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| Nemo Hadeist'ii' Tree of Life (24.5" x 17" - approx. 64 wefts/inch) |
For both films, they used Navajo-speaking voice actors. In anticipation of the release of Nemo Hadeist'ii' (Finding Nemo), I watched Youtube videos, especially clips of one of the younger voice actors, Quinton Kien, who played the voice of Nemo. I can't find any of those videos now, but click here to be linked to a news story.
These movies are so fun to watch! We have DVD copies of them both. You should be able to purchase them through the Navajo Nation Museum gift shop, but I didn't call them to verify, so don't be mad if they yell at you when you call to ask. #badjoke
When both films were released, they had screenings in various places, and as is always the case, Navajos showed up! I know, one of the main intents behind this project was to encourage or inspire young people to want to learn Dinebizaad (the Navajo language), which is great. I'm sure these movies are doing this. But what really tugged at my heart strings was a story I heard from a friend of a family who brought a grandmother to one of these screenings. This grandmother, a Navajo speaker, sat in the theater seats with her grandchildren and their parents, and laughed and engaged along with everyone else.
When I heard this story, I imagined my own great-grandmother, who only spoke Navajo. She and I conversed in fragments and gestures. So much of what we wanted to share or say to one another fell to the floor and was swept up as fine jagged-edged particles with the desert sand. There was always so much sand.
Although I visited with her, I could never have the blessing of knowing her. Now and then, my cousin (who was my same age and a fluent Navajo speaker) would drop by while I was visiting. I really did envy the free-flowing two-way exchange of banter and story that took place. Even though that wasn't me, I was grateful for my great-grandmother and for my cousin, that their relationship existed. How wonderful for them both.
So, some of us don't have the blessing of being able to converse with our elders because of a language barrier. But if I was ever lucky enough to even just share a movie with my great-grandmother and have us both experience the same story together, it's a small-ish thing some would say, but it's one that I would be willing to travel back in time for. I don't even know if she liked movies, but she might have if there were some in her language.
For this textile, as an homage of sorts to the Nemo Hadeist'ii' film, I thought I'd adapt the Tree of Life design by setting it underwater in the world of Nemo. Some key features of the Tree of Life design are the Navajo wedding basket with a corn stalk growing out of it and birds. These are meant to represent positivity, progression in life and spirit, as well as symbolize the interrelationships or connections between human beings and our world and universe.
For my Nemo version, I chose to color the wedding basket a coral color, as that is Nemo's home. From this, springs forth some anemone and seaweed. Swimming around the seaweed are: Dory, Pearl (squid), Marlin (Nemo's dad), Nemo, Gill, and Peach (starfish). Swimming on the outskirts facing alternating directions and serving as my design's side borders are light gray jellyfish.
I started this textile two years ago and put it aside (while I wove other projects) for a long while before returning to it. It was a fun piece, and I'm so happy it's finally finished. I'm absolutely in love with the background "teal" color I used for the ocean. For my yarn, I used yarn I purchased from Burnham Trading Post. Thank you for reading & come back again.
