The Navajo
The Navajo people live on the high deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, a starkly beautiful land. The Navajo evokes their world through images, native voices and traditional music. By placing the events of daily family life within the framework of Navajo myth and history, it conveys the continuing bond between the people, their sheep and the earth.
“It is said that sheep were a special gift to the Navajo when their first clans were formed from the skin of Changing Woman. ‘Care for the sheep,’ she said and you will be able to live on.’ That lesson is passed to the young early in life. Responsible for a lamb of his own, and later, for grazing the whole herd, the Navajo child learns what the Navajo people have always known: that so long as the earth is fertile and the sheep bear their young, the Navajo will live on, even in hard times.”
“Navajos say that Spider Woman taught them how to weave, on a loom with cross poles made of sky and earth cords; warp sticks of sun rays; and heddles of rock crystal and sheet lightning.”
Reviews
“Powerful”
“Rich in narrative detail”
“One of the most comprehensive views available of a contemporary Indian tribe”
Awards
- Cine Golden Eagle
- Chicago International Film Festival
- National Educational Film Festival
Produced in English and Navajo versions.