Our Origin Story

There was a time as a child I used to live with Shi Masani (maternal grandmother) and Shi Cheii (maternal grandfather) for the entire summer every year. These summers are etched into my memory so vividly, it reflects the best and most memorable times I had with them.

They were the best times because I was surrounded by family. Family didn’t mean just those closest to home. This family started from our doorstep in the Old Tree Valley through Kitsilli/Black Mesa and stretched beyond the sage brush covered hills to the outer edge of the Rough Rock Community. Family was everywhere and each welcomed you with an open door and food to eat. I was lucky to have been raised in a time when family gathered every holiday. There were even some made up holidays just so we could meet and enjoy a meal. These meals were the greatest.

I remember Shi Masani and Shi Cheii would have us help catch the fattest sheep from the corral to tie up in a nearby tree to butcher. All of us chizzy kids would squat near the sheep and pet the head, while the naughty ones would tug the sheep’s ears. We would be shooed away by our uncle, yelling at us to leave the sheep alone. We would scatter away in a hurry and watch from afar as the aunties would come running to the sheep with their best butchering knives ready to butcher.

As they continued to prepare the feast, I remember playing with what seemed to be hundreds of cousins. In our Navajo culture, we greet our cousins as siblings. They were considered brothers and sisters. This was common in our childhood years and is still practiced today.

Our Masanis would sit around in the shade houses laughing, while talking with the cooks as the kids ran about. Our Cheiis would all be at the sheep or horse corral with the uncles, talking and laughing as they joked with one another. Many families gathered from Kitsilli/Black Mesa Valley and other areas to socialize while filling their tummies with traditional delicacies. This is how we all stayed connected and kept the family cohesive.

As time moved forward, the once abundant family get-togethers started to get smaller every year. The siblings of our youth had grown up and many moved away to find opportunities of work and school. This distance resulted in less family time for those who continued to live in Old Tree Valley and the surrounding area. A new tradition of short visits and less social gatherings started to rise, which left more lonely days for our elders. This also affected the bond between our elders and the growing youth. With less time, our elders were unable to share their stories and teachings with their grandkids and generations to follow.

The echoes of laughter that long ago filled the valleys of my childhood were now filled with the occasional screech of crows as whirling dust devils danced about the dry brush and the Diné creation stories have become a mere whisper in the silent winter nights.

This became more evident as I watched Shi Masani struggle to keep our Old Tree family connected. No matter how little she had, she always tried to bring family together during the holidays. She also noticed this in the families up the Black Mesa Valley as well. The elders also were struggling to have their families come back full like the greener pastures from the summer rains. The elders yearned for days of the past.

Shi Masani attempted one last gathering in hopes of renewed kinship. She hosted a Thanksgiving Dinner at the top of Big Point Valley. She invited everyone she could think of and to her amazement, she had a tremendous turnout! The quiet valley seemed to come to life as laughter filled the air. Shi Masani was overjoyed to see how the family had grown. This would be Shi Masani’s last “family” holiday social before she journeyed home.

In honor of Shi Masani, my uncle, John Henry decided to have a Kitsilli/Black Mesa Valley-wide Thanksgiving feast that was held at the local Chapter House. Elders from every part of the valley came to enjoy the festivities. They ate with one another, laughed with one another and shared many stories with everyone. Their smiles were large, their eyes were bright, and you could feel the emotions swirl through the air. This Thanksgiving Day Dinner gave a fresh breath to an old tradition and ignited a new idea to bring families back together with our elders.

From 2010, the Old Tree Family started to host an annual holiday feast to bring our elders, adults, and young children together to help bridge the disparity. We aim to overcome social isolation among our elders while we encourage traditional teachings to our youth through educational and social events. This is heart of the Shi Cheii doo Shi Masani Foundation. Keeping our Dine traditional ways strong as we travel the golden road into the future with family...

Written by Filbert Yazzie