2010 Navajo Oral History Project Begins

Today (Monday, May 10), marks the beginning of the 2010 Navajo Oral History project collaboration between Winona State University and Diné College.

This morning, from 9 a.m. - 12 noon, the seven participating WSU students gathered on campus for a classroom session to prepare for this year's adventure. The group reviewed the goals for the program and double-checked the schedule and class details.

Students from last year's inaugural program helped get this year's students ready. Kim Streblow from the 2009 group wrote a nice letter to the current students, explaining some of the challenges they might encounter, but also inspiring them to be serious about the awesome responsibility to tell the elders' stories faithfully and accurately. Kim's letter was read aloud to the students since she was unable to attend in person.

Cory Hinz and Andrew Neumann from the 2009 group spoke in person to this year's students for more than an hour. They described their expectations last summer and what they learned. They talked about some unique things they learned about Navajo culture from working side by side with elders on service projects. They also described the interview process and some mistakes they made and how they reacted to the mistakes to ensure quality documentaries.

The 2010 students listened attentively and seemed to be taking it all in. I can already tell these students are ready to work hard, have fun, and tell great stories.

In a few days, they'll be traveling to live for two weeks in a completely different culture that's wholly situated within the United States. They may be a bit nervous because of the uncertainty of dealing with new and unfamiliar customs. But, they are young and resilient and dedicated, and I have no doubt they will make us all proud.

Here's a look at the WSU participants. (We'll meet the Diné College students on Monday.):

It's going to be another great year. I hope you'll all visit this blog often to keep updated on our progress.

-- Tom Grier

Winona State University - Mass Communication

Navajo Oral History 2010 - Documentary Journalism Partnership

In May 2010, the second year of a collaborative project between Winona State University (Winona, Minn.) and Diné College (Tsaile, Ariz.) begins.

Last summer, a group of WSU students traveled to the Navajo Nation to work in small group partnerships with students of Diné College, the Tribal College of the Navajo Nation. The groups spent three weeks doing service learning projects for five Navajo elders, then researching, interviewing, photographing, video recording, writing, editing and producing documentary projects focused on the lives of those elders.

The projects were completed by late summer and receptions were held at both institutions in fall to premiere the documentaries and celebrate the students' work. Those films are now archived at the Navajo Nation Museum, Navajo Nation Library, and at Diné College and Winona State University.

Now, another group of students of both schools are preparing to work together and complete more Navajo Oral History projects in May 2010.

The seven WSU student participants will begin meeting in early May, just after spring semester classes end. The group travels to the Navajo Nation in mid-May, and will spend two weeks there, based in residence hall facilities at Diné College.

Again the students will complete service learning projects for elders, then produce documentaries about elders' lives. While on the Navajo Nation, the students will experience Navajo culture through a variety of activities including a visit to Window Rock, Arizona, a tour of Navajo Tribal Government offices, a hike into historic Canyon del Muerto, and a visit to ancient ruins in Canyon De Chelly National Monument. Also planned is an overnight camp-out on the site of a Navajo Sheep Camp in the Lukachukai mountains and an evening at a Navajo Rodeo.

Before they leave for Arizona, the Winona students are reading historical and cultural texts to help them prepare to be knowledgeable and respectful as they meet and work with the Navajo elders.

The goal of the documentary projects is to record and archive stories of Navajo elders that might not otherwise be saved. A secondary goal of the program is to help Diné College develop journalism and mass communication programming that can serve as a career preparation curriculum for DC students.

During the class, this blog will serve as a connection point for students, families and friends who want to remain updated on the groups' activities. I plan to update the blog frequently with information and photos highlighting the students and their experiences and accomplishments.

For those new to this program, please consider spending some time scrolling through older blog pages to see some of the activities from last-year's projects. Then, if you wish, take a few minutes to view the short, media-friendly versions of the 2009 student projects on Winona360.org. The names of the elders featured last year and links to their documentaries are pasted below.

Thanks to everyone who has supported this important cross-cultural collaboration.

