Navajo Oral History Films Premiere at Dine' College

The 2011 Navajo Oral History project documentary films were premiered on Monday, Oct. 10, at Diné College's Tsaile, Arizona, campus.

Six Winona State University students and their professor, Tom Grier, flew from Minnesota to Albuquerque to participate in the premiere and reception event. The six WSU students who traveled to Diné College were: Josh Averbeck, Robbie Christiano, Dave Dvorak, Alex Fisher, Alyssa Reimers, and Michael Ruka. WSU student Molly Golden participated in the summer Navajo Oral History project, but was unable to attend the reception in Arizona.

While at Diné College, the WSU students sat in on a couple DC classes and then got ready for the reception and premiere.

On Monday evening, the students from both DC and WSU who collaborated this past summer to create the documentary films, hosted the reception for the films. More than 100 people attend the reception event which included a traditional Navajo dinner of mutton stew and fry bread.

Following dinner, DC faculty member Dr. Miranda Haskie, started the program, followed by inspirational words from Diné College President Maggie George. Each film was shown followed by the participating students speaking briefly about their experiences. Two of the Navajo elders who were featured in the films were present-- Mitzie Begay and Harold Morgan-- and spoke about their participation.

On Tuesday, the WSU students enjoyed a workshop on Navajo silversmithing presented by Vernon Haskie of Lukachukai, Arizona.

The WSU group stopped to see many views of Canyon Del Muerto and Canyon de Chelly from the overlooks on their way to Chinle, Arizona.

On Wednesday, on their way back to the airport, the WSU group stopped at the Navajo Nation's Window Rock Tribal Park.

They also did a short hike at Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque.

Now that the receptions premiering the 2011 films are complete, the short media feature versions of the films will be made available for streaming viewing via the WSU Mass Communication department's laboratory web site: Winona360.org. The documentary films are also being archived at the Navajo Nation Museum, Navajo Nation Library, and at the libraries of both Diné College and Winona State University.

Plans are already underway for the 2012 Navajo Oral History project, the fourth year of this on-going collaboration between Winona State University and Diné College. The project will cover 18 days during June 2012 and will carry three college credits through Diné College's Social and Behavioral Sciences Dept.

Students interested in participating in 2012 should contact Dr. Tom Grier at Winona State University (tgrier@winona.edu) or Dr. Miranda Haskie and Diné College (mhaskie@dinecollege.edu).

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.