Culture

The style is modern, but the symbols are as old as the Diné. The language is English, but the words are from stories that were retold over the generations in Navajo before they were ever written down.

Fiber artist creates a fitting tribute to his first mentor

Amid the urban sprawl of the Phoenix metro area stood a small hogan. The door was covered with a brown fleece blanket with a Pendleton design.

Alex Lee Begay, 28, of Gamerco, New Mexico, was walking in downtown Gallup over eight years ago and saw a bow on display in one of the stores.

Maintaining and renewing Indigenous cultures begins with one, said Evelyn M. Begay. “It begins with individuals,” explained Begay, a traditional clothing designer from Sanders, Arizona. “Whatever tribe you belong to, you have to have that true self-identity about who you are.”