Black Mesa Weavers Rug & Craft Sale
Join this rare opportunity to purchase rugs directly from visiting Diné (Navajo) artisans from Big Mountain /Black Mesa, Arizona who practice an ancient weaving tradition intricately tied to their sacred lands and way of life.
Diné families at Big Mountain have been resisting forced relocation policies on their ancestral homelands since the mid-1970s. The purchase of weavings supports the independent livelihoods of families whose homeland has been devastated by coal strip mining. Hand made jewelry by Diné and Amah Mutsun artisans will also be offered for sale.
Monday, November 11th (Veteran’s Day) in the MAH Atrium
Rug & Craft Sale - 11:00am - 6:00pm
Speakers - 3:00pm-3:45pm
Free admission
Speakers:
Glenna Begay (Táchii’nii clan, born for Tł’ízí Łání, Sovereign Diné Nation)
Eleanor Castro (Awaswas/Mutsun Ohlone, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band)
For more information:
Black Mesa support: http://supportblackmesa.org/
Amah Mutsun Land Trust: http://amahmutsunlandtrust.org/
Amah Mutsun campaign to Protect Juristac: http://protectjuristac.org/
“Our sheep are very important, they are part of our way of life, they feed us and they give us wool so that we can make Navajo traditional weaving blankets, and we use them in ceremony. When the rangers come to impound our sheep, they are infringing upon our way of life. Weaving our traditional blankets is our income, it is how we are able to continue to live off the land, and we want to pass this on to our next generations.
Our rugs are very unique, weaving is a form of healing both for the body and mind, it takes away our stress of our struggles and our worries. Many elders live with fear about the future and how they will continue but weaving is one of the only things that keeps them going. That is how our ancestors solved our hunger after colonialism, our livestock provide us with clothing, food, blankets and income. Our way of life is more sustainable than the Western way, even when we make our wool rugs we use natural plant dye and a loom that is spun by hand.” —Salina Begay
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