From the Three Tiered Navajo Skirts to Contemporary Sewing: Holistic Well-being Through Dress Making

Johnnie Bia, Jr.

Diné College Psychology BA Intern, Office of Miss Navajo Nation
Blog #7: Navajo Cultural Arts Holistic Well-Being Series

We see them everyday out here on the rez - cotton and velvet skirt sets. Miss Navajo wears them to all her engagements, Christine sports them during events and sings, and many of our sisters, mothers, and grandmothers choose to  dress this way, everyday, as a lifestyle. What ever the motive is to wear them, one thing is for sure - after the Biil (Navajo woven rug dress), this velvet dress set has become a staple of Diné cultural representation. This style that has been with us since the Spanish arrived and sets a standard of living a beautiful life, specifically

the three tiers of the skirt that trace our Diné women's journey through their childhood, adulthood, and elderly years. And as of late, we have seen a rise in contemporary takes of this style walk the fashion run ways from Arizona to New York to Europe. Despite its travels, the Navajo tailors and seamstresses continue to root themselves in the cultural nuances of this cultural arts practice. I am in no way close to a tailor, but I do know someone who is!

Shayne Ray Watson was born and raised in Chinle Arizona. His clans are Honágháahnii (One Who Walks Around) and he was born for Kinyaa'áánii (Towering House). His Maternal grandfather's clan is Kinyaa'áánii (Towering House) and his Paternal grandfather's clan is Táchii'nii (Red Running into the Water). Taking a brief break from ASU, he has managed to work with other Native designers and become one of the most successful first male Navajo designers. Today, he pulls from the way of traditional wear and Pendleton wear, making creations that's can be interpreted in a "New World". Shayne Watson Designs features a fashion line that includes Navajo "Old Style" traditional wear, Native Pendleton contemporary wear, evening formal wear, pow wow appliqué, and beadwork.

 From the physical / material aspects, the basic tools that are used for sewing projects are mainly the sewing machine, excessive fabric, cutting board, rotary cutter, two special types of scissors and a seem ripper. One way that Shayne likes to incorporate his cultural skills and techniques into each part of his clothing is through the Pin-Tucking: meaning the stair-step bottom design or scoop design on all of his Navajo Traditional Blouses. He also likes  to embellish each blouse with coins, buttons from all shapes and sizes,

and old style pleats on the bust, the back, and the sleeves of each blouse.  Shayne’s strategic plan to attaining success in his future with sewing is built around a self-owned small company. So in the future hiring staff will be beneficial. Together they could maybe triple or quadruple their work and their earnings each day rather than one person making one garment and finishing it for the next 2 to 3 days.

Sewing contributes to his overall physical health. He explained - you are always on your feet, always having your hand gestures move softly, quickly, steadily, and constantly. Some positive activities outside of the act of sewing that can enhance your work is eating healthy. Through proper nutrition you make sure you get your vitamins, water intake, and also protein intake with fruits and other organic items. One unique aspect that Shayne brought up was keeping up with your hygiene as  another way to improve your work - when you are working, showering at least twice a day, one in the morning when you get up and then always one at night before you sleep is important. You may think this is a lot of showering but... because you don’t know what chemicals and fibers are on each fabric, its better to shower after each project for your health.

Everyone has their ups and downs but with Shayne, he always has to put in 100% for each garment in his sewing. In this way, from the emotional, social, relational aspects, Shawn makes sure that he maintains healthy relationships by making plans and time for family, such as birthdays and family events. That time allows for him to 100% to his projects when he needs to. It’s also great to socialize by talking to strangers, other than friends or family members. That way you’re not always working and so you have an outlet therapy.

Shayne is satisfied of what he does because he can actually create an item or garment for someone who cannot create it themselves. But each piece is so unique that it brings to them a unique feeling of having something created  just for them.

From a mental health perspective, when sewing or making a design, it’s always good to have a positive mindset. That mindset will also amp your immune system to always to keep going at 100%. It is always great to have a positive attitude all around you because that aura feeds off of people and, in turn, effects the garment. Having a negative attitude or mindset while you are sewing will reveal itself through the mad curves of the sewing or the overall negative look to the garment. The positive vibe that you bring to your projects also serve as a good way to be creative. It gives you the courage to try new things that you haven’t tried before. Before you know it, you are creating something that is culturally innovative.

Meditation also helps positively build your mental health, not only during the project but also before.  Mediation is your quiet time, where you can actually think clearly and prepare yourself for your next garment order. It also helps you to trouble shoot any issues that you may have run into.

From a spiritual perspective, Shayne learned his sewing techniques from his great grandmother and he will always be able to take those teachings with him wherever he goes. In this way, what he sews not only connects him to his grandmother but he also extends his grandmother's teachings to those who receive his work. In addition to the connections to his grandmother, Shayne feels a sense of connectedness and pride for the value of Navajo culture. In doing his work and creating new garment, he always has tied his beliefs into Navajo culture and history because that is how he creates his garments and designs. For these reasons, he is actually creating work that coincides with tradition - from old style traditional wear to contemporary and modern wear. Finally, he also points out that prayer is also something that you can do while you are in the midst of  your sewing  because that’ll help you so many ways. Prayers gives you more spirit and sets your mind in your current sewing task.

In conclusion, as a tailor or a seamstress, you impact both your own holistic well-being and that of the clients or recipients of the clothes you make. This makes perfect sense to me - I know how I feel when I put on a freshly pressed shirt made especially for me. It makes me stand just a few centimeters taller and feel just a bit more confident. We have come a long way since our days of loinclothes and rug dresses, but our clothing today and sewing of those clothes utilize many of those skills and techniques that help to reconnect us to our Dine holistic self.  Thanks, Shayne, for all your insight! And stay tuned, blog readers, Miss Navajo will be hosting a skirt making workshop this summer as part of her Cultural Arts Holistic Well-Being Workshop Series :)

If you are just now joining our blog series, please take some time to review some of the past Holistic Well-Being blogs from this 10 - week series!