Events

June 19-20, 2002
Friday and Saturday

Shade House and Sheep Camp
Activities for the whole family. Free and open to the public.

Diné bé'iina', Inc.

The Navajo Lifeway 

The Sheep is Life Celebration

Free Public Events, Friday & Saturday, July 19 & 20, 2002

9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (MDT), Diné College, Tsaile, Arizona, Navajo Nation.

Presented by Diné bé’iina’ (The Navajo Lifeway), a nonprofit organization.

Information: 928-755-6448; www.recursos.org/sheepislife

 

 

      Sheep is Life presents two days of workshops, information, and action plans for sustainable land use and livestock production on the Navajo Nation.  Organized by Diné bé’iina’, Inc., a nonprofit organization, Sheep is Life will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (MDT) on Friday and Saturday, July 19 and 20, at Diné College in Tsaile, Arizona, Navajo Nation.  Events are free and open to the public; programs are in English and Navajo.

      Friday’s presentations focus on land restoration, water conservation, and herd health. Presenters are drawn from communities and organizations in the Navajo Nation and beyond.  This information is critical to maintaining healthy land, crops, and animals, especially during the current severe drought. 

      Saturday’s focus is on how producers and community-based organizations can work together to increase income from Navajo agricultural products such as wool, weavings, livestock, and farm and garden produce.  Presenters include people who are making a living from raising sheep and wool on a small scale, projects that have revitalized communities, and representatives from regional marketing programs seeking Navajo participation.

      Opportunities each day include: presentations on Navajo-Churro sheep, a drought-resistant breed; copyright issues for Navajo weavers; marketing information and business training; workshops on animal care; traditional foods demonstration and tastings; sheep shearing; sheep dog demonstrations; a Navajo Male Weavers exhibit and panel discussion; educational displays; consultations; cultural exchange; and fiber arts activities for the whole family.  There will be booths selling arts and crafts, and food.

      Sheep is Life honors the central role that sheep play in Navajo spirituality, philosophy, and daily life, and brings together people from many cultures.  DBI helps to promote the return of the Navajo-Churro sheep, a rare breed that once was the foundation of the Diné economy.  DBI is a nonprofit organization.  This event is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency, and by tax-deductible contributions.

 

PO Box 539, Ganado, Arizona  86505  U.S.A.

Voice Contact: Joan Thompson, 928-755-6448

Web Site: www.recursos.org/sheepislife.  E-mail: sznjmsn@gilanet.com

This schedule is subject to change.  Please check in at the Shade House to confirm specific times.  Contact:  Joan Thompson, 928-755-6448

 

Diné bé’iina’, Inc. Presents

Sheep is Life

A Celebration of Sheep, wool, and weaving

 

Friday and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

July 19 and 20, 2002

Diné College, Tsaile, Navajo Nation

Friday

Theme: Land Restoration, Water Conservation, and Livestock Health

 

9:00 – Introduction, Glenna ManymulesBitso

9:15 – Opening Prayer

9:30 – Elvis Jodie, Land Restoration and Management

10:00 – Ray Castillo, Uniform Grazing Act

10:30 - Glenda Davis, Navajo Nation Vet Program

11:00 – Jay Begay, Angora Goats (followed by demo at the corral)

11:15 – Seniors Roundtable Discussion

1:00 – Pamela Roy, Farmers Markets and Community Food Security

1:30 – HPI and Community Partnerships on the Navajo Nation

2:00 – Lyle McNeal, Sheep Vaccines and Nutrition; Navajo Sheep Flock Deployment

2:30 – Dr. Adrienne Ruby, Emergency Animal Care during drought

3:00 – Robert Nutlouis, Black Mesa Water Coalition

3:30 - Fred Johnson, Navajo EPA

 

Saturday

Theme: Selling Sheep, Wool, Weavings, and Farm Products

9:00 – Welcome, Sweethearts of Navajoland

9:15 – Overview of Diné bé’iina’, Inc.

