't consider 00:19:32.320 --> 00:19:37.060 align:middle line:84% the condition of the engine or that sort of thing. 00:19:37.060 --> 00:19:40.120 align:middle line:84% We went to the car lot between classes 00:19:40.120 --> 00:19:42.790 align:middle line:90% and simply looked at the car. 00:19:42.790 --> 00:19:45.940 align:middle line:84% We ran our hands over the leather interior 00:19:45.940 --> 00:19:49.600 align:middle line:84% and imagined driving up the winding roads to Sandia 00:19:49.600 --> 00:19:52.720 align:middle line:90% Crest with the top down. 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:54.400 align:middle line:90% Do you think I should? 00:19:54.400 --> 00:19:56.950 align:middle line:84% She asked me a hundred times when she finally 00:19:56.950 --> 00:19:58.840 align:middle line:90% had the total amount. 00:19:58.840 --> 00:20:03.790 align:middle line:84% Of course, you deserve it, I said. 00:20:03.790 --> 00:20:05.860 align:middle line:84% Not to mention, I deserve to have 00:20:05.860 --> 00:20:09.630 align:middle line:90% a friend with a convertible. 00:20:09.630 --> 00:20:12.630 align:middle line:84% We decided not to tell our husbands because we 00:20:12.630 --> 00:20:15.090 align:middle line:90% wanted to surprise them. 00:20:15.090 --> 00:20:19.680 align:middle line:84% We felt sure they would be happy and proud. 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:24.990 align:middle line:84% After she bought it, the car drove like a dream, her words. 00:20:24.990 --> 00:20:29.340 align:middle line:84% I followed her back to campus, and nothing out of the ordinary 00:20:29.340 --> 00:20:30.360 align:middle line:90% happen. 00:20:30.360 --> 00:20:33.540 align:middle line:84% It drove well that evening when her family saw it 00:20:33.540 --> 00:20:35.340 align:middle line:90% for the first time. 00:20:35.340 --> 00:20:38.880 align:middle line:84% Her husband wasn't exactly ecstatic. 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:43.770 align:middle line:84% Instead, he said things like, you paid the sticker price? 00:20:43.770 --> 00:20:46.440 align:middle line:90% Did you try offering less? 00:20:46.440 --> 00:20:47.670 align:middle line:90% How could I? 00:20:47.670 --> 00:20:48.600 align:middle line:90% Nita said. 00:20:48.600 --> 00:20:52.950 align:middle line:84% That's the price it said, so that's what I paid. 00:20:52.950 --> 00:20:57.540 align:middle line:84% Over the years, we've become smarter in these matters. 00:20:57.540 --> 00:21:01.110 align:middle line:84% Beginning the next week, the car became unpredictable. 00:21:01.110 --> 00:21:04.530 align:middle line:84% Nita drove the car half-time, and the rest of the time, 00:21:04.530 --> 00:21:07.710 align:middle line:84% it was in an auto mechanic's garage. 00:21:07.710 --> 00:21:11.400 align:middle line:84% We found out quickly that a classic car's repair bills 00:21:11.400 --> 00:21:15.030 align:middle line:90% hovered near heaven somewhere. 00:21:15.030 --> 00:21:17.430 align:middle line:84% I lent Nita some money, but my husband 00:21:17.430 --> 00:21:20.010 align:middle line:84% said it wasn't our responsibility. 00:21:20.010 --> 00:21:23.640 align:middle line:84% But I was there the whole time, I said. 00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:27.900 align:middle line:84% I told her she deserved a car like that. 00:21:27.900 --> 00:21:29.940 align:middle line:90% She does, he said. 00:21:29.940 --> 00:21:33.680 align:middle line:90% 00:21:33.680 --> 00:21:37.400 align:middle line:84% So we had yard sales and sold whatever 00:21:37.400 --> 00:21:40.250 align:middle line:84% we found in the remote corners of our homes 00:21:40.250 --> 00:21:42.110 align:middle line:90% at the flea market. 00:21:42.110 --> 00:21:45.260 align:middle line:84% I couldn't believe how expensive the repairs were, 00:21:45.260 --> 00:21:48.410 align:middle line:84% but we kept telling each other that after the breaks were 00:21:48.410 --> 00:21:52.250 align:middle line:84% done, it would be a long time before they go out again. 00:21:52.250 --> 00:21:54.290 align:middle line:84% But after the breaks were replaced, 00:21:54.290 --> 00:21:56.360 align:middle line:90% the transmission needed work. 00:21:56.360 --> 00:21:59.030 align:middle line:84% It seemed like it would never end. 00:21:59.030 --> 00:22:01.700 align:middle line:90% Their insurance was high, too. 00:22:01.700 --> 00:22:05.240 align:middle line:84% Nevertheless, we remain optimistic that come summer, 00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:07.820 align:middle line:84% we'd be cruising the Duke City and Santa 00:22:07.820 --> 00:22:11.660 align:middle line:84% Fe in the cute, orange convertible, our kids tucked 00:22:11.660 --> 00:22:14.600 align:middle line:90% in the back seat. 00:22:14.600 --> 00:22:18.350 align:middle line:84% That afternoon, Juanita offered me the ride to the bookstore. 00:22:18.350 --> 00:22:21.350 align:middle line:90% I got in, and it was so cool. 00:22:21.350 --> 00:22:25.700 align:middle line:84% The top was down, and it was a bright spring day. 00:22:25.700 --> 00:22:28.790 align:middle line:84% I leaned back and looked at the turquoise sky 00:22:28.790 --> 00:22:31.160 align:middle line:90% as Nita was talking. 00:22:31.160 --> 00:22:33.140 align:middle line:84% Then in the middle of everything, 00:22:33.140 --> 00:22:38.480 align:middle line:84% she said, oh, I meant to tell you that once this car starts, 00:22:38.480 --> 00:22:42.280 align:middle line:90% I can't stop it. 00:22:42.280 --> 00:22:46.170 align:middle line:90% If I stop, it won't start again. 00:22:46.170 --> 00:22:46.770 align:middle line:90% What? 00:22:46.770 --> 00:22:50.340 align:middle line:84% I'm trying to comprehend what this meant. 00:22:50.340 --> 00:22:54.990 align:middle line:84% Oh, it's really no problem, she said. 00:22:54.990 --> 00:22:58.170 align:middle line:84% I'll drop you off in the alley behind the store 00:22:58.170 --> 00:23:00.210 align:middle line:90% rather than on central. 00:23:00.210 --> 00:23:01.650 align:middle line:90% She paused. 00:23:01.650 --> 00:23:04.570 align:middle line:84% I already thought this through, no problem. 00:23:04.570 --> 00:23:07.860 align:middle line:90% 00:23:07.860 --> 00:23:09.570 align:middle line:90% OK, she continued. 00:23:09.570 --> 00:23:15.090 align:middle line:84% I'll slow down real slow so that you can just get out. 00:23:15.090 --> 00:23:17.070 align:middle line:90% I've practiced this. 00:23:17.070 --> 00:23:21.840 align:middle line:84% I'll drive so slow that it will seem like I'm stopped, 00:23:21.840 --> 00:23:25.410 align:middle line:90% but of course, I won't be. 00:23:25.410 --> 00:23:28.170 align:middle line:90% Well, OK, I said. 00:23:28.170 --> 00:23:30.630 align:middle line:84% I could see there was no other way. 00:23:30.630 --> 00:23:33.690 align:middle line:84% Besides, I needed to get to work. 00:23:33.690 --> 00:23:36.330 align:middle line:84% We drove through the alley, and Nita 00:23:36.330 --> 00:23:39.300 align:middle line:84% told me to throw my shoes and purse out first. 00:23:39.300 --> 00:23:42.140 align:middle line:90% 00:23:42.140 --> 00:23:47.870 align:middle line:84% They might weigh you down when you jump, she said. 00:23:47.870 --> 00:23:55.850 align:middle line:84% She drove slowly to show me how simple it would be just to jump 00:23:55.850 --> 00:23:58.280 align:middle line:90% out the next time through. 00:23:58.280 --> 00:24:01.370 align:middle line:84% After I threw my things out, we turned around 00:24:01.370 --> 00:24:05.330 align:middle line:84% in an empty parking lot and came back down. 00:24:05.330 --> 00:24:08.270 align:middle line:84% And then just before the car was almost 00:24:08.270 --> 00:24:12.110 align:middle line:84% stopped near the bookstore, for some reason, 00:24:12.110 --> 00:24:15.860 align:middle line:90% I started screaming, now, now! 00:24:15.860 --> 00:24:18.080 align:middle line:90% Go ahead, Nita, yelled. 00:24:18.080 --> 00:24:21.650 align:middle line:90% I can't, I screamed. 00:24:21.650 --> 00:24:24.950 align:middle line:84% You have to, you have to, she yelled, 00:24:24.950 --> 00:24:28.130 align:middle line:90% her voice rising with panic. 00:24:28.130 --> 00:24:31.040 align:middle line:84% Then just before I jumped, she accidentally 00:24:31.040 --> 00:24:35.240 align:middle line:90% hit the horn several times. 