Valerie learned the beauty of handcraft from her náli, paternal grandmother, who sheared, dyed, and wove her own wool in order to dye and weave intricate traditional blankets. Now, Valerie has carried on her grandmother’s legacy by giving women in her community opportunities for employment in forming the native handcraft group, Sáanii Dahayóóígíí, which means “Women of Strength.” 

Valerie and Sheila are Navajo—or “Dineh”—part of a nation of people that has inhabited the southwest region of the United States for nearly 1,000 years. Deeply connected to the land, wildlife, and each other, they carry a rich cultural heritage passed on in their handcraft. 

However, as many Navajo are leaving their home reservations to seek education and employment opportunities, traditional handcrafting is being lost with each generation.  

Because Navajo society is matrilineal—meaning that one’s clan identity is derived from their mother—not their father, Navajo women are at the center of the social and economic structure of their society. Because they have traditionally been the owners of the land, and passed it on to their daughters, their handcraft not only helps them stay on their reservation and earn a living, but it also enables them to pass down a legacy of hard work, tradition, and compassion.

After giving birth to 10 children, she lost her husband in a tragic accident, leaving her a single mother for the remainder of her life.

Nez’s daughter, Ella, planned to carry on the traditions her mother taught her, but found herself in an abusive marriage at a young age to a husband suffering from severe alcoholism. Sheila and Valerie, her daughters, recall the comfort of escaping their troubled home life to visit their shenali (paternal grandmother), Nez, on the reservation. They remember watching her haul water from town because there was no running water at her home, and lighting oil lamps as there was no electricity.

They remember the delight of watching her care for her sheep, sheer their wool, and dye and spin it to prepare for loom weaving. Nez had never been to formal schooling, yet she could calculate precise mathematical patterns to weave intricate designs in her blankets and rugs. 

As all three women look back on memories with their mother and grandmother, Nez, they attribute much of their strength and inspiration to overcome the difficulties in their lives to her. Through Sáanii Dahayóóígíí, they have become “women of strength,” working to preserve their ancestral crafting traditions while providing opportunities for other Navajo women like them to break employment barriers and come into their strength despite challenging circumstances.