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March 17, 2011     Navajo Times
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March 17, 2011
 
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THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2011 PAGE C-2 NAVAJO TIMES Artists express Din00 culture through art BY COLTEN SHONE SPECIAL TO THE TIMES PHOENIX - Carmen Hunter always had a camera in her hand while growing up. When he was seven years old, she would take a lot of snapshots. Her mission was to document her life. It wasn't until 13 years ago that she started to get serious with her photography. It was all because of a photograph she took of her granddaughter. "I realized that with that photograph I needed to do this for her," she said. Hunter grew up near Canyon de Chelly. She jokingly said that she holds the key to the canyon. But the key she really wants to hold is the key that opens the door to Din6 culture• Hunter is trying to preserve the culture through her pictures. "We're losing our culture, our heritage, our language," she said. "We need to do something now You know for the future generation to see where they come from." Many of her photos are of Navajo elders. Elders wearing traditional clothes, elders in ceremonial settings by a fire, and women weaving traditional rugs. Sadly, she says, those elders are gone now. Hunter hopes through these pictures, of her life and of traditional Navajos, her granddaughter will know where she comes from. "This is what I remember from when I was younger," she said. Hunter said she'll never get back the money she put into this lifelong project, but she said that doesn't matter. She takes comfort in the fact these photographs inspire the younger generation or bring back memories for other people. "These people come in and sometimes people cry, even men," she said. Hunter hopes that with every click of the shutter, she preserves a moment that'll leave a lasting impression on future generations. While Hunter is a fine arts photographer, using the latest and greatest technological gear to create her work, Nanabah Aragon is a traditional Navajo weaver. An expert at the craft, Aragon could weave with her eyes closed. She's been weaving Navajo rugs most of her life. "I started when I was six years old, and I had learned it from my mother and grandmother," she said. She was taught how to weave through traditional stories. Aragon recounts her boarding school years when she took art classes. She said she was clueless that she had possessed such a valued skill. "I never knew that Navajo weaving was hard (for other people)," Aragon said, adding that weaving was always easy for her. Keeping the tradition and culture of Navajo. weaving alive is one reason she does it. The other is financial. "It helps me with my income," she said. Aragon has become a well- known weaver her skills have taken her all over the country. She says some of her rugs are on display at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock. The White House has also recognized her knack for native designs. Aragon says she was selected to help design an ornament for the White House Christmas tree. Aragon does not want the art Carmen Hunter is a photographer who focuses on Din6 culture in her images. (Special to the Times - Colton Shone) of Navajo weaving to go to the wayside. She said it's sad that younger people are not really into it. "My daughter knows how to, but she chose to be a lawyer," she said. As for her granddaughter, she says she's still a little too young but hopes she can pass it down to her. These two artisans have been recognized across the U.S. for their artworks. While Hunter and Aragon work with different mediums, they have one message they want to get through. They want other people to appreciate the cultural aspects of the Navajo way of life as well as inspiring young ones to remember where they came from. Nanabah Aragon, a traditional Navajo weaver, has been weaving all her life. (Special to the Times - Colton Shone) Select Your Blanket and let Virginia and her staff create a eautiful graduation outfit for All Orders,Paid in full 10 Off Hours: Monday thru F¥iday: 9:00am to 6:00pm Saturday: 10:00am to 5:00pm Follow us on TION: O r AGENCY' Regional,Housing Summit March 29 30, 2011 @ Shiprock Chapter House Shiprock, New Mexico 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.