9:30 – Elvis Jodie, Crops for Navajo Farm Production

10:00 – Robert Nutlouis, Farming and Navajo Cultural Values

10:30 – Jim Dyer, Four Corners Marketing Network

11:00 – Joyce Begay Foss, How to sell your wool and rugs

11:30 – Joyce Begay-Foss, Copyright issues for Weavers

NOON – Sweethearts of Navajoland

1:00 – Traci Sandoval and Ann Sorenson, Traditional Foods for Better Health 

1:30 – Johnny Tom, Navajo-Churro Sheep Association

2:00 – Connie Taylor, Wool Judging and Wool Improvement

3:00 – Art Allison, Networking for Selling Mutton and Lambs

3:30 – Scott Bender, DVM, Scrapies Eradication Program and Sheep Hoof Trimming

 

 

Exhibit: Friday - Saturday

Exhibit opens at 1 PM Friday and closes at 5 PM Saturday

Male Weavers, Museum 3rd floor, Hatathli Center

Featuring work by Gilbert Begay, Ron Garnanez, Jaymes Henio, and Roy Kady

Panel Discussion with Male Weavers

Saturday, 12:30 – Museum Exhibit Hall, Craig Watson, moderator; Roy Kady, Gilbert Begay, and Jaymes Henio

Slide Lectures, Museum Classroom:

Friday, 10:30 - Craig Watson, Navajo Rugs and Restoration

Friday, 1:30 - Connie Taylor, How to Make a Living from Sheep with No Water, Grass, or Electricity

Demonstrations – Both Days, 9-4

 

Connie Taylor, Wool Grading and Improvement, Museum 3rd Floor

Craig Watson, Rug Restoration, Museum 3rd Floor

Shade House Area:

Piñon Community, Wool Washing

Cottonwood and Hardrock Senior Centers, Spinning and Carding

To’hajiile Community, Beverly Allen and elders

Roy Kady and Teec Nos Pos Community Group

Male Weavers, Gilbert Begay and Jaymes Henio

Traci Sandoval and Ann Sorenson, Traditional Foods

Laura Johnson, Spinning Wheel and Drum Carder

Rotating Demonstrations Friday and Saturday

Mark Petersen, Sheep dog demos

Notabah Badoni, sheep shearing with hand shears

Chinle High School FFA and Ernesto Zamudio, sheep shearing with electric shears

Sheep and Animal Care, Drs. Scott Bender, Lyle McNeal, and Adrienne Ruby

Angora Goats, Jay Begay

Displays:

Navajo Sheep Project

NOAA, Byron and  Kay Peterson

Four Corners Marketing

Community Food Security and Farmers Markets

WESSTcorp and Ramah Navajo Weavers

Heifer Project International

 

Food Booths:

Ganado Community Piñon Community and others

 

Demonstrations
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Discussion Forums

Why Sheep is Life: Elders, weavers, sheep producers, and youth speak about their lives, hopes, dreams, and concerns for the future of sheep, wool, and weaving and the Navajo Lifeway. All are invited to participate. Time TBA.

Special Guest Artists
.
Felt making, sheep shearing, land use workshops, spinning and carding, animal care workshops, sheep cheese tasting, youth activities, and much more.

This schedule is a work-in-progress. If you are interested in a specific topic, please let the organizers know by filling out the form or sending an e-mail.

Check back for updates on the schedule.

TRAVEL INFORMATION

Location: For some mysterious reason, Tsaile is not included on certain maps. It is at the junction of Highways 64 and 12, on the northeast rim of Canyon de Chelly.

Time: The State of Arizona is on Mountain Standard Time. The Navajo Nation is on Mountain Daylight Time. All the times for Sheep is Life events are on MDT.

Weather: Diné College is located at 7,000 feet elevation at the foot of the Chuska Mountains. Sunscreen, a hat, and something to cover arms and legs are recommended during the day for protection from the sun and intense UV radiation (because of the altitude); bring jackets and sweaters for the cool nights.

Lodging: Diné College Dormitory, call Venessa Thompson, Housing Director @ 928-724-6783 for information on availability of room/board. Primitive tenting and camping are possible at Tsaile Lake, adjacent to the campus. There are NO facilities or potable water. Wheatfields Lake, five mile away on Highway 12, has camping sites, toilets, and water. Hotels in Chinlé, a 20-minute drive west, include the Holiday Inn (928-674-5000), Best Western (928-674-5875), and Thunderbird Lodge (928-674-5841). The Navajo Nation Inn (1-800-662-6189) is in Window Rock, about an hour south of Tsailé. Day¹s Inn, which includes continental breakfast, is in St. Michael¹s on Highway 264, just west of Window Rock. Be sure to call well in advance. Hotels are usually full in the summer.

