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Full Circle Education: My Year with NCAP

5/6/2019

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Debbie Teller-Tsosie

NCAC Emerging Artisan 2018/19 (Moccasin Maker)

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When it comes to "education", everyone knows or should know what it means at least that is what I thought. At the beginning of my formal education, I remember hearing the term "Full Circle" quite often….kinda sounded cliché. I even received a Full Circle scholarship….Cliché….that’s what I used to think anyways. A little information about me. My name is Debbie Teller-Tsosie and I am Diné, a college student, an educator, an sáni, and a Navajo moccasin maker.  I came to Diné College because of the emphasis of the programming that they have in Diné language and culture.​
​ When I first enrolled, I took whatever class that interested me. This included the fine arts and a sampling of the Navajo cultural arts classes that they had then. Every experience was really good until I took the moccasin class….that was it for me. 💙💙💙 I LOVED it 💙💙💙. I always remember Mr. Harry Walters telling us that our art picks us. Mr. Walters was my first moccasin making instructor and he intrigued me with his knowledge of Navajo culture. He told stories, sang songs, a trip to Dinétah and as a result made me proud to be Diné. Just this past fall, I enrolled in the Navajo Cultural Arts Certificate Program for the year 2018-2019 with the emphasis of moccasin making. It wasn't a spur of the moment decision - I have wanted to be in the Navajo Cultural Arts Program for the last three years but for various reasons, I was unable to be in the program until this past year.
,Back to “Full Circle”….My western education was complete as of last year - I earned a BA in Elementary Education. But something was missing. What was missing (and was always missing from K - 12) was the inclusion of Navajo sounds. While I got some of that in our NCAP classes and other classes at DC, this Spring I enrolled in a Navajo Singing course taught by Avery Denny. Avery is teaching songs in the hogan, Dzilbiyiin,
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 Ni’hoosdzíinbiyiin, Shash biyiin. He explains in Navajo and English. Everything that I was being taught here at the college through culture, history, language, and art classes was now coming together. Inclusion is all important and now EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE. All the pieces are put together and I have an understanding of the Navajo universe.
​Weaving and the loom. Aheehee, Mr. Lyle Harvey. Baskets and the materials, Aheehee Mr. Thomas Yellowhair. Moccasins and the appropriate use of materials. Aheehee, Mr. Harry Walters. I have a true understanding of the stories that each instructor brought to the classroom.

Now come the cliché “Full Circle” makes sense and now that is what I believe.

To me, Full Circle means as a Navajo woman that I can integrate my western education and my Navajo cultural education with my identity. I plan to bring this knowledge with me to the elementary classroom and to everyday life. They all have a place in and outside of the classroom.  My year with Navajo Cultural Arts Program brought this realization to my attention. 

Full Circle.  Our Diné moccasins are sacred footwear…the top is Father Sky, the sole is Mother Earth and the sinew is lightening. The lightening is what holds the sky and the earth together. 
Full Circle. My obligation as a moccasin maker is to pass on the knowledge that was gifted to me through our program and Mr. Harry Walters.
Full Circle. I feel complete. Life is good. 
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Four words from a Moccasin Maker - Cove is so beautiful

1/7/2019

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Cherilyn Yazzie

NCAC Emerging Artisan 2018/19 (Moccasin Maker, Basket Maker)

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Shi’ Cherilyn Yazzie yinshi’. Hona’gha’ahnii nishli, To’tsohnii ba’ shishchiin, To’di’ch’iinii dashicheii, ‘A’shiihi’ dashina’li.  Dilkon, AZ dee’ naasha’. I am part of the 2018/19 Navajo Cultural Arts Certificate cohort. My traditional emphasis areas are moccasin making and basketry. One of my favorite activities during the Fall 2018 semester was the opportunity to travel with our moccasin class to visit our instructor, Harry Walter's hogan studio in Cove.  
 
Four words!!
 
                             Cove is so beautiful.  
 
I’ve never been to Cove before. Driving up to this community in the fall is visually striking - red sand stone rocks sprinkled with seasonal golden leaves. And just like the rest of our reservation it has such a rich history. 
 
On this November day, my fellow moccasin makers joined Mr. Walters for a workshop session in his hogan studio. I wanted to work on my moccasin patterns.  I took three-foot tracings from my sister and two of my nephews. I admit... I had not really paid attention to the tracings until it was time to start making the soles. Only then, after working for two hours, did 
I realized that all three tracings were the same size! 🤦🏽‍♀️ 
 
At that point, we stopped to have lunch. I guess I needed the break! ☺️ That's when I learned something new about Mr. Walters...
#Mrwaltersfunfact1:  He knows how to make one mean stew. It was delicious and we all had two bowls.  I know what you’re thinking.. "She’s so bidi" 😂!!  When we were done with lunch Mr. Walters has a special treat. #Mrwaltersfunfact2: He is an A+ entertainer! He played his guitar and sang two songs for us.  
 