00:24:35.240 --> 00:24:38.210 align:middle line:84% We were both yelling and screaming 00:24:38.210 --> 00:24:43.010 align:middle line:84% as I landed on my hands and knees in the gravel right 00:24:43.010 --> 00:24:44.390 align:middle line:90% beside my purse. 00:24:44.390 --> 00:24:47.130 align:middle line:90% 00:24:47.130 --> 00:24:50.330 align:middle line:84% It happened so slowly, I even close the door 00:24:50.330 --> 00:24:51.680 align:middle line:90% as I was leaping out. 00:24:51.680 --> 00:24:54.460 align:middle line:90% 00:24:54.460 --> 00:24:58.570 align:middle line:84% Then suddenly, it was quiet, and Nita sped off 00:24:58.570 --> 00:25:05.920 align:middle line:84% raising a bit of dust and wave, and we did it, she yelled. 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:09.730 align:middle line:90% I got up and brushed myself off. 00:25:09.730 --> 00:25:12.070 align:middle line:84% Then I realized that several people 00:25:12.070 --> 00:25:18.430 align:middle line:84% had gathered in the alley to investigate the noises. 00:25:18.430 --> 00:25:22.060 align:middle line:84% I was so embarrassed, yet I managed 00:25:22.060 --> 00:25:27.640 align:middle line:84% to walk away with one or two shreds of dignity. 00:25:27.640 --> 00:25:29.980 align:middle line:84% Later, they said that people thought we were 00:25:29.980 --> 00:25:31.525 align:middle line:90% being attacked in the alley. 00:25:31.525 --> 00:25:34.430 align:middle line:90% 00:25:34.430 --> 00:25:39.190 align:middle line:84% Oh, no, I said, her car wouldn't stop, 00:25:39.190 --> 00:25:44.470 align:middle line:84% so I had to jump out when it was still moving. 00:25:44.470 --> 00:25:49.405 align:middle line:84% I could tell they just didn't understand." 00:25:49.405 --> 00:25:52.730 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:25:52.730 --> 00:25:56.070 align:middle line:90% 00:25:56.070 --> 00:25:59.170 align:middle line:90% Thank you. 00:25:59.170 --> 00:26:03.000 align:middle line:84% Every time I read that, I can still see my boss standing 00:26:03.000 --> 00:26:04.050 align:middle line:90% there, looking at me. 00:26:04.050 --> 00:26:09.180 align:middle line:90% 00:26:09.180 --> 00:26:11.940 align:middle line:90% This next poem is a poem-- 00:26:11.940 --> 00:26:16.380 align:middle line:84% in Navajo, there's various words to describe 00:26:16.380 --> 00:26:18.540 align:middle line:90% stages of relationships. 00:26:18.540 --> 00:26:23.130 align:middle line:84% And there's not really a word in Navajo, I think, 00:26:23.130 --> 00:26:25.200 align:middle line:84% that has the same connotations of being 00:26:25.200 --> 00:26:27.360 align:middle line:90% married as there is in English. 00:26:27.360 --> 00:26:30.500 align:middle line:90% 00:26:30.500 --> 00:26:33.680 align:middle line:84% But this is a poem called, 'Ahídzískéii which sort 00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:35.570 align:middle line:90% of comes close to that. 00:26:35.570 --> 00:26:39.790 align:middle line:90% It's about marriage. 00:26:39.790 --> 00:26:44.130 align:middle line:84% "It's not a grand thing, after all, just that warm comfort 00:26:44.130 --> 00:26:46.830 align:middle line:84% and murmuring good night before I 00:26:46.830 --> 00:26:50.970 align:middle line:84% sink into that dark quiet that exists only 00:26:50.970 --> 00:26:53.040 align:middle line:90% when we're together. 00:26:53.040 --> 00:26:56.610 align:middle line:84% Otherwise, when I'm traveling the same good night 00:26:56.610 --> 00:26:59.520 align:middle line:84% on the phone, and I listen intently. 00:26:59.520 --> 00:27:01.980 align:middle line:90% For what, I'm not sure. 00:27:01.980 --> 00:27:04.290 align:middle line:90% Leave a light on for safety. 00:27:04.290 --> 00:27:07.560 align:middle line:84% Drift off to sleep half-listening. 00:27:07.560 --> 00:27:10.230 align:middle line:84% A little noise, and I'm sitting up in bed, 00:27:10.230 --> 00:27:13.170 align:middle line:84% surveying the room, sometimes, even 00:27:13.170 --> 00:27:17.160 align:middle line:84% the entire block from the hotel window. 00:27:17.160 --> 00:27:20.010 align:middle line:84% I rush to the phone and double-check. 00:27:20.010 --> 00:27:25.050 align:middle line:90% Should I dial 0 or 8911? 00:27:25.050 --> 00:27:30.270 align:middle line:84% I check the locks again then lie back down, afraid to sleep yet 00:27:30.270 --> 00:27:33.180 align:middle line:84% wanting to sleep, knowing that fatigue 00:27:33.180 --> 00:27:35.670 align:middle line:90% will be obvious in the morning. 00:27:35.670 --> 00:27:38.370 align:middle line:90% I've had so much practice. 00:27:38.370 --> 00:27:42.690 align:middle line:84% When we're together, checking locks doesn't occur to me. 00:27:42.690 --> 00:27:45.990 align:middle line:84% Local crime seems so far away, never 00:27:45.990 --> 00:27:48.960 align:middle line:84% mind that we are in the heart of the city. 00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:53.610 align:middle line:84% I insist upon complete darkness, and what I am sure of 00:27:53.610 --> 00:27:58.410 align:middle line:84% is that if I turn over, your warm chest or arms 00:27:58.410 --> 00:28:01.500 align:middle line:84% will surround me, that should I awaken-- 00:28:01.500 --> 00:28:04.530 align:middle line:90% use as to where I am once again. 00:28:04.530 --> 00:28:09.360 align:middle line:84% You will reach for me, knowing exactly how to reassure me. 00:28:09.360 --> 00:28:12.540 align:middle line:84% And when we drink coffee together in this bright 00:28:12.540 --> 00:28:17.850 align:middle line:84% California morning, mountains towering around us, 00:28:17.850 --> 00:28:22.965 align:middle line:84% I move closer to knowing what the Creator means by nizhónígo 00:28:22.965 --> 00:28:25.440 align:middle line:90% 'ahídzískéii-- 00:28:25.440 --> 00:28:30.030 align:middle line:84% they are sitting beside each other in a house of beauty." 00:28:30.030 --> 00:28:33.300 align:middle line:90% 00:28:33.300 --> 00:28:36.060 align:middle line:90% And this next poem is-- 00:28:36.060 --> 00:28:37.770 align:middle line:90% well, it's not actually a poem. 00:28:37.770 --> 00:28:40.170 align:middle line:90% It's pieces of a story. 00:28:40.170 --> 00:28:43.140 align:middle line:84% This is a book that just came out about a month ago. 00:28:43.140 --> 00:28:45.810 align:middle line:84% It's called, Songs of Shiprock Fair, 00:28:45.810 --> 00:28:49.020 align:middle line:84% and it's about Shiprock Fair, obviously. 00:28:49.020 --> 00:28:54.150 align:middle line:84% And the little girl in the story, her name is Nezbah. 00:28:54.150 --> 00:28:57.900 align:middle line:84% And I'll read four pages from the story. 00:28:57.900 --> 00:29:02.810 align:middle line:90% 00:29:02.810 --> 00:29:04.610 align:middle line:84% For people that come from Shiprock-- 00:29:04.610 --> 00:29:07.460 align:middle line:84% it's one of the biggest events that happened during the year. 00:29:07.460 --> 00:29:12.230 align:middle line:84% It's a combination of social events, 00:29:12.230 --> 00:29:17.210 align:middle line:84% academic events, competitive agricultural events, 00:29:17.210 --> 00:29:21.950 align:middle line:84% as well as religious and spiritual kinds of rituals. 00:29:21.950 --> 00:29:25.580 align:middle line:84% So it's a time when a lot of people 00:29:25.580 --> 00:29:31.310 align:middle line:90% come home and take part in it. 00:29:31.310 --> 00:29:33.740 align:middle line:90% And so I'll read four pages. 00:29:33.740 --> 00:29:35.810 align:middle line:90% The artwork is really beautiful. 00:29:35.810 --> 00:29:41.390 align:middle line:84% It's by a young man named Emerson Chee, and really 00:29:41.390 --> 00:29:42.830 align:middle line:90% wonderful work. 00:29:42.830 --> 00:29:44.780 align:middle line:90% This is Nezbah and her family. 00:29:44.780 --> 00:29:47.300 align:middle line:84% This is Nezbah up here in the back of the pickup, 00:29:47.300 --> 00:29:53.390 align:middle line:84% and they're taking their agriculture or their produce 00:29:53.390 --> 00:29:55.460 align:middle line:84% to the fair to be entered in the exhibit. 