Veterans pull together 58th Ééhániih Day in three weeks
Navajo Times | Krista Allen
From left, Gloria Poleski, Elsie Graymountain and Lola Fatt, all of Naatsis’áán, stand beneath umbrellas during the 58th annual Ééhániih Day celebration Saturday, Aug. 1, in Navajo Mountain, Ariz.
NAVAJO MOUNTAIN, Ariz.
The 58th annual Ééhániih Day nearly did not happen this year until local veterans stepped forward and worked with the Navajo Mountain Chapter to organize the gathering in three weeks.
At a July 1 Naatsis’áán Veterans Organization meeting, members decided to help put on Ééhániih Day, said Pearl Folgheraiter, a member of the organization.
“There was mention of not having Pioneer Day at all,” Folgheraiter said, using the gathering’s former name. “So the veterans organization stepped up and said, ‘We’ll do it.’”
The proposal went before a chapter planning meeting and then the community, which approved the use of funding set aside at the chapter.
Russell Smallcanyon, the commander of the Naatsis’áán Veterans Organization, sponsored the trail ride Friday before Ééhániih Day. Members and supporters spent the day cooking and fed the riders and others who arrived at the grounds, Folgheraiter said.
To read the full article, please see the Aug. 6, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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