Author To Know Marjorie W. Thomas
June 2006
Marjorie W. Thomas' flair for combining important teachings with humor is a delight to readers. Her three children's books depict daily life on the Navajo Nation. Bidii is the story of the misadventures of a Navajo boy. White Nose the Sheep Dog (Chiilgai, Na’nilkaadii) is about an orphaned dog that learns to herd sheep. Her most recent book, What Does 'Died' Mean? (Ha'íishá Óolyé Daaztsa?), teaches children about diabetes and death.
Thomas' stories are based on personal experiences or "experiences I've had from my grandchildren." Bidii is one example of her grandchildren's antics influencing her writing. White Nose the Sheep Dog was inspired by a dog the Thomas family found while traveling. The family adopted the dog and trained it to herd sheep, and the dog continues to watch the family's herd. What Does 'Died' Mean? is a personal history. When Thomas was a girl, her grandfather was diabetic, and the disease eventually took his life. After her grandfather passed away, her grandmother explained death using the same examples as depicted in the book. What Does 'Died' Mean? also touches on the issue of diabetes. Diabetes is a subject Thomas is familiar with because of her grandfather, and she has been diabetic for 45 years.
Her current projects include writing a book about Na'atl'o'(string game). This game is similar to cat's cradle and is only taught or played during the winter. More adventures are in store for Bidii. In one story, Bidii pretends to be a medicine man, and in another story he is wooly riding. Wooly riding is a competition for children in which participants ride sheep instead of horses.
Two more stories based on Thomas' life are also in progress. One story is about living with her grandmother. When Thomas was two years old, her father died. After his death, she moved to her grandmother's residence in Chinle, AZ, while her brothers and sisters continued to live with their mother in Ganado, AZ. Her grandmother taught Thomas about the Navajo culture and the Navajo language. Although English was Thomas' first language, she quickly learned Navajo. Thomas' other story is about the time she attended Chinle Boarding School and Ganado Mission. In addition to all these stories, she is writing a family history.
Thomas is married to Leo Thomas. Their relationship began when they were classmates at Ganado Mission. When they were apart during summer vacation, they wrote to each other until school started in the fall. Then Leo went to college, but he would return for summer vacation, and they worked together in the same office. One day, while the couple was at lunch away from the office, Leo asked Thomas to marry him. The couple celebrated their 50th anniversary in June 2004. They have eight children, 22 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.
If Thomas is not writing at home, she can be found writing while herding sheep. She carries a laptop while following the sheep and writes as the animals graze. She was motivated to write for a young audience because she wanted to assist in promoting bilingual education. Her writing is also a response to teachers' complaints that there are not enough books focused on Navajo culture to interest their students. Thomas hopes children will learn to keep the Navajo language and culture close to their hearts. "I'm hoping they are reading it and know it's for them," she said. She vows to continue helping children learn to read, write, and speak the Navajo language.
Before becoming an author, Thomas was a teacher and a principal in Tuba City, AZ and served as principal and as superintendent for the Chinle Unified School District. Although she is retired from administrative work, her involvement with the schools continues. In the winter, teachers ask Thomas to visit and demonstrate traditional Navajo winter activities to students. She also talks to new teachers during employee orientation at the beginning of the school year. Her main efforts are children’s issues happening on the Navajo Nation, especially the children living in the Central Navajo Agency.
In 1993, the first Grandma Thomas Walk-a-Thon was organized with Central Navajo Youth Opportunities Coalition, Inc., a non-profit organization, to raise money for the construction of a youth center in Chinle. The annual walk starts in Chinle and ends in Window Rock, AZ. The idea for a youth center began after she heard complaints about the inappropriate behavior from the local children. Thomas thinks it is not the children's fault, but rather the fault of adults who failed the children. "My grandmother taught me to take care of the children," she said. Thomas was pleased with this year's participation, with $5,441.12 raised. She is unsure if she will be participating in the 2006 walk, for health reasons. Thomas visited the hospital twice during this year's event, but she was present when it concluded in Window Rock. Despite her health, she will not stop her efforts for supporting the youth center.