-- Tom Grier, Winona State University

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2009 Navajo Oral History Projects

Beulah Allen

Wilson Aronilth

Ruth Roessel

Sam Tso

Harry Walters

On Sunday, Nov. 15, a group of seven Winona State University students and two faculty members flew to Arizona to attend a reception at Diné College honoring the collaborative journalism projects completed this past summer by students of both institutions.

It was nearly 50 degrees back home in Winona, Minnesota, while there was snow on the ground in Tsaile, Arizona.

While on campus on Monday, Nov. 16, the students attended Dr. Miranda Haskie's class and heard guest speaker Perry Charlie discuss environmental issues and energy concerns of the Navajo Nation.

Monday evening, about 100 people attended the premier and reception and watched several documentary journalism projects focused on the lives of five Navajo elders. Three of the elders were present and commented on the projects following viewing of their features.

The evening began with comments by Dr. Miranda Haskie of Diné College, one of the organizers of the journalism collaboration.

Dr. Ferlin Clark, president of Diné College, the Tribal College of the Navajo Nation, gave a keynote address congratulating the students on their hard work and dedication, and thanking them for their important contribution to preserving the stories of the elders.

Organizers then showed several of the student projects and invited comments from each of the students involved, and then the elders.

As the program came to a close, Dr. Cindy Killion and Dr. Tom Grier, members of the faculty of the Winona State University Department of Mass Communication, described their feelings about the collaboration and future plans for similar programs.

Short versions of the journalism projects are available for viewing on the WSU Mass Communication department's web site: http://winona360.org.

Navajo Oral History Reception at WSU

Four guests from Diné College of the Navajo Nation spent Friday (Nov. 13) in Minnesota seeing sights between the Minneapolis airport and Winona, touring the Winona State University campus, speaking to a journalism class, and being a part of a reception honoring student-created documentary journalism projects.

Dr. Miranda Haskie, a faculty member at Diné College, led the group which included Diné students Derrick Harvey, Larissa Jimmy, and Krystle Sorrell. The guests enjoyed a brief visit to the Mall of America and were impressed by the Mississippi River. They heard the story of Princess Wenonah and Maiden Rock. They said they were inspired by the beautiful view of the river and the city of Winona from Garvin Heights.

While on campus, they were interviewed by journalism students in Prof. Drake Hokanson's News Writing class and then toured the WSU Mass Communication department facilities including KQAL, the campus radio station, studios, and the TV studio.

In the evening, the Diné College guests joined the group of WSU students they worked closely with this past summer, to host a reception and premiere of the Oral History projects that were the result of collaborative teamwork.

More than 100 people were present to view the projects and hear the students talk about the experience of meeting the elders, working with them, and faithfully recording their life stories.

(Photo of the Reception in WSU's East Hall by Chops Hancock.)

Several of the projects are available for viewing on the WSU Mass Communication department's Lab web site: winona360.org. All of the projects will be archived permanently at the Navajo Nation Museum and Navajo Nation Library, as well as at the libraries of Diné College and Winona State University.

Seven students and two faculty from Winona State are traveling to Arizona this weekend to host a second reception on Monday evening at 5:30 p.m. at Diné College.

Organizers of this project gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Winona State University Foundation and the Winona State University Student Senate in helping to fund the travel and planing of these receptions.

Thanks also to all the students, faculty and employees of both institutions that helped make this important project a reality.

(Group Photo by WSU student Kali Kotz.)

Receptions are Planned -- Please Come!

Students from Winona State University of Minnesota, and from Diné College of the Navajo Nation, worked together on collaborative journalism teams this summer to create Oral History projects focused on Navajo elders.

Five elders were interviewed several times each. The student groups used a variety of media: the written word, still photographs, and audio and video recording for their projects. Students researched, wrote, recorded, edited, proofread and finally produced finished pieces that tell the story of five amazing Navajo elders and their lives of service to their people, and the world.