00:29:55.460 --> 00:29:59.390 align:middle line:84% And here she is on the Ferris wheel, 00:29:59.390 --> 00:30:02.330 align:middle line:84% and there's the Carrizo mountains way over there 00:30:02.330 --> 00:30:05.660 align:middle line:84% and the fairgrounds, really wonderful work. 00:30:05.660 --> 00:30:07.440 align:middle line:90% This is the parade. 00:30:07.440 --> 00:30:08.830 align:middle line:90% There's the band. 00:30:08.830 --> 00:30:10.760 align:middle line:84% They're wearing traditional clothes, 00:30:10.760 --> 00:30:13.010 align:middle line:84% and there's some Pueblo women carrying 00:30:13.010 --> 00:30:15.440 align:middle line:84% the pottery on their heads, and people are all 00:30:15.440 --> 00:30:17.460 align:middle line:90% watching the parade. 00:30:17.460 --> 00:30:21.590 align:middle line:84% And then they're all Navajos, but there's 00:30:21.590 --> 00:30:24.110 align:middle line:84% a couple over here that are tourists, 00:30:24.110 --> 00:30:27.560 align:middle line:90% so it's the real thing. 00:30:27.560 --> 00:30:30.270 align:middle line:90% 00:30:30.270 --> 00:30:34.370 align:middle line:90% And then there's also-- 00:30:34.370 --> 00:30:36.410 align:middle line:84% one of my favorite pages is this one. 00:30:36.410 --> 00:30:42.140 align:middle line:84% This is at the fair, and this is at the carnival. 00:30:42.140 --> 00:30:47.030 align:middle line:84% And there's people all dressed up in their best hoes, 00:30:47.030 --> 00:30:49.850 align:middle line:84% and grandmas are riding the Ferris wheel 00:30:49.850 --> 00:30:53.720 align:middle line:84% and eating cotton candy, and teenagers are hanging out. 00:30:53.720 --> 00:31:00.120 align:middle line:84% And it's just really, really, really beautiful artwork. 00:31:00.120 --> 00:31:03.110 align:middle line:84% So this first part is when they're 00:31:03.110 --> 00:31:12.260 align:middle line:84% getting ready to enter their dues in the exhibit. 00:31:12.260 --> 00:31:14.540 align:middle line:84% "Nezbah and her family live in Shiprock 00:31:14.540 --> 00:31:17.420 align:middle line:84% where everyone prepares for the fair each year. 00:31:17.420 --> 00:31:19.610 align:middle line:84% Children work on their art projects 00:31:19.610 --> 00:31:21.440 align:middle line:90% for the school contests. 00:31:21.440 --> 00:31:25.550 align:middle line:84% 4-H members groom their animals for the competitions. 00:31:25.550 --> 00:31:28.760 align:middle line:84% High school students finish sewing entries for the Home 00:31:28.760 --> 00:31:32.930 align:middle line:84% Economics exhibits, and school bands practice marching songs 00:31:32.930 --> 00:31:35.480 align:middle line:84% during their lunch period everyday. 00:31:35.480 --> 00:31:39.500 align:middle line:84% As artists and jewelers put the final touches on their entries, 00:31:39.500 --> 00:31:43.130 align:middle line:84% they sing for each piece of jewelry or each painting. 00:31:43.130 --> 00:31:46.850 align:middle line:84% At various schools, parents, relatives, grandparents, 00:31:46.850 --> 00:31:49.760 align:middle line:84% and teachers work into the evenings, building 00:31:49.760 --> 00:31:51.830 align:middle line:84% and decorating floats for the parade. 00:31:51.830 --> 00:31:55.100 align:middle line:90% 00:31:55.100 --> 00:31:58.280 align:middle line:84% Navajo songs from radios drift through the air 00:31:58.280 --> 00:32:00.320 align:middle line:90% as they talk and laugh. 00:32:00.320 --> 00:32:03.380 align:middle line:84% Throughout Shiprock, people prepare for the fair. 00:32:03.380 --> 00:32:06.110 align:middle line:84% Those who will sell food, jewelry, pottery, 00:32:06.110 --> 00:32:09.470 align:middle line:84% and other items set up their booths and tables 00:32:09.470 --> 00:32:11.090 align:middle line:90% alongside the roads. 00:32:11.090 --> 00:32:14.970 align:middle line:84% Music drifts through the air or hope for a bit of rain 00:32:14.970 --> 00:32:16.760 align:middle line:90% so it won't be too dusty. 00:32:16.760 --> 00:32:20.150 align:middle line:84% The scents of fry bread, stew, and roasted mutton 00:32:20.150 --> 00:32:22.220 align:middle line:90% rise from outdoor grills. 00:32:22.220 --> 00:32:24.650 align:middle line:90% It makes everyone hungry. 00:32:24.650 --> 00:32:27.260 align:middle line:84% The smell of strong, fresh coffee 00:32:27.260 --> 00:32:29.420 align:middle line:84% mingles with the noises of passing 00:32:29.420 --> 00:32:33.860 align:middle line:84% cars, country music, sizzling fry bread, and children 00:32:33.860 --> 00:32:35.510 align:middle line:90% begging for candy. 00:32:35.510 --> 00:32:39.500 align:middle line:84% The whole town brims with excitement. 00:32:39.500 --> 00:32:44.330 align:middle line:84% It is almost time for the Shiprock Fair." 00:32:44.330 --> 00:32:47.660 align:middle line:84% And then this is when they're at the carnival. 00:32:47.660 --> 00:32:50.000 align:middle line:84% "At the top of the Ferris wheel, Nezbah 00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:52.280 align:middle line:84% shows her cousin's sister the Shiprock 00:32:52.280 --> 00:32:56.790 align:middle line:84% peak in the distance and the cold moonlight Shiprock 00:32:56.790 --> 00:32:58.610 align:middle line:90% just start to enlarge. 00:32:58.610 --> 00:33:02.570 align:middle line:84% They wave and shout, shima, my mother. 00:33:02.570 --> 00:33:06.560 align:middle line:84% Long ago, Shiprock rescued the Navajos from floods. 00:33:06.560 --> 00:33:09.650 align:middle line:84% They wave and laugh in the clear night air 00:33:09.650 --> 00:33:13.260 align:middle line:84% as the Ferris wheel passes above the fairgrounds. 00:33:13.260 --> 00:33:17.090 align:middle line:84% They see the long lines of car light-- highways below. 00:33:17.090 --> 00:33:20.510 align:middle line:84% They see the small fires at the Yeibicheii. 00:33:20.510 --> 00:33:23.720 align:middle line:84% They see the thin, shiny river to the north, 00:33:23.720 --> 00:33:27.140 align:middle line:84% and above them is the bright harvest moon. 00:33:27.140 --> 00:33:31.700 align:middle line:84% Nezbah and her sister laugh and wave as the Ferris wheel 00:33:31.700 --> 00:33:35.330 align:middle line:90% glides to the ground." 00:33:35.330 --> 00:33:39.110 align:middle line:84% And then this is when they're at the Yeibicheii. 00:33:39.110 --> 00:33:41.840 align:middle line:84% "Whole families watched the Yei dance, 00:33:41.840 --> 00:33:44.810 align:middle line:84% and above them, the moon moves slowly 00:33:44.810 --> 00:33:47.510 align:middle line:90% across the clear, cold sky. 00:33:47.510 --> 00:33:52.730 align:middle line:84% They listen as the Yei sing their low, harmonious songs. 00:33:52.730 --> 00:33:56.600 align:middle line:84% They watched her evergreen branches sway back and forth. 00:33:56.600 --> 00:34:01.130 align:middle line:84% They watched the flames of the fire flicker as the Yei prays. 00:34:01.130 --> 00:34:04.960 align:middle line:84% They watch and know that the Yei have blessed them again. 00:34:04.960 --> 00:34:07.540 align:middle line:84% Nezbah and her family sit and watch 00:34:07.540 --> 00:34:10.210 align:middle line:90% until the last Yei has danced. 00:34:10.210 --> 00:34:12.100 align:middle line:90% It is early morning. 00:34:12.100 --> 00:34:18.750 align:middle line:84% The moon is flowing in the west above the Carrizo mountain." 00:34:18.750 --> 00:34:23.590 align:middle line:84% And then the last page is when finally, she 00:34:23.590 --> 00:34:27.429 align:middle line:90% goes home early in the morning. 00:34:27.429 --> 00:34:31.104 align:middle line:84% Her father carries her into the house. 00:34:31.104 --> 00:34:34.710 align:middle line:84% This is her father carrying her into the house. 00:34:34.710 --> 00:34:38.909 align:middle line:90% 00:34:38.909 --> 00:34:40.980 align:middle line:90% "The Shiprock Fair is over. 00:34:40.980 --> 00:34:44.550 align:middle line:84% The Yeibicheii have returned to their sacred home. 00:34:44.550 --> 00:34:46.409 align:middle line:90% The children are sleeping. 00:34:46.409 --> 00:34:50.400 align:middle line:84% They dream of parade candy, carnival rides, 00:34:50.400 --> 00:34:51.989 align:middle line:90% the Yei dancing. 00:34:51.989 --> 00:34:55.620 align:middle line:84% They dream of all their relatives being together. 00:34:55.620 --> 00:34:58.350 align:middle line:90% They are laughing and eating. 00:34:58.350 --> 00:35:00.450 align:middle line:90% Nezbah is sleeping. 