A Life Woven Together Between Shepherd and Sheep

In this episode of Weaving Voices, Rebecca chats with:

• Nikyle Begay, a Diné shepherd, fiber artist, teacher, storyteller and photographer based in Ganado, Arizona on the Navajo Nation. Nikyle is the Executive Director of Rainbow Fiber Co-Op.

• Jay Begay, who raises Navajo-Churro sheep and Angora goats on his family's ancestral land and originates from the community of Rocky Ridge in Northeastern Arizona on the Navajo Nation.

• Zefren Anderson, a Diné silversmith, weaver, and a spinner based in Shiprock, New Mexico on the Navajo Nation.

Here are some highlights:

The Rainbow Fiber Co-Op

• Rebecca introduces this episode’s guests as Diné, the people of the Navajo Nation that make up the Southwest of the U.S.

• She explains that the breed of sheep Diné raises are Churro sheep.

• Rebecca also introduces the Rainbow Fiber Co-Op, a Diné-led wool fiber cooperative focused on purchasing wool and adding value to it through the making of roving and yarn.

Intergenerational Knowledge and the Navajo Churro Sheep

• All three guests explain the relationship between the Diné and the Navajo Churro sheep and how the knowledge and practices of caring for the sheep has been passed down through generations.

• Jay tells the story that has been told through generations about how the relationship between Diné and sheep began.

• He also highlights the significance of the phrase “sheep is life” to the Diné people.

U.S. Government Interference

• Niklye discusses The Long Walk, when the U.S. government forced thousands of the Navajo people to march hundreds of miles and relocate to Fort Sumner in New Mexico in the 1860s.

• Nikyle explains the Livestock Reduction Act.

The Wool Process

• Jay explains the process of producing wool, starting from caring for the sheep to the weaving loom.

The Challenges to Sheep Herding

• Jay talks about the negative effects that climate change has brought on to sheep herding, such as drought.

• Nikyle discusses the challenges that come from the U.S. government, such as restrictions on grazing permits and livestock reduction.

An Ideal Future

• All three guests share what they think will lead to a stronger wool culture including getting the youth more involved, taking advantage of intergenerational knowledge and decolonizing internal biases.