‘Dead Pawn Skateboards’ resurrects Navajo tradition for some youth
‘Dead Pawn Skateboards’ resurrects Navajo tradition for some youth
WINDOW ROCK
Besides skateboard decks, Navajo artist Leander Begay also creates and prints pieces of his graphic fine art. (Courtesy photo)
Usually when you hear the term “dead pawn,” it means you’ve lost something forever, but in this case it means you’re getting something new.
Navajo Artist Leander Begay’s version of dead pawn is his new line of collectable skateboards called Dead Pawn Skateboarding.
“I wanted to do my own skateboards and hang them up on my wall,” Begay, 42, said on why he decided to start his own skateboards.
When he featured his design on his website this past June, Begay said the idea “grew into a little monster,” and he started getting orders for his skateboard decks.
Begay said he named it Dead Pawn Skateboarding because “every Native knows what dead pawn is, plus it’s a little humorous.”
So far he’s been able to sell 15 skateboard decks, and since each board is custom-made it’s a slow process to make them.
To read the full article, pick up your copy of the Navajo Times at your nearest newsstand Thursday mornings!
Are you a digital subscriber? Read the most recent three weeks of stories by logging in to your online account.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow