Reception & Premiere Events in October -- Please Come!

The life stories of four Navajo elders are featured in student-made documentary films that will be premiered at Winona State University on Thursday, Oct. 6, beginning at 5 p.m. in the auditorium of WSU's Science Laboratory Center.

A second reception and premiere event will be held at Diné College in Tsaile, Arizona, on Monday, Oct. 10, beginning at 5 p.m. in the fourth floor classroom of the Ned Hatathli Museum.

Seven WSU Mass Communication students collaborated with five students from Diné College, the tribal college of the Navajo Nation, to research, interview, photograph and video record Navajo elders over a 16-day period in June 2011. The students, participating in the 2011 Navajo Oral History project, wrote, edited and produced documentary films that will be archived at the Navajo Nation Museum and Library.

The documentaries were part of a collaborative project led by Dr. Tom Grier of WSU and Dr. Miranda Haskie of Diné College. The WSU students stayed at Diné College's main campus in Tsaile, Ariz., while working on their projects. This is the third year of the Navajo Oral History program.

This year's films feature Mitzie Begay, a Navajo cultural liaison with the Ft. Defiance Indian Hospital from Ft. Defiance, Ariz.; Jack Jackson, Sr., a former Arizona State Senator from Navajo, N.M.; Keith Little, a Navajo Code Talker during World War II from Crystal, N.M.; and Harold Morgan, Legislative Assistant to the Navajo Tribal Council for nearly 30 years from Sawmill, Ariz.

Student teams completed service projects for the elders and interviewed each elder several times. They also interviewed friends, colleagues and family members and did background research while on the Navajo Nation.

After the premiere events, short versions of the films will be available for viewing on the WSU Mass Communication department's news lab web site: Winona360.org.

The premieres will include comments from faculty and students involved and the featured elders. Light refreshments will be served before the presentation of the films. The reception and premiere events are free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Dr. Tom Grier via email: tgrier@winona.edu or Dr. Miranda Haskie via email: mhaskie@dinecollege.edu.

Day 15 - B-Roll, Window Repair & Hagonee'

Monday, June 20, 2011 was the catch-up day for the members of the 2011 Navajo Oral History Project.

(Pictured left to right: Jessica King, Tom Grier, Dave Dvorak, Micahel Ruka, Tashina Johnson, Trevor Foster, Robbie Christiano, Josh Averbeck, Alyssa Reimers, Shawn Tsosie, Alex Fisher, Molly Golden, Miranda Haskie. Not pictured: Lionel Harvey)

Several students spent most of the day on their computers transcribing interview text, editing video and audio, and beginning to plan the script for the narration of their documentary films about Navajo elders.

Another group went out for one last chance to catch some B-roll video to enhance their projects.

First, Dave Dvorak and Molly Golden shot video of the Fort Defiance Indian Health Service Hospital, which is where the elder they're featuring works. They climbed a tall hill across the highway from the hospital for a vantage point to pan the entire hospital campus.

The group then went to the Navajo Nation Tribal headquarters to shoot some video of featured elder Harold Morgan with a Red-Tail Hawk eagle feather fan the he discussed in an earlier interview. Harold had said the feathers were significant in his spiritual life because they were given to him by his father.

A third group drove to Gallup, New Mexico, to a pawn shop to locate a Navajo Code Talker Congressional Silver Medallion that was given to the Code Talkers in 2000 by then-U.S. President Bill Clinton. We had heard from John Kinsel, Sr., a code talker that our group interviewed last year, that his medallion was at the pawn shop. We found it and were able to take photos that may be used in the feature this year on Code Talker Keith Little.

While we were at the pawn shop, an auto glass shop down the street was able to replace the broken rear window of the rental van, and remove a nail from a rear tire.

On the way back to campus, we stopped for a quick shot of a sign overlooking Highway 264, which was dedicated recently as Navajo Code Talker's Highway. The highway stretches from Gallup, New Mexico to Window Rock, Arizona, the capitol of the Navajo Nation.

Once back on campus, several of the Diné College students in our class stopped by the dorm to wish the Winona State University group well as they prepared to return to Minnesota. Many hugs among new friends were shared along with promises to stay in touch.

The class will meet again this Friday morning (June 24) via Interactive Television connection between the two campuses, and groups will begin to critique the first drafts of the documentary films.

It has been a great 16 days on the Navajo Nation. The students all worked hard, and they tell me they learned much about themselves, each other, and the craft of journalism.

