“For us, Dinetáh, is a monument already made.”
–Kassie John, Walking With Dinétah
Walking with Dinétah co-creates strategies for cultural resilience and healing through Hózhó náhásdlíí’, or “walking in beauty.” Working closely with members of the Kayenta, Chilchinbeto, and Dennehotso chapters of the Diné (Navajo Nation), as well as leaders of regional public health and cultural preservation initiatives, the team developed a model of intergenerational ethical practice along with their collaborative design and digital humanities interventions onto the landscape of the Four Corners Region.
Recognizing that Dinétah, the homelands of the Diné, or literally “among the people” is inherently a monument in its own right, the project team developed walking and hiking trails as modalities that allow for direct experience of the landscape, while layering physical and digital interventions that increase legibility of that same landscape through spatialized oral histories, memory work, mapmaking, and participatory art. During their Re:Generation project, the Walking with Dinétah team focused on developing their model of practice along with establishing several initial walking trails.
Team members include: Tonia Sing Chi, Samantha Eddy, Kassie John, and Shundana Yusaf.
Local Partner Organization: Nááts'íilid Initiative
Social Media: @naatsiilid_initiative (Instagram)