Yé'ii Bicheii is spiritual foundation for Shiprock fair

SHIPROCK, Oct. 2, 2008

Get ready for lots of dust, mud, cars, midway rides, rodeos, powwows and meeting old friends: Shiprock, nicknamed the City of Navajos for being the largest chapter, will swell to 100,000 people over the next four days during the 97th Annual Shiprock Navajo Fair.

Shiprock Navajo Fair schedule Today: 8 a.m.: Elderfest activities begin at powwow grounds, exhibit hall opens and senior livestock entries taken. 8 a.m. to noon: horticulture judging. 9 a.m.: Youth Day activities begin. 11 a.m.: senior livestock entry closes. 1 p.m.: 4-H/FFA small animal show and senior livestock show and judging. 2 p.m.: open junior rodeo. 4 p.m.: carnival opens, Miss Northern Navajo modern competition at Phil L. Thomas Performing Arts Center next to Shiprock High School, opening ceremony and free barbecue at City Market parking lot across the street from Shiprock fair grounds and Native cultural entertainment song and dance. 5 p.m. Baby Pageant at Shiprock Chapter. 6 p.m. music festival at Indian Market. 8 p.m.: exhibit halls and livestock barn closes. 9 p.m. western dance at Indian Market. Ongoing: Ye'ii' Bicheii ceremony and dance. Friday: 8 a.m.: 4-H/FFA livestock show judging, exhibit halls open. 9 a.m.: Chili cook-off . 10 a.m.: Miss Northern Navajo fry bread contest at fairgrounds. Noon: Indian Market opens. 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Miss Northern Navajo traditional competition. at Phil L. Thomas Performing Arts Center. 2 p.m.: Triple B Rodeo. 3 p.m.: 4-H/FFA Jr. livestock sales and powwow registration opens. 5 p.m.: social song and dance registration, song and dance exhibition and jackpot dancing, 4-H archery contest begins, gourd dancing (4 sets) and powwow gourd dancing. 6 p.m.: comedian show at Indian Market. 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Miss Northern Navajo coronation at Phil L. Thomas Performing Arts Center next to Shiprock High School. 7 p.m.: powwow grand entry and bull riders only. 7:30 p.m.: concert at Indian Market. 8 p.m.: exhibit halls and livestock barn closes. 9 p.m.: country/western dance Aces Wild at Indian Market. Ongoing: Ye'ii' Bicheii ceremony and dance. Saturday: 6 a.m.: parade lineup (U.S. 64 east). 7 a.m.: Indian Market opens. 9 a.m.: powwow registration. 9 a.m.: parade begins. 10 a.m.: social song and dance registration. 11 a.m.: powwow gourd sancing and country/western band contest at Indian Market. Noon: exhibit hall opens and 4-H exhibit, talent and fashion show. 1 p.m.: social song and dance grand entry, country/western band contest at Indian Market, carnival opens and powwow grand entry. 1:30 p.m.: Four Corners Rodeo Association rodeo. 2 p.m.: Ye'ii' Bicheii afternoon dancing. 5 p.m.: powwow gourd dancing and supper break. 6:30 p.m.: social song and dance registration closes. 7 p.m.: powwow final grand entry and Four Corners Rodeo Association rodeo. 8 p.m.: exhibit hall closes. 9 p.m.: country/western dance Aces Wild at Indian Market. 10 p.m.: Ye'ii' Bicheii grand finale. Sunday: 8 a.m.: Indian Market opens, morning slack and Pinon Hills golf tournament (in Farmington). 9 a.m.: exhibit halls open, Indian Market dances first performance, social song and dance grand entry. 10 a.m.: 4-H/FFA exhibitors' special award presentation. 1 p.m.: Four Corners Rodeo Association rodeo, Indian Market dances second performance, carnival opens. 2:30 p.m.: exhibit hall closes. 3:30 p.m.: exhibitors check out/pick up items. Information provided by Shiprock Navajo Fair office. Information: 505-368-3727 or stop by the fair office (trailer on fairgrounds off U.S. 491 and Uranium Blvd.).

The fall harvest celebration, which begins today and runs through Sunday, is a testimony to the power of Diné culture and spiritual beliefs. It is also a testimony to how many cars can be squeezed into town, and how many motorists box other cars in when they park.