Though this is the end of the field-work portion of this project, it's not the end of the class or the blog. I'll keep updating this site as the projects near completion. I'll also use this space to let everyone know about dates for the Premiere Receptions which will be held this fall, most likely in early October at both WSU and DC.

For now, we'll end this blog by not saying "goodbye" but rather saying "Hagonee'" which is the traditional way of saying something like "until we meet again."

Day 10 - Interviews and B-Roll

Every day here on the Navajo Nation during the 2011 Navajo Oral History project has started early and ended late. The students working on the Navajo elder documentaries have bonded with their elders and are working hard to gather and tell their stories respectfully and accurately.

Two groups left in the morning and stopped at Navajo Code Talker Keith Little's home for a third and final interview with Keith.

(Above three photos by Jessica King)

Keith enlightened the group more about his service to the United States during World War II and how he was treated-- and his work celebrated-- since his return home in 1945. Keith's wife, Nellie, spent quite a bit of time digging through photo albums to find pictures of Keith and his family over the years.

It was hard for your blog editor (a Minnesota Viking fan) to find out that Keith Little really likes the Green Bay Packers. This was a joyous moment for Robbie Christiano, a Packer fan since childhood.

The second group in this van did a third interview with Harold Morgan, legislative assistant to the Navajo Tribal Council. As that interview ended, Harold explained the significance of the bell mounted outside the Tribal Council chambers, and rang the bell for the students.

During a short break between interviews, the groups visited the Navajo Nation Museum and Zoo and shot some B-roll of important sites around the Window Rock, Arizona, area.

(Above three photos by Alex Fisher)

(photo by Molly Golden)

About dinner time, the groups stopped at Sawmill, Arizona, at Harold Morgan's place and interviewed Harold's Grandson, Michial, who spoke highly of his grandfather and the things he has learned from him.

This group stopped at a supermarket on the way back to the dorms at Diné College and bought some pizzas to make for dinner.

The two other student work teams left the Diné College campus at 7:15 a.m. and didn't return until after 9 p.m. They spent the day interviewing Mitzie Begay for a third time. As they finished their interviews and prepared to leave, Mitzie gave each of the student journalists gifts and the emotions were high in the room through lots of hugs.

The Navajo language doesn't have a word for "goodbye." Instead, most Diné people prefer to say "Hagoneé" which translates roughly to "until we meet again."

These two student groups also visited with Debbie Dennison, a local school superintendent, who knew Jack Jackson, Sr. (another of the featured elders) well. Along the way, they captured b-roll video of the schools where the featured Navajo elders went as children.

(Above two photos of road construction around the Diné College campus by Alex Fisher., These photos help tell the story of the construction funding secured by Jack Jackson, Sr., one of the featured elders for this year's Oral History project.)

(Above two photos by Alex Fisher)

(above six photos by Dave Dvorak)

The group creating a documentary about former Arizona Senator Jack Jackson, Sr., also interviewed his neice, Deborah Jackson-Dennison, a local school superintendent.

(above two photos by Dave Dvorak)

In the evening, they stopped at the home of Tina James Tafoya, a former Miss Navajo, who now works with Mitzie Begay at the Fort Defiance Indian Health Service Hospital.

NOTE: This second van that included the Jack Jackson, Sr. team and the Mitzie Begay team arrived back at Diné College and immediately started downloading their video, editing their audio and photographs and transcribing their interviews. No pictures from this group, yet. This article may be updated with more images.

Thursday will be a class day and catch-up day. In class, each group will explain the progress on their journalism projects and decide on any last details that must be completed before the Minnesota students leave the Navajo Nation next Tuesday. The rest of the day will be spent running around gathering B-roll and photos to supplement the projects.

It's amazing to Prof. Miranda Haskie and I to see how quickly these young people have bonded with their elders and their fellow students. They are united by the importance of their work and the desire to do an honorable job of telling the amazing stories of their elders.

These students are working hard, pouring their time and talent into these projects. They are learning much about the craft of journalistic story-telling, and even more about themselves as they discover their place in a world that includes the deeply spiritual culture of the Diné (Navajo) People.

Day 9 - Nizhoni (Beautiful)

Nizhoni is the Navajo word for "beautiful." While there is no exact translation to English words, Nizhoni generally refers to inner beauty, and the peace that comes from living in balance with nature and others, with mutual respect for the well-being of everyone and everything.

This word is a great descriptor for how the students and faculty of the 2011 Navajo Oral History project feel today (Tuesday, June 14, 2011). We've been working on our documentary journalism projects for just over a week now, and the pieces are coming together.

