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NM Water Resources Research Institute
New Mexico State University, May 2016Photo courtesy of Venaya Yazzie |
In May 2016 I was able to share the current issues facing the Navajo people in the San Juan Valley in northwest New Mexico after the tragic Gold King Mine disaster.
The New Mexico Water Resources Research Institute and entity of New Mexico State University invited me to speak at their gathering at San Juan College. It was at time that the 'on behalf of water' Dine' Art Exhibition was displayed. I was able to talk on the experiences of Navajos having to deal with the aftermath of the GKM spill.
I extended this issue further into how the disaster had affected the Dine' artists. It is known that in may societies it is the artists who document the events and experiences of the people- so in this case I wanted to gather the Dine' artists to visually document their plight, all of which works to reflect the community.
I am so very humbled to work with these artists and to be given the opportunity to dialogue about the current environmental issues the Indigenous southwestern people have to deal with.