Her efforts do not go unnoticed by the community. Community members help and volunteer at the walk, either by providing food or offering rides to participants. Supplies used during the walk, such as snacks or water, are either donated or paid for by Thomas. But it is the children who express the most appreciation. They warmly greet Thomas and continually welcome her efforts. To readers she is known by her full name, but to the Navajo Nation she is known as "Grandma Thomas." She received this name through her association with the walk. "That's where children got to know me as 'grandma,'" Thomas said. Readers will notice that the dedication page to Thomas' books states, "Dedicated to all of my grandchildren." She writes this dedication because her grandmother told her that "all children will be yours." To this day, Thomas continues to believe her grandmother's words.
Donations for the youth center can be sent to the following address: CNYOC, Inc. P.O. Box 976 Chinle, AZ 86503. Checks and money orders only are accepted and should be made payable to CNYOC, Inc. Receipts for donations will be mailed back. For more information: www.navajocentral.org/cnyoc.html
Keeping the Rope Straight:
Annie Dodge Wauneka’s Life of Service to the Navajo New Release!
Written by Carolyn Niethammer
August 2005
This month is an excerpt from Keeping the Rope Straight: Annie Dodge Wauneka’s Life of Service to the Navajo by Carolyn Niethammer. Annie Dodge Wauneka is regarded as the "legendary mother" of the Navajo Nation. She is the daughter of Chee Dodge; the Navajo tribe's first elected chairman. From her father, she learned the importance of service to her people. Wauneka spent her life devoted to helping the Navajos. As council delegate for Klagetoh-Wide Ruins, AZ, she was a member of the Health and Welfare Committee. When tuberculosis became a widespread problem on the reservation, she worked to educate the people about the disease. After her time as council delegate, she remained an outspoken individual who continued to have her people’s best interests at heart. With her strong spirit and fearless nature, she traveled from the tribal council chambers to the offices of the national government. Keeping the Rope Straight: Annie Dodge Wauneka’s Life of Service to the Navajo will be available spring 2006.
As Chee Dodge spent his last days in the hospital, he spoke to his children about his legacy of service and encouraged them to continue helping the Navajo people:
"At last, Chee had a talk with his doctor and learned that the end was near. He called all of his children to circle his bedside. Chee Dodge was always an eloquent speaker and his talk to his children on his deathbed was no exception. He gave them advice for how to carry on his legacy of working for the Navajos. He told them, “Do not let my straight rope fall to the ground. If you discover it dropping, quickly one of you pick it up and hold it aloft and straight.” He was using a metaphor to urge them to carry on his lifetime of work for the Navajo people. He may have been comparing the leading of the Navajos to the training of a horse. When someone is working with a horse on a long training rope, it is necessary to keep the rope taut and straight to control the animal."
Teacher To Know Pamela Hanson White
September 2005
Pamela Hanson is a second grade Navajo language teacher at Puente de Hozho in Flagstaff. Hanson teaches because she believes in preserving the Navajo language and the Navajo culture, which is “a way of life.” In her classes, students learn the differences between today’s and yesterday’s cultural practices. Sharing culture makes students feel good, and it shows the pride they have for who they are.
For Hanson, teaching is one passion. Running is another. While growing up in Kayenta, AZ she remembers her father was a runner. Running helped her earn a scholarship to Adams State College in Alamosa, CO. In college, she was a member of the collegiate team, which won three championship titles. She earned two bachelor degrees, one in Elementary Education and the other in Exercise Physiology. She also earned a master’s degree in Bilingual Education in ESL.
After ten years in Colorado, her family moved to Flagstaff’s mountain environment. Flagstaff reminds Hanson of Colorado, and is conveniently located between her parents, who continue living in Kayenta, and her siblings who live in Phoenix. Hanson started working for the Flagstaff Unified School District in 2003 as a Native American academic advisor. The following school year, she taught kindergarten at Puente de Hozho.
Puente de Hozho is a bilingual magnet school that opened in 2001. Classes are taught either in Spanish-English or Navajo-English. The Navajo-English program is taught in a one-way immersion model. The majority of kindergarten students learn English as their first language, and 90 percent of their day is spent learning in Navajo, Hanson said. The percentage changes to 80 percent Navajo and 20 percent English in first grade. In second grade, there is 70 percent Navajo and 30 percent English. Finally, there is 60 percent Navajo and 40 percent English in fourth grade. Grades past fourth grade are taught 50 percent Navajo and 50 percent English. While studying for her master’s degree, Hanson learned about language theories and its positive effect on learning. “You hear a lot about the theory on that, but it is actually being practiced here,” Hanson said of the school’s unique approach to bilingual teaching.