Driving: There are a number of routes, so best to look at a map and select the one to suit your needs.

    From Phoenix
  • Either 1) take Interstate 17 to Flagstaff and go east on I-40; or 2) take Highway 87 through Payson to Winslow.
  • At Winslow, either 1) go on I-40 east to Chambers and turn north on Highway 191, at Ganado, 191 and 264 join briefly, turn west for a couple of miles on 191/264 until you come to the junction where you turn north to Chinlé and continue on 191; or 2) turn north on Highway 87, go through Hopi, and intersect 264 at Mishongovi, take 264 to the intersection with 191 and turn north to Chinlé
  • At the first major intersection, turn east onto Navajo Highway 7 and go through Chinlé towards Canyon de Chelly National Monument. At the monument, take the left fork onto Highway 64, go across the bridge over the wash, and you are about 24 miles from Tsailé.
  • Continue on Highway 64 and there will be signs for the Rainbow Inn and for Diné College. From Highway 64, turn south into the Diné College campus, go past the housing, cross the cattle guard at the stop sign.
  • Take a right to get to the Rainbow Inn and parking on the west side of the campus, or go left to park in front of the Museum and Cultural Center (the seven-story hogan structure with windows like abalone).

From Albuquerque, via I-40 and Gallup
Take I-40 west to Gallup; turn north onto 666 and about 7 miles later, turn west onto 264 going to Window Rock. At Window Rock, take Navajo Highway 12 north. After a mile or so, begin looking for road signs indicating the turn-off to Navajo. It is a "T" intersection with a traffic light and a gas station on the northeast corner. There is no sign indicating that one should turn here to be on Highway 12, but shortly after you make the turn, there is a sign indicating that you are on 12. (If you miss this turn, then you end up in Fort Defiance and have to ask for the little cut-off road to get back on Highway 12.) Take Highway 12 through Wheatfields (a store, lake, and campground are there), and continue on to the intersection with Highway 64. (DO NOT turn off Highway 12 onto the road indicated by the sign that says Rainbow Inn and Diné College, unless you like going through lots of potholes.) At the intersection, turn west onto Highway 64 and shortly after that is the entrance to Diné College. From Highway 64, turn south into the Diné College campus, go past the housing, cross the cattle guard at the stop sign. Take a right to get to the Rainbow Inn and parking on the west side of the campus, or go left to park in front of the Museum and Cultural Center (the seven-story hogan structure with windows like abalone).

From Farmington
Take Highway 64 west to Shiprock, then turn south on Highway 666. About eight miles past Newcomb, begin looking for the turn off to Highway 134. At Sheep Springs, turn west onto Highway 134, going towards Crystal. Highway 134 intersects Highway 12. Turn north onto Highway 12 and go through Wheatfields (a store, lake, and campground are there), and continue on to the intersection with Highway 64. (DO NOT turn off Highway 12 onto the road indicated by the sign that says Rainbow Inn and Diné College, unless you like going through lots of potholes.) At the intersection, turn west onto Highway 64 and shortly after that is the entrance to Diné College. From Highway 64, turn south into the Diné College campus, go past the housing, cross the cattle guard at the stop sign. Take a right to get to the Rainbow Inn and parking on the west side of the campus, or go left to park in front of the Museum and Cultural Center (the seven-story hogan structure with windows like abalone).

From Utah
From I-70, turn south on Highway 191 to Moab, Monticello and Blanding. At Bluff, 191 joins 163. Turn west for a couple of miles, then 191 goes south again to intersect and join 160 in Arizona. Turn west onto 160 for about a mile or two, then turn south again continuing on 191 to Round Rock, where you take Highway 12 south through Lukachukai and on to Tsailé and the intersection with Highway 64. At the intersection, turn west onto Highway 64 and shortly after that is the entrance to Diné College. From Highway 64, turn south into the Diné College campus, go past the housing, cross the cattle guard at the stop sign. Take a right to get to the Rainbow Inn and parking on the west side of the campus, or go left to park in front of the Museum and Cultural Center (the seven-story hogan structure with windows like abalone).

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