00:35:00.450 --> 00:35:02.190 align:middle line:90% She is smiling. 00:35:02.190 --> 00:35:05.370 align:middle line:84% She is dreaming of the next Shiprock Fair." 00:35:05.370 --> 00:35:14.877 align:middle line:90% 00:35:14.877 --> 00:35:17.830 align:middle line:84% I want to read this story, which is 00:35:17.830 --> 00:35:24.010 align:middle line:84% a combination of poetry and song, actually, prose and song. 00:35:24.010 --> 00:35:26.830 align:middle line:90% It's a Navajo social song. 00:35:26.830 --> 00:35:30.890 align:middle line:90% It has English words in there. 00:35:30.890 --> 00:35:36.560 align:middle line:84% And you might be familiar with Vincent Craig's song called, 00:35:36.560 --> 00:35:38.540 align:middle line:90% "Rita." 00:35:38.540 --> 00:35:41.480 align:middle line:84% This is Rita as a grown-up, and she's still 00:35:41.480 --> 00:35:42.560 align:middle line:90% at the trading post. 00:35:42.560 --> 00:35:45.140 align:middle line:90% 00:35:45.140 --> 00:35:47.765 align:middle line:84% So the title of this whole thing is called, "Far Away." 00:35:47.765 --> 00:35:53.510 align:middle line:90% 00:35:53.510 --> 00:35:56.173 align:middle line:84% The nice thing about Navajo songs, especially this kind, 00:35:56.173 --> 00:35:57.590 align:middle line:84% is that they're just a lot of fun, 00:35:57.590 --> 00:36:01.490 align:middle line:84% and you can do all kinds of things with them. 00:36:01.490 --> 00:36:04.700 align:middle line:84% So there's four sections, and they're 00:36:04.700 --> 00:36:07.010 align:middle line:90% interspersed with songs. 00:36:07.010 --> 00:36:10.430 align:middle line:84% "Rita was at the trading post waiting 00:36:10.430 --> 00:36:13.520 align:middle line:90% to have her check approved. 00:36:13.520 --> 00:36:16.430 align:middle line:84% She stood over to the side while people move 00:36:16.430 --> 00:36:19.070 align:middle line:90% through the cashier's line. 00:36:19.070 --> 00:36:22.130 align:middle line:84% Then this guy came over after buying 00:36:22.130 --> 00:36:25.220 align:middle line:90% a bottle of Joy detergent. 00:36:25.220 --> 00:36:31.970 align:middle line:84% He said smiling, it's really sad to be alone, I found out. 00:36:31.970 --> 00:36:38.630 align:middle line:84% That's why I'm buying this, to wash my dishes alone. 00:36:38.630 --> 00:36:42.380 align:middle line:84% Rita was so startled, she just said, oh. 00:36:42.380 --> 00:36:45.210 align:middle line:90% 00:36:45.210 --> 00:36:47.830 align:middle line:84% After he went out, the cashier said, 00:36:47.830 --> 00:36:52.860 align:middle line:90% hey, is that all you can say? 00:36:52.860 --> 00:36:54.960 align:middle line:90% Oh? 00:36:54.960 --> 00:36:58.290 align:middle line:84% Rita and everyone in line laughed. 00:36:58.290 --> 00:37:01.170 align:middle line:84% When Rita came out of the trading post, 00:37:01.170 --> 00:37:03.990 align:middle line:90% that guy with the Joy was gone." 00:37:03.990 --> 00:37:06.970 align:middle line:90% 00:37:06.970 --> 00:37:09.850 align:middle line:84% And then this is a little song, part of it that goes, 00:37:09.850 --> 00:37:14.050 align:middle line:84% (SINGING) where trading posts at? 00:37:14.050 --> 00:37:17.470 align:middle line:90% Where trading posts at? 00:37:17.470 --> 00:37:29.080 align:middle line:84% [DINÉ BIZAAD], far away, far away, [DINÉ BIZAAD]. 00:37:29.080 --> 00:37:34.510 align:middle line:90% 00:37:34.510 --> 00:37:38.800 align:middle line:84% "The traffic is awful at Shiprock Fair. 00:37:38.800 --> 00:37:42.040 align:middle line:84% You have to park at 6:00 AM to get 00:37:42.040 --> 00:37:44.980 align:middle line:90% a decent spot for the parade. 00:37:44.980 --> 00:37:48.190 align:middle line:84% Most families have a traditional spot, 00:37:48.190 --> 00:37:52.720 align:middle line:84% and every year, relatives and friends can find them there. 00:37:52.720 --> 00:37:55.510 align:middle line:84% Sometimes, we sell coffee and pop 00:37:55.510 --> 00:37:57.520 align:middle line:90% from the back of the pickup. 00:37:57.520 --> 00:38:01.480 align:middle line:84% But usually, we drink all the coffee ourselves 00:38:01.480 --> 00:38:04.840 align:middle line:90% and forget to pay. 00:38:04.840 --> 00:38:07.450 align:middle line:84% The kids get so excited, they try 00:38:07.450 --> 00:38:11.230 align:middle line:84% to dance with all the dance groups that come by. 00:38:11.230 --> 00:38:14.440 align:middle line:84% They'd catch candy from the various floats. 00:38:14.440 --> 00:38:18.520 align:middle line:84% When it's all over, they're sweaty, sticky with candy, 00:38:18.520 --> 00:38:19.910 align:middle line:90% and grouchy. 00:38:19.910 --> 00:38:22.810 align:middle line:84% So we pack up our chairs, blankets, 00:38:22.810 --> 00:38:26.350 align:middle line:84% bags of free stuff and candy and ease 00:38:26.350 --> 00:38:29.200 align:middle line:90% into the long lines of traffic. 00:38:29.200 --> 00:38:31.270 align:middle line:90% No matter-- we want to go. 00:38:31.270 --> 00:38:33.520 align:middle line:90% It's slow-going. 00:38:33.520 --> 00:38:37.270 align:middle line:84% It's easier if the traffic officer is a relative. 00:38:37.270 --> 00:38:44.480 align:middle line:84% Then you can say, She'awéé', my baby, let me in. 00:38:44.480 --> 00:38:50.050 align:middle line:84% Then they'll stop cars and let you break into line. 00:38:50.050 --> 00:38:54.100 align:middle line:84% Once in traffic, a friend said, Shiprock Fair 00:38:54.100 --> 00:38:56.500 align:middle line:90% is not the only one you know. 00:38:56.500 --> 00:39:01.100 align:middle line:84% Tuba's City Fair is better than this. 00:39:01.100 --> 00:39:04.300 align:middle line:84% We just all looked at her and thought, (SINGING) 00:39:04.300 --> 00:39:08.020 align:middle line:90% where Tuba city? 00:39:08.020 --> 00:39:11.280 align:middle line:90% Where Tuba city? 00:39:11.280 --> 00:39:23.230 align:middle line:84% [DINÉ BIZAAD], far away, far away, [DINÉ BIZAAD]. 00:39:23.230 --> 00:39:27.940 align:middle line:90% 00:39:27.940 --> 00:39:30.190 align:middle line:84% When we were children, my mother always 00:39:30.190 --> 00:39:33.850 align:middle line:84% sat beside daddy as he drove, sit together 00:39:33.850 --> 00:39:35.500 align:middle line:90% on the driver's side. 00:39:35.500 --> 00:39:39.820 align:middle line:84% He'd open the door for her and help her in. 00:39:39.820 --> 00:39:44.455 align:middle line:84% Daddy had a dog named Sandwich that he really liked. 00:39:44.455 --> 00:39:47.920 align:middle line:90% 00:39:47.920 --> 00:39:51.130 align:middle line:84% Sandwich followed him around everywhere 00:39:51.130 --> 00:39:56.050 align:middle line:84% and sat on the passenger side when they went places. 00:39:56.050 --> 00:39:59.800 align:middle line:84% Then one day, Sandwich leapt in before mom 00:39:59.800 --> 00:40:03.550 align:middle line:90% and sat beside daddy. 00:40:03.550 --> 00:40:07.210 align:middle line:84% After that happened three times, mom said, 00:40:07.210 --> 00:40:11.470 align:middle line:84% I'm not going anywhere with you if that dog sits in the middle. 00:40:11.470 --> 00:40:14.500 align:middle line:90% 00:40:14.500 --> 00:40:18.850 align:middle line:84% Daddy just smiled then fixed Sandwich watch a special place 00:40:18.850 --> 00:40:21.280 align:middle line:90% in the back of the pickup. 00:40:21.280 --> 00:40:24.190 align:middle line:84% Later, mom got in, and looked around, 00:40:24.190 --> 00:40:27.805 align:middle line:90% and said, where is that old dog? 00:40:27.805 --> 00:40:31.630 align:middle line:90% (SINGING) Where that old dog? 00:40:31.630 --> 00:40:34.870 align:middle line:90% Where that old dog? 00:40:34.870 --> 00:40:46.670 align:middle line:84% [DINÉ BIZAAD], far away, far away, [DINÉ BIZAAD]. 00:40:46.670 --> 00:40:50.980 align:middle line:90% 00:40:50.980 --> 00:40:55.420 align:middle line:84% For once, they went dancing in Albuquerque. 00:40:55.420 --> 00:41:00.430 align:middle line:84% It was perfect-- not too smoky, a live band playing, 00:41:00.430 --> 00:41:05.080 align:middle line:84% smooth, uncrowded floor, attentive waiters. 00:41:05.080 --> 00:41:10.060 align:middle line:84% And best of all, Leona's husband was a good dancer. 00:41:10.060 --> 00:41:14.680 align:middle line:84% They danced to almost every song except after fast swing numbers 00:41:14.680 --> 00:41:17.260 align:middle line:84% when they caught their breaths and sipped 00:41:17.260 --> 00:41:20.200 align:middle line:90% on cold, chilled drinks. 