Having helped lead this project for three years now, I have seen many examples of the principles of Nizhoni and Hozho (living in harmony with nature) at work. Things happen for a reason. Even sad and difficult events generally have a purpose of testing, strengthening, or teaching.

Today began with a class session during which each student work team showed samples of their work so far and discussed what materials they still need to gather this week. Each group talked about how excellent their interviews with Navajo elders were going.

Each group had some challenges to overcome: scheduling interviews, lighting or audio concerns, equipment malfunctions, and the like. And, like true professionals, each group found ways to get good interviews that they can use to help tell their Navajo elder's stories effectively, and with respect for the person and the culture.

The second half of the class period involved a tutorial on using audio gathering hardware, narration technique, and audio software and editing tools. The class also included a short tutorial on quick and easy ways to edit and improve photos using Photoshop software.

After lunch, a group of students and I went to Keith Little's home in Crystal, New Mexico, to build a raised walkway ramp between two parts of his home. This walkway, will allow better accessibility for Keith to get around his home while he is in a wheelchair.

In the middle of the project we had to drive about 45 minutes to Window Rock to the hardware store for some materials, then back to finish the job. The result was a very useful ramp that Keith really appreciated. His wife, Nellie, kept saying "Nizhoni, Nizhoni, Nizhoni...."

The team who worked on the project-- Robbie Christiano, Dave Dvorak, Tom Grier, Tashina Johnson, and Michael Ruka-- were proud to do this simple task for Keith Little, a decorated war hero, to make his life better.

(The space for the ramp... Before.)

(Michael Ruka, project foreman, measuring before lumber is cut. Measure twice -- cut once.)

(Dave Dvorak cutting a length of lumber with help from Robbie Christiano and Michael Ruka, whileTashina Johnson supervises.)

(Tashina Johnson and Robbie Christiano cutting lumber to length for the project.)

(Tom Grier and Robbie Christiano preparing one of the ramp supports. Photo by Tashina Johnson)

(Tashina Johnson nailing the ramp to support cross pieces.)

(Michael Ruka, Robbie Christiano and Dave Dvorak putting the ramp in place.)

(Robbie Christiano, Dave Dvorak, Michael Ruka and Tashina Johnson testing the strength of the ramp.)

(Keith and Nellie Little trying out the new ramp.)

(Keith Little and the Ramp Work Crew.)

In the evening, the students were hard at work on their projects: transcribing the interviews with the elders, reviewing and selecting still photographs, and getting started on editing sections of the video interviews.

(Dave Dvorak)

(Alex Fisher)

(Tashina Johnson, right, gets help from her friend Roberta Wagner, who is helping even though she's not in our class. )

(Molly Golden)

(Josh Averbeck and Robbie Christiano)

(Michael Ruka and Alyssa Reimers)

On Wednesday, the groups will be out in the field again to finish their interviews and to gather b-roll video to add visual interest to their projects.

Day 8 - More Navajo Elder Interviews

All four student journalism teams were in the field today (Monday, June 13, 2011) interviewing elders for the 2011 Navajo Oral History project.

The teams left the Diné College dorms at 8 a.m. and didn't return until after dark.

(Above three photos of the Mitzie Begay interview by Tashina Johnson)

The Jack Jackson, Sr. interview team got a rare treat when they watched Jack, an award-winning rodeo man, and his grandsons, work with their horses and brand some cattle.

(Above 12 photos by Dave Dvorak)

The Keith Little interview team interviewed Keith outside his home in Crystal, New Mexico, and endured some high winds before interviewing his wife, Nellie, indoors.

A couple teams shot some B-roll at the Window Rock Tribal Park and Navajo Code Talker Monument there.

The Harold Morgan interview team traveled to Sawmill, Arizona, and spent an hour talking with Harold in his yard.

Tomorrow (Tuesday, June 14) is a classroom day during which we'll watch some video of each group's interviews and talk about how the project is going and about interviews and video material that still needs to be gathered.

We also have a couple software tutorials planned for the class to make sure the students are learning and developing skill and competence in the efficient use of software that helps them tell their stories effectively.

In the afternoon, a few of us will go to Keith and Nellie Little's house in Crystal, New Mexico -- he's the Navajo Code Talker we're interviewing -- and build a handicap accessible ramp between two parts of their home to make it easier for Keith to move around in his wheelchair.

We bought lumber and materials today so we can complete this service project that will make a positive difference in the Little family's quality of life.