Hanson will be working with Salina Bookshelf on an interesting language project. When Hanson was teaching kindergarten, she used a phonics program to teach students Navajo pronunciation. However, she noticed there were no materials available to assist teachers with teaching the basic foundations of Navajo. Although there are tapes and compact discs for learning Navajo, she could not use these materials because of her students’ short attention spans. As a result, Hanson decided to create a way for kids to easily grasp pronunciation through sounds and letter recognition. After noticing that her students learned through movement, she incorporated the movements of animals and insects into the lesson. This helped her students quickly learn the Navajo alphabet. In addition to improving their pronunciation skills, students also began writing and spelling in Navajo.
Because of the effectiveness of Hanson’s method, other teachers and parents were soon asking Hanson for copies of her project. Now she wants the material to be available to any Navajo language teacher or to any individual wanting to teach their child Navajo.
Navajo was Hanson’s first language and she did not learn English until she started school. She has also studied French and Spanish. But teaching has motivated her to learn to read and write in Navajo. Says Hanson: “I love language.”
Little Prankster Girl Featured Book
Written by Martha Blue
Illustrated by Keith Smith
August 2005
Little Prankster Girl, At’ééd Ádíláhí Yázhí, This is a great book for encouraging children to dream and to continue working toward a goal, regardless of obstacles.
Little Prankster Girl is a young Navajo girl who enjoys playing practical jokes on her family. She fills the salt shaker with sugar and spills yellow dye on the sheep and goats. However, she also wants to learn to weave. Mother promises to teach Little Prankster Girl, but never does. Other family members do not offer support or encourage her new interest. Only Grandmother believes Little Prankster Girl can learn to weave.
How will Little Prankster Girl show her family she is growing into a dedicated young woman?
Salina Bookshelf's Day in Phoenix
September 2005
If you called Salina Bookshelf on August 17, you might have noticed no one answered the telephone. On this rare occasion, the office was closed. The entire Salina Bookshelf staff went on a company field trip to Phoenix, AZ. This trip was designed to visit and tour different places operating in the publishing industry. The staff visited Roswell Bookbinding, Courier Graphics, and Arizona State University.
The first stop was Roswell Bookbinding. This company was established in 1960 by Mark and Iris Roswell. From large machines sewing spines to slipcases assembled by hand, Salina Bookshelf staff saw the daily operation of the binding company. Roswell Bookbinding offers a variety of specialty products including clamshell boxes and fine press bindings. One tour highlight was the book restoration department. Restoration employees repair old or damaged books either by rebinding, mending, or other available restoration processes.
When the group entered the front area of Courier Graphics, they were greeted with the words, “Welcome Salina Bookshelf.” While waiting in the company’s conference room, the staff looked at the many magazine and catalog samples that were printed by Courier Graphics. Then Larry Babka, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, gave a tour of the facility. The tour began with the preproduction room, where layout designs are made. The tour continued to the printing area. This was an amazing area, and the staff watched as huge rolls of blank paper were transformed into small coupon books for a local grocery store. They also learned how material, such as Salina Bookshelf catalogs, is printed. Courier Graphics was more than happy to show how they print large quantities of material under the pressure of deadlines.
During the stop at Arizona State University, Salina Bookshelf staff met with Peterson Zah, former President of the Navajo Nation. Zah is the Special Advisor to the President on American Indian Affairs at the university and has been there since 1995. At the company’s request, Zah shared his stories about Annie Dodge Wauneka. Wauneka served many years on the Navajo Tribal Council as delegate for Klagetoh-Wide Ruins and is considered the “legendary mother” of the Navajo Nation. Zah’s stories were more than welcome, since Salina Bookshelf will be releasing a book about Wauneka. Besides reminiscing about Wauneka, Zah also offered advice about establishing scholarship opportunities for Native American students. After the meeting, the staff visited the Labriola National American Indian Data Center in the Hayden Library. The data center houses manuscripts, photographs, personal papers, books, and other resource materials regarding Native American language, education, and culture.