00:41:20.200 --> 00:41:22.600 align:middle line:84% After midnight, he went to the men's room, 00:41:22.600 --> 00:41:25.810 align:middle line:90% and Leona sat watching people. 00:41:25.810 --> 00:41:32.680 align:middle line:84% Then the band started playing, Check Yes or No Oh, 00:41:32.680 --> 00:41:37.960 align:middle line:84% shoot, my favorite song, she thought. 00:41:37.960 --> 00:41:41.980 align:middle line:84% Just as an open hand appeared requesting a dance, 00:41:41.980 --> 00:41:46.950 align:middle line:84% she glanced up and saw it belong to a tall cowboy. 00:41:46.950 --> 00:41:52.180 align:middle line:90% Hey, please, he said smiling. 00:41:52.180 --> 00:41:54.910 align:middle line:90% No, thanks, Leona replied. 00:41:54.910 --> 00:41:57.790 align:middle line:84% Suddenly, he fell to one knee and said, 00:41:57.790 --> 00:42:02.470 align:middle line:84% just one dance, please, I'm begging you. 00:42:02.470 --> 00:42:07.390 align:middle line:84% He was still smiling, partly at his own dramatic plea. 00:42:07.390 --> 00:42:11.530 align:middle line:84% Then the cowboy took his hat and cleared a wide path 00:42:11.530 --> 00:42:14.860 align:middle line:84% to the dance floor with a sweeping wave. 00:42:14.860 --> 00:42:19.840 align:middle line:84% She just smiled, then he leaned over and whispered, remember, 00:42:19.840 --> 00:42:23.530 align:middle line:90% you broke my heart, and left. 00:42:23.530 --> 00:42:27.310 align:middle line:90% (SINGING) Where the dance at? 00:42:27.310 --> 00:42:30.460 align:middle line:90% Where the dance at? 00:42:30.460 --> 00:42:51.728 align:middle line:84% [DINÉ BIZAAD] far away, far away, [DINÉ BIZAAD], far away, far away, 00:42:51.728 --> 00:42:52.430 align:middle line:90% [DINÉ BIZAAD]." 00:42:52.430 --> 00:42:58.274 align:middle line:90% 00:42:58.274 --> 00:43:01.718 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:43:01.718 --> 00:43:08.130 align:middle line:90% 00:43:08.130 --> 00:43:09.630 align:middle line:90% Thank you. 00:43:09.630 --> 00:43:11.340 align:middle line:84% There's one of those points when you're 00:43:11.340 --> 00:43:12.960 align:middle line:84% reading that you just keep feeling 00:43:12.960 --> 00:43:14.785 align:middle line:90% like saying, [VOCALIZING]. 00:43:14.785 --> 00:43:17.820 align:middle line:90% 00:43:17.820 --> 00:43:19.350 align:middle line:84% It's hard to read because you just 00:43:19.350 --> 00:43:20.715 align:middle line:90% feel like laughing yourself. 00:43:20.715 --> 00:43:26.730 align:middle line:90% 00:43:26.730 --> 00:43:30.000 align:middle line:84% This is a poem that I think I better read or else somebody 00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:33.570 align:middle line:90% will scold me afterwards. 00:43:33.570 --> 00:43:35.560 align:middle line:84% It's a point that's been real popular. 00:43:35.560 --> 00:43:38.040 align:middle line:90% It's called, "Raisin Eyes." 00:43:38.040 --> 00:43:49.080 align:middle line:84% And the poem itself is about Navajo men, 00:43:49.080 --> 00:43:51.660 align:middle line:84% but I think it's really a poem about men in general. 00:43:51.660 --> 00:43:55.000 align:middle line:90% 00:43:55.000 --> 00:44:01.000 align:middle line:84% "Raisin Eyes-- I saw my friend, Ella, with a tall cowboy 00:44:01.000 --> 00:44:04.420 align:middle line:84% at the store the other day in Shiprock. 00:44:04.420 --> 00:44:09.070 align:middle line:84% Later, I asked her, who's that guy, anyway? 00:44:09.070 --> 00:44:14.140 align:middle line:84% Oh, Luci, she said, I knew what was coming. 00:44:14.140 --> 00:44:17.020 align:middle line:90% It's terrible. 00:44:17.020 --> 00:44:23.200 align:middle line:84% He lives with me, and my money, and my car, 00:44:23.200 --> 00:44:25.030 align:middle line:90% but just for a while. 00:44:25.030 --> 00:44:32.200 align:middle line:84% He's in AIRCA and rodeos a lot, and I still work. 00:44:32.200 --> 00:44:36.640 align:middle line:84% This rodeo business is getting to me, you know? 00:44:36.640 --> 00:44:39.790 align:middle line:84% And I'm going to leave him, because I 00:44:39.790 --> 00:44:44.920 align:middle line:84% think all this I'm doing now will pay off better somewhere 00:44:44.920 --> 00:44:46.270 align:middle line:90% else. 00:44:46.270 --> 00:44:51.460 align:middle line:84% But I stay with him, and it's hard, because he just 00:44:51.460 --> 00:44:55.420 align:middle line:90% smiles that way, you know? 00:44:55.420 --> 00:45:00.370 align:middle line:84% And then I end up paying entry fees 00:45:00.370 --> 00:45:05.770 align:middle line:84% and putting shiny Tony Lama's on layaway again. 00:45:05.770 --> 00:45:11.290 align:middle line:84% It's not hard, but he doesn't know when I'll leave him. 00:45:11.290 --> 00:45:14.320 align:middle line:84% And I'll drive across the flat desert 00:45:14.320 --> 00:45:19.300 align:middle line:84% from Red Valley and blue morning light straight to Shiprock 00:45:19.300 --> 00:45:21.370 align:middle line:90% so easily. 00:45:21.370 --> 00:45:24.700 align:middle line:84% And anyway, my car is already used 00:45:24.700 --> 00:45:31.090 align:middle line:84% to humming a morning song with Gary Stewart complaining again 00:45:31.090 --> 00:45:37.130 align:middle line:84% of aching and breaking, down and out love affairs. 00:45:37.130 --> 00:45:43.810 align:middle line:84% Damn, these Navajo cowboys with raisin eyes and pointed boots 00:45:43.810 --> 00:45:48.310 align:middle line:90% are just bad news. 00:45:48.310 --> 00:45:52.750 align:middle line:84% But it's so hard to remember that all the time, 00:45:52.750 --> 00:45:54.940 align:middle line:90% she said with a little laugh." 00:45:54.940 --> 00:45:57.895 align:middle line:90% 00:45:57.895 --> 00:46:01.360 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 00:46:01.360 --> 00:46:05.820 align:middle line:90% 00:46:05.820 --> 00:46:06.930 align:middle line:90% Thank you. 00:46:06.930 --> 00:46:10.530 align:middle line:84% This is another poem that's in fixed form. 00:46:10.530 --> 00:46:12.990 align:middle line:84% It's a villanelle which is 19 lines, 00:46:12.990 --> 00:46:15.720 align:middle line:84% and there's three lines that are repeating 00:46:15.720 --> 00:46:17.910 align:middle line:90% in each of the stanzas. 00:46:17.910 --> 00:46:19.410 align:middle line:84% It's called, "Near to the Water." 00:46:19.410 --> 00:46:22.480 align:middle line:90% 00:46:22.480 --> 00:46:27.930 align:middle line:84% And again, this is a poem that combines Navajo and English. 00:46:27.930 --> 00:46:35.352 align:middle line:84% It's an old French form, traditional French form. 00:46:35.352 --> 00:46:40.140 align:middle line:84% "Most afternoons at Níísťah, when the sky is a brilliant 00:46:40.140 --> 00:46:44.580 align:middle line:84% teal, Hanáábah is at the sunlit stove, 00:46:44.580 --> 00:46:48.210 align:middle line:90% tending the speckle enamel pot. 00:46:48.210 --> 00:46:54.210 align:middle line:84% The hooghan is redolent of simmering soup and cornmeal. 00:46:54.210 --> 00:46:58.920 align:middle line:84% As a child, Hanáábah learn to blend the fine cornmeal 00:46:58.920 --> 00:47:02.190 align:middle line:90% in the still mountain mornings. 00:47:02.190 --> 00:47:05.640 align:middle line:84% The quiet cadence of the stirring spoon 00:47:05.640 --> 00:47:10.530 align:middle line:84% brought forth her mother's voice on those afternoons 00:47:10.530 --> 00:47:14.280 align:middle line:84% when the sky was a brilliant teal. 00:47:14.280 --> 00:47:23.300 align:middle line:84% Later, when Tó'áhani saw the red sunset-- 00:47:23.300 --> 00:47:36.710 align:middle line:90% 00:47:36.710 --> 00:47:42.260 align:middle line:84% --bread, simmering stew, and blue cornmeal. 00:47:42.260 --> 00:47:44.840 align:middle line:84% On quiet, cold nights, the elders 00:47:44.840 --> 00:47:51.050 align:middle line:84% tell of how a woman's long hair reveals enduring wisdom. 