Reporter’s Notebook | Ajéí Béédahaniih

By Laverne Watchman
Navajo Times

Editor’s note: Ms. Laverne Watchman, Asdzáá Naaneesht’ézhí Táchii’nii, works in the Navajo Times business department. She is also part of the Navajo Times’s Navajo language team.

What is Valentine’s Day for us Natives? For the Native culture, it’s very unlikely and uncommon for a guy to express his feelings toward a female. It’s almost like the song “chizzi” from the late Vincent Craig. (Shhhttt was all it took) or even asking a girl to dance with you at a local chapter house with Aces Wild performing.

Whereas, in the modern world, a guy will go all out and spend hundreds of dollars to make his girlfriend feel very special ending with a lovely dinner at a fancy restaurant. Here on the Rez, it’s a simple rose from the flea market with a small box of chocolates from Family Dollar. And lunch or dinner with a can of Spam with commodity cheese wrapped in hot bááh (łees’áán).

And if you hint or ask them what day it is. Here is the famous line: “Is it Valentine’s Day? Aww man, I forgot. I’ll get you something when I get paid.”

No matter how much you spend, it’s the heart that counts and how you feel about your significant other. Whether it’s a hug, kiss, or just saying “Ayóó Ánííníshní” is a very powerful sentence used among Navajos.

It could be interpreted in many ways. You could be saying it to your significant other, children, parents, grandparents, friends, colleagues. Even your animals (sheep, cows, horses, dogs, cats, et cetera.) Just hearing it will melt your heart (Oh, shi heart).

Hajéí/Ajéí Béédahaniih the interpretation for Valentine’s Day, but I don’t know if there is another way of saying it. There is so many ways of explaining and interpreting our language.

Although I’m not good at spelling it out but having the gift of speaking it very fluently is an honorary degree for me. Ahxéhee’ for reading my column.