Classes Begin for 2013 Navajo Oral History Project

The 2013 Navajo Oral History project -- a collaboration between Diné College of Tsaile, Arizona, and Winona State University of Winona, Minnesota -- started on Monday,  May 13, with its first class.

The students met in two classrooms; one in Winona and one in Tsaile. The two classrooms were connected via Interactive Television so students could meet and talk together. The first three classes are planned for ITV, then the WSU students travel to Arizona to begin the fieldwork part of the program.

During the first class, the students introduced themselves and talked about their experience in journalism and their desire to do a great job telling the stories of a Navajo elder.  There were also a few short lectures about Navajo culture and visual communication and composition.

This blog is the location for updates about the class throughout the summer of 2013.

Below are several photos from the first class. In this case, the photos are all by blog author and editor Tom Grier, one of the professors of the class. Once field work begins, the blog aims to feature more student photography. In general, if a photo on the blog is uncredited it means it was by Grier. Anytime a photo by one of the students appears, it will have a by-line.

Viewers can click on any image to see a larger version of it, and the images can be downloaded. Please respect copyrights and do not use any photo from this blog without permission. Family members of students can feel free to use the photos or re-post them to their own social media sites, but please give credit to the Navajo Oral History project, and to the photographers by name.

Robbie Christiano (above), the teaching assistant for the Navajo Oral History project, shared his thoughts on the first day of the 2013 class.

The students seem excited, and a bit nervous.  The nervousness is a direct result of their desire to do excellent work on these important documentaries and to be respectful as they experience a new culture.

We hope all readers of the blog will enjoy seeing the photos and reading of the experiences of the students. The comments section at the end of each blog post are open for submissions from anyone. Please be respectful, and feel free to share comments, questions, opinions with us.