It is one of Page Unified School District’s most important traditions: Navajo Cultural Acknowledgement Day. It’s a hands-on, in-person way to introduce incoming teachers to Navajo culture, traditions, belief systems and ways of life.

For the last several years, the event has been organized by Carlos Begay, PUSD’s Indian Education Office Coordinator. 

This year’s event was held in Inscription House at the residence of Arnold and Stella Tsinnijinnie. Last year it was held at White Mesa. The year before that it was held at Coppermine.

Navajo Cultural Acknowledgement Day spanned two days. The first day was optional for PUSD teachers and included an overland tour to Eggshell Canyon. Participants were also given the option to stay overnight on the property, which included eating a traditional Navajo meal and campfire stories. 

The main event occurred the next day, July 26, and was mandatory for all of PUSD’s incoming teachers. The schedule included a land acknowledgement and presentations about traditional food preparation, environmental stewardship and culturally relevant teaching methods. Hoop dancers from Red Heritage performed several different Diné dances.

“I think it’s important for people to understand that we are a strong culture,” Begay said. “Developing an understanding, an equity, showing interest in our culture can help our educators form a bond with the Navajo students. If a teacher ignores that part of it, they will often encounter resistance from the students”    

PUSD’s Navajo Cultural Acknowledgment Day began decades ago, but the practice faded away. Desiree Fowler and Dee McKerry brought the program back five years ago after they were seated on PUSD’s Governing Board.

Begay says holding Navajo Cultural Acknowledgement Day on the Navajo Reservation is an important component of the experience. 

“Visiting the reservation helps give our teachers a better idea of the way our lives are structured,” Begay said. “Our ancestry, our time living on this land goes back thousands of generations. We have developed a heritage and customs that are rich. If someone is going to be teaching our kids, I think it’s important that they understand that.”

One of the speakers was Hector Gallegos, who graduated from Page High School in 2020. He now attends Stanford University, where he is majoring in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity.

Gallegos grew up on the reservation. Begay selected him to be one of this year’s presenters because he could speak directly about his experience growing up on the reservation.

Gallegos says having new teachers attend an event where they can learn more about Navajo culture and their way of life is a great idea.

“For me, and a lot of other kids like me, this is normal life,” he said, pointing to the hogan, the wood pile, the house in the desert. “What we experienced here today is what we do a lot of the time. As a culture its normal for us to gather together as family and share food like this.”

Gallegos said growing up on the reservation, staying close to the land and practicing traditional Navajo upbringing is where he learned who he was. It’s where his parents, grandparents and ancestors formed and learned their value system, then passed it on to the next generation. Gallegos says it’s important for incoming teachers to understand that their Navajo students choose to live on the reservation so the Dine way of life can continue to be practiced, taught and learned.

“It’s important for people to know that we live here because we choose to live here, not because we can’t afford to live in the city,” Gallegos said. 

Adam Telechbush is a first-year teacher with PUSD who attended this year’s Navajo Cultural Acknowledgement Day. He will be teaching math at Page High School. Telechbush grew up in Lexington, Kentucky, and graduated Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. When he moved to Page a couple weeks ago, it was his first time visiting the western U.S. He said he wanted to live and teach in a place with a beautiful landscape and experience living with a culture different than his own.

Telechbush got a lot out of his experience visiting the reservation. It was his first interaction with Navajo people.

“It’s always great to have insight into another culture,” he said. “It was very interesting. I loved how they emphasized that Navajo culture is not dead. I thought it was pretty amazing being invited to visit the reservation. They made me feel very comfortable to be in that space. I certainly think the experience of that day will help me better relate with my native students.”