Cheii and Shima Fashion Show brings out 50 models

CROWNPOINT

The goal was to give the local elders a day of fun.

And by the looks of it, you can’t say that the 50 elders who participated in the Cheii and Shima Fashion Show at Navajo Technical University last week did not have fun.

From three tiered skits to velvet shirts, the elderly Diné men and women modeled at this first-ever fashion show for the elderly people at Navajo Technical University in Crownpoint on Feb. 13.

“I want them to feel positive about themselves because it’s so important nowadays because a lot of them are being left alone,” said Allison Begay, program supervisor with the Navajo Area Agency of Aging. “Our main intent is to get them out of their homes.”

“They love to eat, they love to dance and they love to dress up,” Begay said, and the fashion show was their way of providing the local elders with those needs.

“How they’re dressed, there are a lot of stories behind it,” Begay said because he hopes that the people who attended the show understand that the elders have stories to tell and deserve respect.

Begay added that the best part of the event was not only seeing the fashion showcased but seeing the grandmas and grandpas interact with relatives they haven’t seen in a while.

“It brings warmth to my heart,” he added.

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