00:47:51.050 --> 00:47:54.830 align:middle line:84% They say change in a woman's hair averted drought 00:47:54.830 --> 00:47:58.250 align:middle line:84% and a dusty hot afternoon centuries 00:47:58.250 --> 00:48:02.270 align:middle line:84% ago when the sky was a brilliant teal. 00:48:02.270 --> 00:48:07.730 align:middle line:84% For Tó'áhani, the glistening of Hanáábah's hair recalled a low 00:48:07.730 --> 00:48:13.580 align:middle line:84% teal of distant thunder when thin corn stalks ripple in dry 00:48:13.580 --> 00:48:17.780 align:middle line:90% fields and sought, cool rain. 00:48:17.780 --> 00:48:22.730 align:middle line:84% Now the hooghan is redolent of simmering soup and blue 00:48:22.730 --> 00:48:28.310 align:middle line:84% cornmeal as Hanáábah stirs the enamel pot in the low winter 00:48:28.310 --> 00:48:34.520 align:middle line:84% dust, her songs, your memories of Tó'áhani, his resonant 00:48:34.520 --> 00:48:38.570 align:middle line:90% voice, his dark eyes. 00:48:38.570 --> 00:48:45.290 align:middle line:84% The decades have taught Hanáábah that those long ago afternoons 00:48:45.290 --> 00:48:49.940 align:middle line:84% when the skies were a brilliant teal ensured their children 00:48:49.940 --> 00:48:54.410 align:middle line:84% would thrive on old stories, simmering soup, 00:48:54.410 --> 00:48:57.790 align:middle line:90% and blue cornmeal. 00:48:57.790 --> 00:49:01.040 align:middle line:84% --poem I really wanted to do something. 00:49:01.040 --> 00:49:06.800 align:middle line:84% My father really liked blue corn fixed in any form. 00:49:06.800 --> 00:49:10.370 align:middle line:84% And in the years before he passed on, 00:49:10.370 --> 00:49:17.730 align:middle line:84% that was a meal that he had everyday three times a day. 00:49:17.730 --> 00:49:25.110 align:middle line:84% And so I sort of wanted to do something for him. 00:49:25.110 --> 00:49:27.420 align:middle line:84% I'm just going to read two more points. 00:49:27.420 --> 00:49:29.850 align:middle line:84% This is a poem called, "In 1864." 00:49:29.850 --> 00:49:32.700 align:middle line:84% It's about a period of Navajo history 00:49:32.700 --> 00:49:35.190 align:middle line:84% that's very familiar to Navajo people, 00:49:35.190 --> 00:49:39.480 align:middle line:84% but for many non-Navajo's, it's a period 00:49:39.480 --> 00:49:42.870 align:middle line:84% that many people are just learning about 00:49:42.870 --> 00:49:44.680 align:middle line:90% or have not heard about. 00:49:44.680 --> 00:49:48.150 align:middle line:84% It's a point that's told in three voices. 00:49:48.150 --> 00:49:56.655 align:middle line:84% It's a time when over 8,000 Navajo people were forced 00:49:56.655 --> 00:50:01.680 align:middle line:84% to March over 300 miles to Bosque Redondo in Southwest, 00:50:01.680 --> 00:50:05.610 align:middle line:84% New Mexico, and they were held there for four years. 00:50:05.610 --> 00:50:10.570 align:middle line:84% And the poem I refer to, Dinétah which means Navajo country, 00:50:10.570 --> 00:50:13.860 align:middle line:84% it also means, homeland of the Navajos. 00:50:13.860 --> 00:50:20.100 align:middle line:84% And Bosque Redondo was the name for Fort Sumner. 00:50:20.100 --> 00:50:23.760 align:middle line:84% And Kit Carson was named, Red Shirt in Navajo. 00:50:23.760 --> 00:50:32.610 align:middle line:84% Hwééldi is also the Navajo name for Fort Sumner. 00:50:32.610 --> 00:50:34.350 align:middle line:84% "While the younger daughter slept, 00:50:34.350 --> 00:50:38.190 align:middle line:84% she dreamed of mountains, the wide, blue sky above, 00:50:38.190 --> 00:50:40.320 align:middle line:90% and friends laughing. 00:50:40.320 --> 00:50:42.930 align:middle line:90% We talked as the day wore on. 00:50:42.930 --> 00:50:46.830 align:middle line:84% The stories and highway beneath became a steady hum. 00:50:46.830 --> 00:50:49.920 align:middle line:84% The center lines were a blurred guide. 00:50:49.920 --> 00:50:54.420 align:middle line:84% As we near the term to Fort Sumner, I remember the story. 00:50:54.420 --> 00:50:58.050 align:middle line:84% A few winters ago, he worked as an electrician on a crew, 00:50:58.050 --> 00:51:02.460 align:middle line:84% installing power lines on the western plains of New Mexico. 00:51:02.460 --> 00:51:04.050 align:middle line:90% He stayed in his-- 00:51:04.050 --> 00:51:06.250 align:middle line:90% was connected to a generator. 00:51:06.250 --> 00:51:08.160 align:middle line:84% The crew parked their trucks together 00:51:08.160 --> 00:51:10.350 align:middle line:90% and built a fire in the center. 00:51:10.350 --> 00:51:13.050 align:middle line:84% The nights were cold, and there weren't any trees 00:51:13.050 --> 00:51:14.640 align:middle line:90% to break the wind. 00:51:14.640 --> 00:51:19.110 align:middle line:84% It snowed often on, a quiet steel blanket. 00:51:19.110 --> 00:51:22.710 align:middle line:84% The land was like he had imagined from the old stories, 00:51:22.710 --> 00:51:25.260 align:middle line:90% flat and dotted with shrubs. 00:51:25.260 --> 00:51:28.710 align:middle line:84% The arroyos and washes cut through the soft dirt. 00:51:28.710 --> 00:51:31.380 align:middle line:90% They were unsuspectingly deep. 00:51:31.380 --> 00:51:33.420 align:middle line:84% During the day, the work was hard, 00:51:33.420 --> 00:51:35.220 align:middle line:90% and the men were exhausted. 00:51:35.220 --> 00:51:37.890 align:middle line:84% In the evening, some went into the nearby town 00:51:37.890 --> 00:51:40.410 align:middle line:90% to eat and drink a few beers. 00:51:40.410 --> 00:51:44.400 align:middle line:84% He fixed a small meal for himself and tried to relax. 00:51:44.400 --> 00:51:48.750 align:middle line:84% Then at night, he heard cries and moans carried by the wind 00:51:48.750 --> 00:51:50.460 align:middle line:90% and blowing snow. 00:51:50.460 --> 00:51:54.480 align:middle line:84% He heard the voices wavering and rising in the darkness. 00:51:54.480 --> 00:51:57.090 align:middle line:84% He would turn over and pray, remembering 00:51:57.090 --> 00:52:01.770 align:middle line:84% songs, how many songs he remembered from his childhood. 00:52:01.770 --> 00:52:04.230 align:middle line:84% The songs returned to him as easily 00:52:04.230 --> 00:52:07.800 align:middle line:84% as if he had heard them every afternoon. 00:52:07.800 --> 00:52:12.660 align:middle line:84% He sang for himself, his family, and the people whose spirits 00:52:12.660 --> 00:52:15.330 align:middle line:84% lingered on the plains, in the arroyos 00:52:15.330 --> 00:52:18.120 align:middle line:84% and in the old, windswept plants. 00:52:18.120 --> 00:52:21.420 align:middle line:84% No one else heard the thin wailing. 00:52:21.420 --> 00:52:24.330 align:middle line:84% After the third night, he unhooked his camper, 00:52:24.330 --> 00:52:28.980 align:middle line:84% signed his time card, and started to drive north to home. 00:52:28.980 --> 00:52:32.400 align:middle line:84% He told the guys, sure, the money's good, 00:52:32.400 --> 00:52:35.310 align:middle line:84% but I miss my kids, and it sure gets 00:52:35.310 --> 00:52:38.590 align:middle line:84% lonely out here for a family man. 00:52:38.590 --> 00:52:40.740 align:middle line:84% He couldn't stay there any longer. 00:52:40.740 --> 00:52:43.440 align:middle line:84% The place contained the pain and cries 00:52:43.440 --> 00:52:47.070 align:middle line:84% of his relatives, the confused and battered spirits 00:52:47.070 --> 00:52:50.220 align:middle line:90% of his own existence. 00:52:50.220 --> 00:52:52.470 align:middle line:84% After we stopped for a Coke and chips, 00:52:52.470 --> 00:52:54.330 align:middle line:90% the storytelling resumed. 00:52:54.330 --> 00:52:57.630 align:middle line:84% My great aunt always started the story saying, 00:52:57.630 --> 00:52:59.760 align:middle line:84% you are here because of what happened 00:52:59.760 --> 00:53:02.890 align:middle line:84% to your great grandmother long ago. 00:53:02.890 --> 00:53:05.910 align:middle line:84% They began rounding up the people in the fall. 00:53:05.910 --> 00:53:08.880 align:middle line:84% Some were lured into surrendering by offers 00:53:08.880 --> 00:53:11.460 align:middle line:90% of clothes and livestock. 00:53:11.460 --> 00:53:15.330 align:middle line:84% So many of us were starving and suffering that year 00:53:15.330 --> 00:53:18.630 align:middle line:84% because the bilagáanas kept attacking us. 00:53:18.630 --> 00:53:22.320 align:middle line:84% Kit Carson and his army had burned all the fields, 00:53:22.320 --> 00:53:26.250 align:middle line:84% and they killed our sheep right in front of us. 00:53:26.250 --> 00:53:28.290 align:middle line:90% We couldn't believe it. 00:53:28.290 --> 00:53:31.380 align:middle line:90% I covered my face and cried. 