The oldest traditional fair on the Navajo Nation has its opening ceremony at 4 p.m. today with a barbecue in the City Market parking lot across the street from the fairgrounds. The Indian Market takes place next to the fairgrounds.

Opening events include: The carnival opens at 4 p.m., although youth can be admitted beginning at 9 a.m. as part of Youth Day. Elder Fest activities will also be held at 10 a.m. today. The exhibit halls open at 8 a.m. Other events today include a baby pageant at 5 p.m. at the chapter house.

"(The fair is) mainly getting to see a lot of people from different areas coming around, family coming together. It's about the only time you get to see everybody," said Shawn Boyd of Shiprock.

Other events include the crowning of the new Miss Northern Navajo at 7 p.m. Friday at the Phil L. Thomas Performing Arts Center next to Shiprock High School.

None of this mattered to Keliesha San Juan, 12, of Rock Point, Ariz., who said his favorite thing about the fair was getting to eat curly fries.

Braeden Atcitty, 4, added, "I like the carnival. Yeah. I like the choo-choo train over there ... and the plane (ride)."

Spiritual foundation

But the fair, unlike county and state fairs, is much more than a midway, exhibit halls, food and rodeos. Its roots have grown deep with the nine-day Yé'ii Bicheii healing ceremony, which began Sept. 26 next to the Indian Market.

The fair, with the theme "Night Way Blessing" is ultimately a holy event.

"I'm looking forward to the Yé'ii Bicheii dance, the beginning of fall. It marks the end of the summer," said Ivan Benally of Shiprock. "I'll go there Friday night and for sure on Saturday for the grand finale. Once that's over, the next thing I look forward to is the Indian Market."

The Yé'ii Bicheii was also a time for a daughter to learn about traditional beliefs from her father.

"Way back, when I was younger, I remember going to the Yé'ii Bicheii dances with my dad back in the '60s," said Elsie Dan, adding that it was held in the same location as today. "They didn't have a lot of carnivals or exhibits or anything like that back then. ... That was something I enjoyed with my dad because he knew a lot about the culture. That is something he shared with me."

But Brenna Actitty, Braeden's mom, admitted she was afraid of the Yé'ii Bicheii dance as well as the Apache Crown Dancers when she was her son's age.

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The crowds will be out in force for the parade on Saturday, which can last up to five hours. If past years are a guide, the parade means bumper-to-bumper traffic crawling through town along one free lane of U.S. 64, often coming to a complete stop.

Saturday's parade

Many parade goers will arrive Friday night and line up their cars and trucks along the route, which begins east of Shiprock on U.S. 64. Parade entries line up near Fleet Management and proceed west to the junction with U.S. 491, and then south across the Shiprock bridge. The parade will go down the highway past the fairgrounds and end near the south baseball field.

Geraldine Light, the newly crowned Miss Indian Shiprock High School, said she will get to see the parade from her perch on a float. The senior won the title Sept. 25 at a pageant held at the Phil.

"It was unexpected and I'm still surprised that I won," she said, adding that she competed in a fry bread contest, traditional talent and contemporary talent. "I did the alphabet in Navajo."

Asked what she was looking forward to in the fair, Light said to the laughter of her friends, "Just being in the parade and being noticed."

Lynn Lewis of Kirtland, N.M., had a different perspective on what she is looking forward to: "People picking up their trash. You know how after the parade there is a lot of trash? People need to pick up their trash."

People should also watch out for their children, especially when they run out into the street to pick up candy tossed during the parade, she added.

Parade rules state that candy and other objects cannot be tossed from floats, but instead should be handed out by people walking along next to the floats.

Some note that there have not been any significant improvements made to the fairgrounds over the decades.

"My first memory of Shiprock wasn't a very good one," said R.K. Tolado of Huerfano, N.M. "It was very muddy, very dirty. It's not much different now. I wish there was a lot of improvements for the grounds. ... I'm not looking forward to the dust, but I want to see the parade."

Daily admission to the fairgrounds is $7 for adults; $4 for children ages 6-12; and free for children 5 and under. Admission for seniors is $4 and is free for the physically challenged. A vehicle pass, which includes admission for the driver only, is $15. There is also a four-day walk-in pass for $15.

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