Sharing warmth at coat drive in Tó Háálį́/Bis Dah Łitso

By Kim Tourangeau

On Friday, February 16, 2024, our family had the opportunity to distribute clothing at the Toadlena/Two Grey Hills Chapter House.

We chose Two Grey Hills because it is where our mom, Jennifer is from. We are three sisters from Lehi, Utah: Kim Tourangeau, Britney Tourangeau-McCluskey and Rachel Tourangeau. We are Diné-Navajo (Kinłichíi’nii éí daniidlí, Saulteaux Dine’é éí bádashiilchíín Dziłghą́’í Táchii’nii éí danihicheii Saulteaux Dine’é éí danihinálí) and Ojibwe-Saulteaux. Our mom is Diné from Two Grey Hills, New Mexico, and our dad is from Cote First Nation near Kamsack, Saskatchewan in Canada.

Our grandparents are Kenneth and Venita Tsosie, they had 9 children: Jennie Platero, Donald Tsosie, Lynda Lasiloo, Faye Allison, Milton Tsosie, Theresa Tsosie-Robledo, Verna Tsosie, Alvin Tsosie, and Jennifer Tourangeau. Kenneth served as a Navajo Code Talker in WWII. He is originally from Sawmill, Arizona, and he would only reach the young age of 43. Venita’s brother, Samuel H. Begay served as one of the ‘Original 29 Navajo Code Talkers.’

Our aunt Geri and uncle Matt drove the 26-foot moving truck down to New Mexico. It wasn’t easy because it only went 55 mph max. The 26-foot truck was packed, us three (sisters) loaded everything ourselves so it was ready for the trip from American Fork, Utah, to Two Grey Hills, New Mexico. At the chapter house we had a lot of help unloading. There were over 100 boxes of extra-large, large, and other sizes of boxes. We had new/gently used adult, kid, and baby clothing, shoes, quilts, toilet paper, personal hygiene items, outdoor tools, lots of things.

Our cousin, Melinda Tsosie has gone out of her way to help us both times and we appreciate her so much. Her sons, (our nephews), Alex and Kobe did a lot of carrying boxes and bags. They are the greatest people and are always willing to help anyone and everyone. That is one thing our Grandma Venita and Grandpa Kenneth passed onto many of us. A woman also mentioned how grateful she was that we thought of the community because they are often forgotten about.

At our first coat drive in Shiprock, in 2022, there was an elderly woman who walked two miles to come and get items from the coat drive. Our cousin, Melinda, drove her home after she got what she needed. We had a similar story this year. An elderly woman walked 2 miles and she started walking at 8:30 a.m. and got to the chapter house at 10:30 a.m.

The LDS missionaries helped unload and take things to cars for the elderly. One of them (Logan) was from Lehi, just like us. So crazy and we are glad they were able to help. LaRae Betoni, our other cousin has also helped us organize the coat drive. She stayed up late with us making signs, making a strategy plan, and buying supplies as well.

Our parents taught us to be proud of where we come from and to always share our culture with others. As we have grown into adults, we realized the importance of helping our community and doing as much as we can. It’s a very small start but we hope to keep growing and without outside help none of this would be possible. Recognizing that these items are not easily accessible on the reservation.

Considering we are the next generation, prioritizing assistance to those in need collaborative efforts are essential, as it takes support from others to make a meaningful impact. Ensuring the well-being of our elders and community is an ongoing commitment that requires continuous dedication and collective action.

We are focusing on helping Native communities, and we’re immensely grateful for every donation. We hope to reach other native reservations, across the U.S. and Canada in the future. As we work towards our goal, we’re excited to gather more supplies and extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone for their support in our mission to assist those in need. We hope the community members were able to benefit from this and we are glad they were able to go by.

We are extremely grateful for the opportunity to have collected and take them to where it has a special place in our hearts. Our dad, Will, and mom, Jennifer, have encouraged us to give back and they have helped us tremendously with our coat drives. Our grandpa and grandma Tsosie would’ve loved seeing this, our family and the Two Grey Hills community come together for this coat drive.

Special Miigwech/Ahxéhee’ (thank you) to the Toadlena/Two Grey Hills chapter house for letting us distribute, our aunts Jennie, Theresa, Verna, Geri, uncles Herb and Matt for helping and supporting us at the chapter house. Everyone who donated in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and other places across the U.S. and Canada.

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