After our private concert, we took a trip to the family camp site where Mr. Walter’s told us a story about how a group of Navajos had evaded capture from the Spanish invaders. As we toured throughout his backyard, I came to find out that Harry Walters is like a walking google search. #Mrwaltersfunfact3: He knows so much about Navajo culture and history and is so willing to share those with his students. Every time Mr. Walters tells a story, my mind always wonders and I imagine his words are written in a book.  It doesn't matter if it is in the classroom or at his home.  

This past Fall semester, I felt so lucky each week to go to class and I am excited to pick up this Spring semester with Moccasin Making II.  I’m surrounded by awesome cohort members and the instructors have been so knowledgeable, sharing a lot with us. I’m always just thankful to be apart of this experience.  I learn something new each time I come to class.  
 
This Spring semester, I am looking forward to practicing moccasin patterns.  As of today, I have down the patterns for the size 8.5 and 6.5 shoe size.  I am also counting on learning more #Mrwaltersfunfacts  If you know some, be sure to add them below in the comments :)
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Let your artwork choose you - Moccasin Making with Michelle

5/7/2017

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A Posting by Michelle Salabiye

Emerging Artisan, Moccasin Maker, NCAC Cohort 2016/17

Ya’at’eeh shik’ei doo shidine’e! Shi ei Michelle J. Salabiye yinishe. Maiideeshgizhnii nishli, Naakai Dine’e bashishchiin,  Tsi’ naajinii dashicheii, Todich’ii’nii dashinali. I was raised in a small modest Rez town known as Nazlini, Arizona. I have a baby Maii named Noah Johnson, whom I lovingly call my son. I am an Emerging Artisan in the Navajo Cultural Arts Certificate Program and majoring in General Science here at Dine College. I also work with Aramark here on Tsaile campus. My emphasis of choice is moccasin making. Or perhaps better explained by our NCAC instructor - Moccasin Making chose me!

I am honored to be instructed by the famous and humble Mr. Harry Walters, who instilled the Navajo principles and stories behind the moccasin.  Mr. Walters also provided historical insights as he was an Archaeologist and who also developed the Museum and the Archive building here in Dine College. It’s safe to say we learn a handsome amount of Navajo stories, philosophies and historical background.  We couldn’t have had a better instructor!
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Fall 2016 - Our class starting to get the basics down!
I always have had a practical and sentimental fondness of leather. The nostalgic aroma of leather awakens memories of wearing my moccasin to ceremonies, graduations, and running. The practical aspect is the sub-processes (how to prepare, tan, and crust the hide) - this intricate part of procedure caught my inner laborious being. It’s safe to assume that I chose this cultural art form because I am enraptured by everything leather, but what I have learned from my instructor, Harry Walters is that your craft can actually choose you.
 “Your artwork chooses you,” Mr. Walters explained to me after the first day of Moccasin Making class. He continued to  explained the concept of "intuition"... "that’s how you know.” I recall him saying, “when an artwork has chosen you, it falls freely and naturally into your hands.” Certainly hard work is entangled with acquiring a new task successfully. I wondered if Moccasin Making would allow itself to fall intuitively for me as it had for him.
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Materials arriving!
When our class received our supplies earlier that day I remember thinking to myself, “This is really happening! I’m going to learn how to make moccasins!” I knew nothing beforehand of the anatomy of a moccasin nor the inner workings of leather crafts but I didn’t feel the least bit disheartened. And though I was discombobulated with my awl that first month, I was still eager to learn a skill that felt like a breath of fresh air.
Our class started the course making miniature sized moccasins. This was two weeks of trial and error before we finished. It involved a tedious consistent routine. Rather than use a needle and thread, we were given an awl and sinew. Each time we were to sew, we first had to puncture a hole with the needle so that it would go in appropriately. If it was inconsistent or the stitching was not in its correct form, the moccasins would turn out unmatched or uneven. Trust me...It is harder than it looks. Mr. Walters was so patient with each of us. He was reassuring and provided a lot of support.
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Ouch! Band-aids and practice...
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Submission piece for the 2017 Ned Hatathli Center Museum Exhibit
As the months rolled in, so did our moccasins. We were mastering the skill magnificently, our stitches, cuts, and confidence were on point. The anxiety of not being a natural slowly but steadily rolled off my shoulders. I felt the trust build up in myself that I can surely produce moccasins satisfactorily. With a dream team of the NCAP, instructors, and classmates I’d say that I was in the right place at the right time. With this combination, how could I fail? My last piece showed how far I have come. I made a male version wrap arounds. It had a few errors, but I knew where and how to correct them. I feel like with my next project after the next will only get better!  As Mr. Walters says, “There’s always room for improvements.”
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