Summit will redefine ‘traditional’ and ‘cultural’

WINDOW ROCK

The first Traditional and Cultural Summit will be held this year at Wheatfields Lake with the focus of “Diné Bina’nit’n Bee As’ah Ná’ada” or “Resilence through traditional teachings to ensure longevity.”

The summit will take place on June 16-18. The Navajo Nation Department of Behavioral Health Services is putting on the free summit in hopes of introducing a new interpretation of the concepts “traditional” and “cultural.”

“When people hear ‘traditional’ and ‘cultural’ they base that on belief and ceremony,” said Gerald King, traditional practitioner coordinator with the Navajo Nation Department of Behavioral Health Services.

King said that it’s about more than that.

“It’s going to be about just being Diné,” King said, adding that it’s a way of life and not just a ceremony.

King said he hopes the participants leave with a sense of empowerment.

“We hope the audience gets in touch with themselves and with nature,” he said.

The summit will touch on a lot of daily life issues and teach individuals how to cope and deal with them, he said.

King wants to empower the community and feels that the best way to do that is through the summit.

The summit will offer information on herbs, basket-making, health, wellness, self-identity, self-respect and the Navajo language.

There will also be a Native American Church service for those who want to attend.

King said they will be praying for peace.

The three-day event has a long list of activities and sessions but they all seem to lead to one thing.

“To come back to our roots,” said Ty Etsitty, a traditional practitioner with the Navajo Nation Department of Behavioral Health Services.

Etsitty hopes that the summit brings a lot of people together so they can share their knowledge and hopefully it grows and gets shared after the summit is over.

“It’s to get them to appreciate what we have as Diné people,” he said, adding that tradition and culture are important to everyday life.

The location plays a key role because it gets participants away from power points, cellphones, emails and buildings, Etsitty said.

The summit has been in planning for several months, he said.

It’s about enjoying life, he said of the summit. It’s about showing people that they can have fun without alcohol or other distractions and sometimes all people need to feel refreshed is to be connected with nature.

“Take that (teaching) home, to your hogan or little camp,” Etsitty said, adding that it’s about bringing the positive back into the community.

Paula Begay, community service coordinator at the Tsaile/Wheatfields/Blackrock Chapter, said they will be providing lunch for one day of the event and are happy to see this type of summit in their community.

“A lot of it has to do with awareness,” Begay said, adding that it’s important to get people’s attention and get them involved.

For the last four years, the chapter has held the Life Preservation Summit but this year Begay said that the chapter would be helping with the Traditional and Cultural Summit instead.

Begay hopes the summit will help with self-identity in the younger generation but said that everybody can learn and benefit from it.

“It’s good for anybody. Any age group,” she said.

Information: 928-797-2917.