The elders included in the project are:

- Beulah Allen, one of the first Navajo medical doctors, and the person who helped create the Emergency Medical Service providing ambulance and quick response medical care across the Navajo Nation.

- Wilson Aronilth, Jr., a faculty member in the Center for Diné Studies at Diné College, and author of several textbooks on Navajo Culture.

- Ruth Roessel, an educator and founder of the Rough Rock Community School in Rough Rock, Arizona on the Navajo Nation. In addition, Ruth and her husband, Bob Roessel, are credited with helping to found Navajo Community College in the 1960s-- Now Diné College.

- Sam Tso, a Navajo Code Talker, who fought in the South Pacific during World War II and who has many stories about how his Navajo Culture not only helped the U.S. win the war, but also helped him stay alive during many heated battles.

- Harry Walters, a recently retired faculty member at Diné College who also was the founding director of the Ned Hatathli Museum of Navajo Culture at Diné College. An artist and Navajo Culture expert, Harry has been a consultant and featured speaker in a number of national articles and documentaries on Navajo life and living.

In late May 2009, 12 Winona State University students traveled to Tsaile, Arizona, home of Diné College, and worked for three weeks with 9 Diné College students. They completed service projects for each of the elders and then interviewed their subjects. In July and August, the students collaborated via email and web to complete their documentary projects that were then presented to Navajo Nation leaders on the Human Research Review Board who unanimously approved the publishing and distributing of the work.

In recognition of the collaborative nature of the projects, two receptions are planned; one at Winona State University and one at Diné College, to celebrate the efforts and accomplishment of the students and to debut the documentary pieces.

The first reception is planned for Friday, Nov. 13, beginning at 5 p.m. in East Hall of the Kryzsko Commons Student Union building at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota. The second reception is planed for Monday, Nov. 16, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Ned Hatathli Museum, 4th Floor of the Hatathli Center main administration building at Diné College in Tsaile, Arizona.

Each reception will run about 90 minutes and will include showing many of the documentary projects and comments from the students involved in the project. Six students and faculty members from Diné College are traveling from Arizona to Minnesota for the Winona reception, and nine students and faculty from Winona are planning to be present at the Tsaile reception.

The media and the general public are invited to either or both receptions. Light refreshments will be served.

Following the receptions, the finished documentary projects will be given to the Navajo Nation Museum, The Navajo Nation Library, and the libraries at Winona State University and Diné College for cataloging and archiving. Copies have also been given to The Winona Daily News and the Navajo Times for their consideration to print or publish the pieces on their web sites. The projects will also be available for viewing on the Winona State University Mass Communication department's web site (Winona360.org) that highlights student projects.

Funding to help cover the cost of the receptions, including travel expenses for participants, was received from the WSU Foundation's Special Projects program and the WSU Student Senate's Student Activity program.

As the lead faculty member on this project, I'm so proud of the students and their hard work. I had the initial idea for this project nearly four years ago. After much time and effort was spent building the relationship and trust with several colleagues at Diné College, I was fortunate to meet Dr. Miranda Haskie, a faculty member in Diné College's Humanities and Fine Arts division. She immediately saw the potential for this project and the value it had for the students, and for the Navajo Nation as a whole. She and I are talking about ways to continue this project so more of the stories of Navajo elders can be collected, protected and shared.

Thank you to all who have had a hand in helping to make this project a reality. Especially, I want to thank the elders for being willing to share their lives and ideas; and the parents, family members and friends of the students involved for supporting them with time, money, and encouragement, so they could truly put their hearts into their work.

Each project is done so incredibly well, and faithfully tells the stories of the lives of these elders. They are important pieces of journalism that will stand the test of time. Long after we're gone, scholars will view and read the work of these students and will gain a greater understanding of the Navajo culture of the early 21st century.

Navajo Nation Approval!

Congratulations to Diné College and Winona State University, and specifically to the students involved in the collaboration project between the two schools this past summer.

