Nizhónígo ¥ííkado “Walk in Beauty”
When I arrived in the Navajo Nation for the first time in 1987 I was struck by the indescribable beauty of the landscapes, the natural wonders overwhelmed me. Between the four Sacred Mountains, as the Navajo call them, it is a universe of its own. In this enchanted land, Navajo or Diné, as they call themselves, have lived for the past seven centuries.
Their world is basically a continuous and highly interactive dynamic complex of processes of growth, change, repetition, and evolution. In a sense reality is not primarily populated by ‘things’ as in the Western view, but is basically a “process”. The rituals too are intrinsically a particular kind of process of interaction with impact with (a part of) nature.
Behind all this beauty, there is a dark side caused by White western people. The Reserve is very rich in uranium and coal, so the US government opened many mines, with all its consequences.
After years of protest and activism with the Diné people, this exhibition is a dedication to them. I would like to share with you the beauty of the Rez as well as the strength of the people.
