Fair's theme applauded

Apache crown dancers from White River, AZ perform at the begining of the Navajo Nation Fair Night Ceremony in Window Rock Saturday, September 6. — © 2008 Gallup Independent / Cable Hoover

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — The consensus about the theme for the 62nd Annual Navajo Nation Fair — which was “Navajo Women: Our Strength, Our Endurance” — seemed to be “It’s about time.”

Popular Navajo and White Mountain Apache singer Joe Tohonnie Jr. summed it up at the opening for the fair’s Night Performance on Saturday when he said, “I was told the theme was honoring Navajo women. Sixty-two years and they finally honored the Navajo women.”

Tohonnie played a song in honor of the Navajo women at the opening ceremony and asked all of them to stand as he and his group sang.

The floats at the fair’s annual Saturday morning parade also embraced the theme. The Navajo tribal police, for instance, had its women police officers marching and riding in the parade. On its float was a list of the women in the police departments from each agency.

The parade’s grand marshal this year was “Grandma” Marjorie Thomas, who was also one of the women featured on the cover of this year’s fair magazine.

“I think it’s great,” she said about this year’s theme.
The theme made her think about the important women in her life, Thomas said as she watched the Night Performance on the grounds of the Dean C. Jackson Memorial Arena Saturday night.

“I’ve been thinking about my grandma and my mom. I learned a lot from them. I think the Nation, our tradition really comes from our parents, our grandmas, our elders, and that’s what makes me,” Thomas said. “I lived with my grandma, and she’s the one that taught me, and that’s what I carry on today. I know a lot of women do that.”

She added that being honored during the fair was a real surprise.

Others also expressed their thoughts on the theme.
“It’s really good that they’re giving significance to Navajo women — women in general — and who they are to the world and who they are to the Navajo people,” Jolene Keeto said.

Natasha Johnson said that the theme was very appropriate because the Navajo people are matrilineal.

“A lot of the leaders, like Annie Wauneka, we have Grandma Thomas — they survived a lot of hardship and they’ve shown Navajo women that we’re stronger than we think we are,” she said. “It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy for young girls where they don’t think they’re good enough but they see Navajo women doing amazing things and that gives them the ability.”

Loren Tapahe, publisher of the fair magazine, also said that the theme is very appropriate. The magazine incorporated the theme by placing six women on the cover including a Navajo woman who survived the Long Walk; the “Legendary Mother” of the Navajo, Annie Wauneka; youth advocate, Marjorie Thomas; Miss Navajo Nation 2000-2001, Dr. Karletta Chief; Miss Navajo Nation 2007-2008, Jonathea Tso, and fifth-grader Alexis Medivil, who wants to be a future Miss Navajo.