Today (Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009) the Navajo Nation Human Research Review Board unanimously approved the final report and approved the publishing of the student projects. Board members are pleased that the projects will be distributed to the elders involved and published in variety of ways so people can see and learn from them.

My faculty colleague from Diné College, Miranda Haskie, and I are planning celebratory receptions to debut the projects and honor the students' hard work. We want to host a reception at both institutions, and hope to have students from both schools present at each event.

The first reception will be held Friday, Nov. 13, on the Winona State University campus, and the second on Monday, Nov. 16, at the Diné College campus in Tsaile, Arizona. Both receptions will begin at 5 p.m.

Parents and friends of the students are invited to attend the receptions.

At each reception, there will be a few brief congratulatory speeches, and several of the projects will be shown. Then the participating students will each be asked to offer their comments about the project and their efforts.

At about the same time of the receptions, plans call for the pieces to be published on the Winona360 web site (a WSU Mass Communication department site dedicated to showcasing student projects), as well as by the Winona Daily News and the Navajo Times newspapers.

These important Navajo Oral History projects will be archived for all time at the Navajo Nation Museum, Navajo Nation Library, and at Winona State University and Diné College.

As soon as the pieces are available for on-line viewing, I'll include links from here on this blog.

Thanks to everyone for their support during this project. The excellent work of the students has been recognized and rewarded.

-- Tom Grier, Winona State University

The Next Step

The DVDs are done are they look great.

Last week, I created a two-disc DVD set which included all the student-produced videos from the summer Travel Study Navajo Nation Oral History projects.

On the DVDs were the Living History features on the Navajo elders. These are documentary videos of between eight and 20 minutes. The DVDs also contain the Media pieces on the elders, which are much shorter, generally four minutes or less focused on one main aspect of the elder's life story.

A couple projects are well-edited videos with live action footage, interviews and narration. A couple other features were SoundSlides projects: multimedia presentations that combine still photographs, music and audio.

I assembled packets that included the DVDs plus the written articles the groups created about the Navajo elders they interviewed, and one group's feature page which was a completely laid-out newspaper page including a feature article, headline, subheads, photos and captions.

All put together, it's an impressive package that really shows how hard the students in these collaboration groups worked to faithfully and respectfully tell the stories of these Navajo elders. I am so proud of their work, and am honored to be a part of their efforts.

Now, the next steps.

The packets were sent to the Navajo Nation. In mid-October, I'll travel to tribal headquarters in Window Rock, Arizona, and defend the projects in front of the Navajo Nation Human Research Review Board. Board members will have had time to review the work prior to my arrival. They'll ask some questions, and hopefully approve the projects so we can publish them and let all of you see them!

I sent a DVD to my colleague and faculty partner in this project, Dr. Miranda Haskie, a professor at Diné College. She and her family live on the Navajo Nation and have found ways to balance traditional Navajo culture with modern ways of living and learning. If you follow this blog, you've heard much about Miranda and her talented jewelry artist husband, Vernon.

She emailed me to say she and her family watched the DVD and were pleased with the quality of the production. She commented on how each project was done professionally and that each "attest(s) to the vibrancy of the Navajo culture."

Her positive comments mean so much to me and to the students. She validates the student's work. But, I want to be clear: none of the student's great work could have happened without Prof. Miranda Haskie's excellent and compassionate help and guidance.

There's so much more to say... but I'll save some of that for about 30 days from now.

On Oct. 20, Prof. Haskie and I will make our presentation to the Navajo Nation. Make a note to check this blog that day or the next. I'll be sure to let you know the outcome of that meeting.

I know it seems a long time to wait to see the fruits of these students' hard work. But, that's another aspect to this important project. From the very beginning we committed to doing everything correctly and honorably. We sought all the appropriate permissions. We filed all the required paperwork. And we honored all our commitments.

Many Navajos don't have much experience with descendants of Europeans actually doing what they say they're going to do.

Our Winona State University group, with the help of our colleagues and fellow students from Diné College, are trying to create a new way of understanding and relating between our cultures. This summer project has been a large step in the right direction.