The triumph of speaking Diné 🏜️
Last week, I came across a video of a man introducing himself in Diné. His name is Tyrone Whitehorse—an artist from from Lechee, Arizona, now living in Provo, Utah. I realized that I had never heard anybody speak Diné before.
This cast two things into sharp relief: first, Diné was not a dead language. Despite centuries of concerted attempts to kill it, it lives. Second: I lived in Colorado for 12 years, Utah for 10. The fact that I’m just now hearing an indigenous language of land I grew up on speaks to a legacy of settler colonialism and genocide.
From the late 1800s through the 1960s, the Bureau of Indian Affairs forced tens of thousands of Native Americans into English-only government boarding schools. Taken hundreds of miles from the reservations, the children were often beaten for speaking native languages and sent home ashamed of them. As adults, they cautioned their own children to speak English only. (source)
Tyrone’s video was not just an introduction. It was a triumph. So I did what any normal person would do and sent him a DM asking if I could interview him about his language for a newsletter that didn’t exist yet.
Not only did he agree, he wrote back to my questions with the most detailed, incredible answers. I was completely floored. My initial plan was to feature that Q&A today. But y’all, inundating you with Tyrone’s insights in one go wouldn’t have done them justice. Instead, we’ll make our way through that interview in smaller segments EVERY DAY NEXT WEEK!
Until then, here are two ways Utah friends can support indigenous artists like Tyrone. First, hit up the Native American Arts Market this Saturday in Springville, It looks so fun and supports great causes ❤️ Here’s an article about the inaugural event last year. Canned food donations are brought back to the Navajo reservation, and proceeds support scholarships for native children and the Adopt-A-Native-Elder program.
Adopt-A-Native-Elder serves 570 Navajo elders in the Four Corners region, many of whom are over the age of 85 and don’t speak English. The elders don’t have running water or electricity, and have lived their lives at a level of self-sufficiency that modern-day survivalists and adventurers could only dream of.
Then in early December, hit up Salt Lake City for the 30th Annual American Indian Holiday Arts Market. It’s two full days—Saturday and Sunday 12/7–12/8. I’ll keep reminding you as it draws closer.
Thanks for reading Gemini Mind! Elsewhere, you can find me as @yokizzi 💫