00:53:31.380 --> 00:53:34.350 align:middle line:90% All my life, we had sheep. 00:53:34.350 --> 00:53:37.290 align:middle line:90% They were like our family . 00:53:37.290 --> 00:53:42.300 align:middle line:84% It was then I knew our lives were in great danger. 00:53:42.300 --> 00:53:47.460 align:middle line:84% We were all so afraid of that man, red shirt, and his army. 00:53:47.460 --> 00:53:51.210 align:middle line:84% Some people hid in the foothills of the Chuska mountains 00:53:51.210 --> 00:53:53.700 align:middle line:90% and in Canyon de Chelly. 00:53:53.700 --> 00:53:58.500 align:middle line:84% Our family talked it over, and we decided to go to this place. 00:53:58.500 --> 00:54:03.330 align:middle line:84% What would our lives be like without sheep, crops, and land? 00:54:03.330 --> 00:54:06.570 align:middle line:84% At least we thought we would be safe from gunfire, 00:54:06.570 --> 00:54:10.290 align:middle line:90% and our family would not starve. 00:54:10.290 --> 00:54:13.840 align:middle line:84% The journey began and dissolved all around us. 00:54:13.840 --> 00:54:15.280 align:middle line:90% All of us walked. 00:54:15.280 --> 00:54:17.530 align:middle line:90% Some carry babies. 00:54:17.530 --> 00:54:19.840 align:middle line:84% Little children and the elderly stayed 00:54:19.840 --> 00:54:21.820 align:middle line:90% in the middle of the group. 00:54:21.820 --> 00:54:25.060 align:middle line:84% We walked steadily each day, stopping only 00:54:25.060 --> 00:54:28.240 align:middle line:84% when the soldiers wanted to eat or rest. 00:54:28.240 --> 00:54:32.020 align:middle line:84% We talked among ourselves and cried quietly. 00:54:32.020 --> 00:54:36.640 align:middle line:84% We didn't know how far it was or even where we were going. 00:54:36.640 --> 00:54:41.800 align:middle line:84% All that was certain was that we were leaving Dinétah, our home. 00:54:41.800 --> 00:54:44.920 align:middle line:84% As the days went by, we grew more tired, 00:54:44.920 --> 00:54:49.330 align:middle line:84% and soon, the journey was difficult for all of us, 00:54:49.330 --> 00:54:55.460 align:middle line:84% even the military, and it was they who thought all this up. 00:54:55.460 --> 00:54:58.390 align:middle line:84% We had such a long distance to cover. 00:54:58.390 --> 00:55:01.360 align:middle line:84% Some old people fell behind, and they wouldn't 00:55:01.360 --> 00:55:04.240 align:middle line:90% let us go back to help them. 00:55:04.240 --> 00:55:07.060 align:middle line:90% It was the saddest thing to see. 00:55:07.060 --> 00:55:11.110 align:middle line:84% My heart hurt so to remember that. 00:55:11.110 --> 00:55:17.050 align:middle line:84% Two people were near the time of the births of their babies, 00:55:17.050 --> 00:55:21.610 align:middle line:84% and they had a hard time keeping up with the rest. 00:55:21.610 --> 00:55:25.150 align:middle line:84% Some army men pulled them behind a huge rock, 00:55:25.150 --> 00:55:29.920 align:middle line:84% and we screamed out loud, and we heard the gunshots. 00:55:29.920 --> 00:55:34.030 align:middle line:84% The women didn't make a sound, but we cried out loud 00:55:34.030 --> 00:55:36.820 align:middle line:90% for them and their babies. 00:55:36.820 --> 00:55:41.800 align:middle line:84% I felt then, I would not live through everything. 00:55:41.800 --> 00:55:45.340 align:middle line:84% When we crossed the Rio Grande, many people drowned. 00:55:45.340 --> 00:55:47.650 align:middle line:90% We didn't know how to swim. 00:55:47.650 --> 00:55:52.600 align:middle line:84% There was hardly any water deep enough to swim in at home. 00:55:52.600 --> 00:55:56.500 align:middle line:84% Some babies, children, and some of the older men and women 00:55:56.500 --> 00:55:59.470 align:middle line:84% were swept away by the river current. 00:55:59.470 --> 00:56:03.010 align:middle line:84% We must not ever forget their screams and the last 00:56:03.010 --> 00:56:09.340 align:middle line:84% we saw of them, hands, a leg, or strands of hair floating. 00:56:09.340 --> 00:56:12.910 align:middle line:84% There were many who died on the way to Hwééldi. 00:56:12.910 --> 00:56:15.820 align:middle line:84% All the way, we told each other, we 00:56:15.820 --> 00:56:19.660 align:middle line:84% will be strong as long as we are together. 00:56:19.660 --> 00:56:22.570 align:middle line:84% I think that was what kept us alive. 00:56:22.570 --> 00:56:25.900 align:middle line:84% We believed in ourselves and the old stories 00:56:25.900 --> 00:56:29.650 align:middle line:84% that the holy people had given us. 00:56:29.650 --> 00:56:32.470 align:middle line:84% This is why, she would say to us, 00:56:32.470 --> 00:56:37.270 align:middle line:84% this is why we are here, because our grandparents prayed 00:56:37.270 --> 00:56:40.000 align:middle line:90% and grieved for us. 00:56:40.000 --> 00:56:44.710 align:middle line:84% The car hums steadily, and my daughter is crying softly. 00:56:44.710 --> 00:56:47.230 align:middle line:90% Tears streamed down her face. 00:56:47.230 --> 00:56:49.390 align:middle line:90% She cannot speak. 00:56:49.390 --> 00:56:52.780 align:middle line:84% Then I tell her it was at Bosque Redondo 00:56:52.780 --> 00:56:55.240 align:middle line:84% that people learned to use flour, 00:56:55.240 --> 00:56:59.380 align:middle line:84% and now fry bread is considered to be the traditional Navajo 00:56:59.380 --> 00:57:00.760 align:middle line:90% bread. 00:57:00.760 --> 00:57:07.210 align:middle line:84% It was there we acquired a deep appreciation for strong coffee. 00:57:07.210 --> 00:57:11.350 align:middle line:84% The women began to make long-tiered calico skirts 00:57:11.350 --> 00:57:12.340 align:middle line:90% and fine Velvet. 00:57:12.340 --> 00:57:14.470 align:middle line:90% Shirts for the men. 00:57:14.470 --> 00:57:17.260 align:middle line:84% They decorated their dark velvet blouses 00:57:17.260 --> 00:57:20.710 align:middle line:84% with silver dimes, nickels, and quarters. 00:57:20.710 --> 00:57:24.370 align:middle line:90% They had no use for money then. 00:57:24.370 --> 00:57:28.360 align:middle line:84% It is always something to see, silver 00:57:28.360 --> 00:57:34.480 align:middle line:84% flashing in the sun against dark velvet and black, black hair." 00:57:34.480 --> 00:57:38.790 align:middle line:90% 00:57:38.790 --> 00:57:42.330 align:middle line:84% This is a poem that's always difficult to read, 00:57:42.330 --> 00:57:45.840 align:middle line:84% but I think it's a poem that's important not just for Navajo 00:57:45.840 --> 00:57:47.430 align:middle line:90% people but for all of us. 00:57:47.430 --> 00:57:50.340 align:middle line:84% I think in all of our histories, we 00:57:50.340 --> 00:57:57.000 align:middle line:84% have similar stories of strength and survival. 00:57:57.000 --> 00:58:01.710 align:middle line:84% There's one more poem that I should read, 00:58:01.710 --> 00:58:05.400 align:middle line:84% and it has to do with coffee, which I 00:58:05.400 --> 00:58:07.200 align:middle line:90% mentioned in the previous poem. 00:58:07.200 --> 00:58:09.370 align:middle line:84% This is a poem that's been popular. 00:58:09.370 --> 00:58:13.260 align:middle line:84% It's called, "Hills Brothers Coffee." 00:58:13.260 --> 00:58:15.690 align:middle line:90% "My uncle is a small man. 00:58:15.690 --> 00:58:20.400 align:middle line:84% In Navajo, we call him, shidá'í, my mother's brother. 00:58:20.400 --> 00:58:24.600 align:middle line:84% He doesn't know English, but he's-- in the white way is Tom 00:58:24.600 --> 00:58:25.770 align:middle line:90% Jim. 00:58:25.770 --> 00:58:31.320 align:middle line:84% He lives about a mile or so down the road from our house. 00:58:31.320 --> 00:58:36.390 align:middle line:84% One morning, he sat in the kitchen, drinking coffee. 00:58:36.390 --> 00:58:39.600 align:middle line:90% I just came over, he said. 00:58:39.600 --> 00:58:42.630 align:middle line:90% The store is where I'm going to. 00:58:42.630 --> 00:58:45.540 align:middle line:84% He tells me about how my mother seems to be 00:58:45.540 --> 00:58:49.350 align:middle line:90% gone every time he comes over. 00:58:49.350 --> 00:58:54.210 align:middle line:84% Maybe she sees me coming then runs and jumps in her car 00:58:54.210 --> 00:58:57.750 align:middle line:84% and speeds away, he says smiling. 