Hello. Hello..
I know it has been awhile since you heard from Me. I just want to start telling you a little story about a young shy little girl. As a young child on the reservation, all you were taught was to feed animals and learn to cook. Education was not in your future. So, when I started school it was hard to speak English. I spoke more of my language (Navajo Language) than anything else. That was because my great-grandmother only spoke the Navajo Language and also my Grandmother was the same way. My Great-Grandmother had no education. My Grandmother had a little schooling but not very much. Well I start school and of course we all know children are not nice. Especially when you are new. I was laughed at for having big brown eyes. Laughed at for speaking Navajo. And just laughed at for anything that came up. I was very shy, so I tried to do good or not make any mistakes so I do not get laughed at. This was my first interaction with children my same age. It was very new to me. So, as time went on it got harder and harder to be Navajo. It took a lot for me to speak Navajo at school or around classmates. It last all through High School. At this point nobody knew I understood or spoke Navajo. Only when I was asked I would say I do. Being laughed at for being Navajo is a hard pill to swallow, when you are young.
After I met my children's father, I did not speak Navajo at all. He understood but just hard to say anything to him so I just did not speak my Navajo Language. As I had my daughters I spoke every now and then but I did not teach them much. Yes, I do talk to them now and teaching when I can. I am only saying this because in today's generation it is a lot different. Today everyone embraces being Native American. I think that is a good thing. It take a lot of courage to dress in your Traditional Outfits or even wear your hair in a Traditional Bun. Very proud of my daughters expressing their Navajo Culture. They are both very intelligent young ladies. I only wish I had the courage to do what they are doing back when I was their age. They are all proud to be Navajo. Their father and I are both from the Navajo Tribe. I just hope we can encourage all our young Native Children to learn to speak our languages, learn about where we came from, What our Culture and Traditions mean, and being proud of who we are.
I am saying this for the ones who were told, "Do not say that." or "You cannot talk like that." (Doo' Aginiida) Hope I spelled that right. If you are raised with Grandmother and Grandfathers, you educate the young. That is the reason I write and doing what I do. My website tells more on my journey. Your support is needed. If you get time to go to my website. Thank you for your time and reading my Blog. Lots of Love and Blessings to you all....
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