00:58:57.750 --> 00:59:03.120 align:middle line:84% We both laugh just to think of my mother jumping in her car 00:59:03.120 --> 00:59:05.280 align:middle line:90% and speeding. 00:59:05.280 --> 00:59:09.870 align:middle line:84% I pour him more coffee, and he spoons in sugar and cream 00:59:09.870 --> 00:59:13.530 align:middle line:84% until it looks almost like a chocolate shake. 00:59:13.530 --> 00:59:16.800 align:middle line:90% Then he sees the coffee can. 00:59:16.800 --> 00:59:20.070 align:middle line:84% Oh, that's that coffee with the man 00:59:20.070 --> 00:59:24.810 align:middle line:90% in a dress like a church man. 00:59:24.810 --> 00:59:32.200 align:middle line:84% Oh, that's the one that does it for me, very good coffee. 00:59:32.200 --> 00:59:38.970 align:middle line:84% I sit down again, and he tells me, some coffee has no kick, 00:59:38.970 --> 00:59:41.340 align:middle line:90% but this one is the one. 00:59:41.340 --> 00:59:44.820 align:middle line:90% It does it good for me. 00:59:44.820 --> 00:59:49.290 align:middle line:84% I pour us both a cup, and while we wait for my mother, 00:59:49.290 --> 00:59:57.300 align:middle line:84% his eyes crinkle with a smile, and he says, yes, oh, yes, this 00:59:57.300 --> 01:00:03.930 align:middle line:84% is the very one, putting in more sugar and cream. 01:00:03.930 --> 01:00:09.210 align:middle line:84% So I usually buy Hills Brothers coffee once 01:00:09.210 --> 01:00:12.270 align:middle line:90% or sometimes twice a day. 01:00:12.270 --> 01:00:19.503 align:middle line:84% I drink a hot coffee, and it sure does it for me. 01:00:19.503 --> 01:00:20.976 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 01:00:20.976 --> 01:00:21.958 align:middle line:90% Thank you. 01:00:21.958 --> 01:00:29.830 align:middle line:90% 01:00:29.830 --> 01:00:31.120 align:middle line:90% I'll end with this one. 01:00:31.120 --> 01:00:34.120 align:middle line:84% This is a poem called Shisóí, which means, 01:00:34.120 --> 01:00:38.350 align:middle line:84% my daughter's child, and I think it's a good way to end 01:00:38.350 --> 01:00:39.400 align:middle line:90% the evening. 01:00:39.400 --> 01:00:44.680 align:middle line:84% Our grandchildren are the future and are 01:00:44.680 --> 01:00:51.880 align:middle line:84% just like shimmering lights, shimmering beauty for all of us 01:00:51.880 --> 01:00:53.770 align:middle line:90% who are grandparents. 01:00:53.770 --> 01:00:57.670 align:middle line:84% And this is for Briana, who's my middle grandchild. 01:00:57.670 --> 01:01:00.520 align:middle line:84% And I have a little grandson who's a year and a half. 01:01:00.520 --> 01:01:02.620 align:middle line:90% His name is Isaiah. 01:01:02.620 --> 01:01:10.300 align:middle line:84% And then Chamisah Bah is 8, and Briana Nezbah is 6 years old. 01:01:10.300 --> 01:01:13.030 align:middle line:90% It's called Shisóí. 01:01:13.030 --> 01:01:17.860 align:middle line:84% "She was born on a bright fall afternoon, already chubby 01:01:17.860 --> 01:01:19.780 align:middle line:90% and quivering with wetness. 01:01:19.780 --> 01:01:23.860 align:middle line:84% She gasped for air and for her mother's warm body. 01:01:23.860 --> 01:01:27.730 align:middle line:84% Her name is, she who brings happiness, 01:01:27.730 --> 01:01:32.290 align:middle line:84% because upon being carried she instinctively-- to the warmth 01:01:32.290 --> 01:01:34.300 align:middle line:90% of your shoulder and neck. 01:01:34.300 --> 01:01:39.400 align:middle line:84% She nestles like a little bird into the contours of your body. 01:01:39.400 --> 01:01:43.580 align:middle line:84% All you can say is, she's so sweet. 01:01:43.580 --> 01:01:45.880 align:middle line:90% I don't know what to do. 01:01:45.880 --> 01:01:48.970 align:middle line:84% And we smile, beaming with pleasure. 01:01:48.970 --> 01:01:52.810 align:middle line:84% She sleeps even breaths and milky sighs just 01:01:52.810 --> 01:01:54.460 align:middle line:90% below your ear. 01:01:54.460 --> 01:01:56.830 align:middle line:84% Other times, she snuggles into you 01:01:56.830 --> 01:01:59.860 align:middle line:84% and watches with bright, dark eyes. 01:01:59.860 --> 01:02:03.400 align:middle line:84% It feels so much like the trust we have somehow 01:02:03.400 --> 01:02:06.280 align:middle line:90% forgotten over the years. 01:02:06.280 --> 01:02:10.450 align:middle line:84% All you can do is kiss her warm forehead and say, 01:02:10.450 --> 01:02:12.590 align:middle line:90% she's so sweet. 01:02:12.590 --> 01:02:15.290 align:middle line:90% I don't know what to do. 01:02:15.290 --> 01:02:19.540 align:middle line:84% Sometimes, when I haven't seen her for a day or even a week, 01:02:19.540 --> 01:02:23.770 align:middle line:84% she runs to me, her arms straight out for balance, 01:02:23.770 --> 01:02:25.600 align:middle line:90% and hugs my legs. 01:02:25.600 --> 01:02:30.250 align:middle line:84% My grandma, she murmurs into my skirt, then she 01:02:30.250 --> 01:02:33.880 align:middle line:84% holds her arms up and says, [WHIMPERING],, 01:02:33.880 --> 01:02:37.540 align:middle line:84% and her up, she snuggles into me, sighing. 01:02:37.540 --> 01:02:39.483 align:middle line:84% Then I tell her, No shinaa, shiyázhi, shisóí, 01:02:39.483 --> 01:02:40.150 align:middle line:90% ho shił nizhóní. 01:02:40.150 --> 01:02:43.840 align:middle line:90% 01:02:43.840 --> 01:02:47.710 align:middle line:84% My little one, my daughter's child, 01:02:47.710 --> 01:02:50.290 align:middle line:90% what happiness you are to me. 01:02:50.290 --> 01:02:54.160 align:middle line:84% She cries a little, [CRYING],, like the infant 01:02:54.160 --> 01:02:59.140 align:middle line:84% she no longer is, and I hold her like the sweet surprise 01:02:59.140 --> 01:03:01.000 align:middle line:90% she will always be. 01:03:01.000 --> 01:03:06.400 align:middle line:84% We sit like that a while, then she hums, [VOCALIZING].. 01:03:06.400 --> 01:03:09.850 align:middle line:84% I take the hint and sing the old lullaby 01:03:09.850 --> 01:03:15.550 align:middle line:84% her great grandmother saying to the child I once was." 01:03:15.550 --> 01:03:17.790 align:middle line:90% And this is the little refrain. 01:03:17.790 --> 01:03:20.700 align:middle line:90% [VOCALIZING] 01:03:20.700 --> 01:03:58.120 align:middle line:90% 01:03:58.120 --> 01:04:02.020 align:middle line:84% She shifts on my lap, saying, star, star. 01:04:02.020 --> 01:04:04.990 align:middle line:84% We turn to the twinkling Christmas lights 01:04:04.990 --> 01:04:11.110 align:middle line:84% still up in July and sing, twinkle, twinkle, little star. 01:04:11.110 --> 01:04:14.800 align:middle line:84% She falls asleep, and I hand her to her mother, saying, 01:04:14.800 --> 01:04:16.940 align:middle line:90% she's so sweet. 01:04:16.940 --> 01:04:19.360 align:middle line:90% I don't know what to do. 01:04:19.360 --> 01:04:24.100 align:middle line:84% Now each time she toddles into the room, we turn and say, 01:04:24.100 --> 01:04:25.840 align:middle line:90% Ashénee shiyázhi. 01:04:25.840 --> 01:04:27.610 align:middle line:90% You want some juice? 01:04:27.610 --> 01:04:29.320 align:middle line:90% How about milk? 01:04:29.320 --> 01:04:32.500 align:middle line:84% She who brings happiness smiles and climbs 01:04:32.500 --> 01:04:34.600 align:middle line:90% onto the nearest lap. 01:04:34.600 --> 01:04:39.310 align:middle line:84% As she snuggles comfortably into the circle around the table, 01:04:39.310 --> 01:04:42.070 align:middle line:90% we murmur, she's so sweet. 01:04:42.070 --> 01:04:45.072 align:middle line:90% We don't know what to do. 01:04:45.072 --> 01:04:48.544 align:middle line:90% [APPLAUSE] 01:04:48.544 --> 01:05:01.940 align:middle line:90% 01:05:01.940 --> 01:05:02.680 align:middle line:90% Thank you. 01:05:02.680 --> 01:05:06.500 align:middle line:90% 01:05:06.500 --> 01:05:08.720 align:middle line:90% Ahéhee' 01:05:08.720 --> 01:05:09.470 align:middle line:90% 01:05:09.470 --> 01:05:10.130 align:middle line:90% Thank you. 01:05:10.130 --> 01:05:23.306 align:middle line:90% 01:05:23.306 --> 01:05:24.720 align:middle line:90% That was wonderful. 01:05:24.720 --> 01:05:26.810 align:middle line:90% Oh, thank you.