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From: "craig watson"
<spacelodge@earthlink.net Hi friends, this is where I'll be this weekend. this is a very Navajo event, mostly dedicated to propagation of a formerly endangered species, the Churro Sheep, original Hispanic sheep breed brought to North America in the 16th century. The week is incredibly interesting, and Tsaile AZ, home of Dine College, is a good venue for an outdoor and indoor Navajo happening. Regards Craig Watson
=============================== •Following is the updated list of free public events at Sheep is Life. Travel and Lodging Information are on the web site, www.navajolifeway.org. •Diné be' iiná, Inc.
presents
OPENING SUNRISE PRAYER Friday, 6:00 a.m., at the Shade House FRIDAY & SATURDAY, 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. • Hands-on Activities for the Whole Family Navajo Shade House and Sheep Camp Spinning and Weaving Demonstrations Livestock, Wool, Weaving, & Art Sales Arts and Crafts Vendors, Food Booths Exhibits, Guest Artists, and much more Range Management & Animal Care Workshops
DEMONSTRATIONS • Hands-on activities for the whole family. On-going from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday. Specific times for other demonstrations will be announced at the Shade House. • Wool Carding and Spinning Expo at the Shade House. TahNibaa Natani and Roy Kady, Coordinators; with Beverly Allen and other artists. Andean 2-ply, Navajo 3-ply, drop spindle, Navajo traditional spindle, spinning wheel, and more. Bring your favorite spinning device, share with others, and join the fun. • Kool Aid Dyeing for Youth Joan Delgai, Roy Kady, Ilene Long This fun activity uses a common product to achieve surprising results. An interesting process appropriate for home and school. • Navajo Rug Restoration and Demonstration, Museum, 3rd Floor Craig Watson, Restorer and Trader • Shearing with Electric Shearers Ernesto Zamudio, Chinle High School Agriculture Dept, and Canyon de Chelly FFA students • Sheep Pelt Preparation Nicomas Red Horse, Ganado High School Agriculture Dept., and students. Sheep and goat pelts are very valuable, especially from the Navajo-Churro, Karakul, and angora breeds, yet most are thrown away. Learn how to prepare your pelts for home and for sale.
LIVESTOCK SHOWS, SALES, & COMPETITIONS • Sheep, goats, wool, mohair, other livestock, and livestock products will be offered by vendors for sale throughout the Celebration. Come prepared to purchase the best of show in all categories, to improve your breeding stock, and add to your fiber supply. • Fleece Show, Saturday, Time TBA. Judges: Connie Taylor, Sarah Natani • Sales of Sheep and Wool, Goats and Mohair, Variety of Breeds Michael Gagnon, Mill Canyon Wool Processing, Navajo Sheep Project, Red Sheep Farm, and many others
FRIDAY SEMINARS AND DISCUSSIONS • Restoring Historic Navajo Rugs, Slide Show, Museum, 3rd Floor, 11:30-12:30 Craig Watson, Restorer, Weaver, and Trader • How to Prepare Your Shorn Fleece for Judging Naadli ManymulesBitsoi, Stella Bizahaloni The foundation of fleece characteristics will be covered and why correct skirting and cleaning methods are essential in preparing your shorn fleece. Learn ways to prepare your fleece for commercial processing, hand spinning, dyeing, and more. There will be demonstrations on how to prepare a fleece for judging and ways to compete more effectively. • Make a Better Income with Your Wool and Sheep, Mill Canyon display tent Steve Mills, Mill Canyon Wool Works, Magdalena, New Mexico Learn how to select fleeces for a variety of processing methods and uses. Explore ways to improve wool quality, earn the best income from your flock, and direct market your wool and mohair products. Understand more about characteristics of different sheep breeds and look at some wool samples. Bring a fleece from your flock for evaluation and possible purchase. • History of Trading Post Influence on the Navajo Weaving and Rugs Bill Malone, Hubbell Trading Post National Park Site Sheep Dog Training, Morning Mark Petersen, President, Navajo Sheep Project A demonstration of how sheep dogs can be trained to help you manage your flock. Bring your own special sheep dog for evaluation and a trial run. • Southwest Marketing Network, Friday, 1:00-2:15 Jim Dyer, National Center for Appropriate Technology An overview of alternative ways to market your agricultural products, with a discussion of your needs, interests, and plans. Includes ways to market wool and lamb in order to increase income for the small producer. Cooperatives and other community-based marketing strategies will be covered. For more information, visit www.swmarketing.ncat.org. • Sheep Health Care and Nutrition, Afternoon Dr. Lyle McNeal, Animal Science Professor, Utah State University Founder and Emeritus Director, Navajo Sheep Project Demonstrations of types of care your sheep need throughout the year and their life cycle, including docking, castration, vaccinations, ear tagging, and other procedures. Learn about why a Premises Identification Number is important for your flock, how to feed more efficiently, and other ways to improve flock health, productivity, and economic return.
SATURDAY SEMINARS AND DISCUSSIONS • Natural Dyeing Demonstration, 10:00-4:00 Taos Center for Southwest Wool Traditions, a new nonprofit dedicated to producing weaving yarn from local wool at a more affordable price. Free mordanting and dye recipes will be provided. Mordant and dye materials will be available for purchase. D.Y. Begay, Board Member, and Robin Collier, Executive Director, will show mordanting with alum, dyeing with exotic plants, using natural dye extracts, and dyeing with locally-gathered plants. A weaver and dyer, D.Y. Begay has bees studying natural dyeing for many years. Robin Collier started the natural dye program at Tierra Wools four years ago. • Restoring Historic Navajo Rugs, Slide Show, Museum, 3rd Floor, 10:00-11:00 Craig Watson, Restorer, Weaver, and Trader • Make a Better Income with Your Wool and Sheep, 11:00-noon, Mill Canyon display tent Steve Mills, Mill Canyon Wool Works, Magdalena, New Mexico (See description above for Friday) • Marketing Strategies for Processed Wool and Weavings, Room 199, noon-1:30 Topics to be covered include: Wool and Fleece Sale, Stella Bizahaloni; Marketing Your Weavings, TahNibaa Natani; and Small Business Development, Carmelita Topaha • American Livestock Breeds Conservancy Seminars, Room 199, 2:00-3:00 Don Bixby, DVM, Technical Programs Director, ALBC • Slow Food and Opportunities for Marketing Navajo-Churro Lamb Slow Food is an international organization dedicated to the enjoyment of regional cuisine. ALBC successfully nominated the Navajo-Churro to the Slow Food Ark of Taste in 2002. Restaurants across the country are looking for Navajo-Churro lamb to serve at special events and in special menus. Here is an opportunity for Navajo-Churro shepherds to market lamb to up-scale markets and white-tablecloth restaurants, which will pay premium prices. • Preserving Navajo-Churro Genetics in the National Gene Banks The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy and the National Animal Germplasm Program in Fort Collins, Colorado would like to collect semen from reservation rams this fall for the gene bank. A collection team from Colorado State University will be traveling to several sites on or near the Navajo Nation to collect semen from selected rams. All expenses incurred by the owners of the rams will be reimbursed. Come learn about the details of how you can contribute to the future security of the Navajo-Churro breed.
DISPLAYS AND INFORMATION TABLES • Navajo-Churro Sheep Association Connie Taylor, Registrar, will be available throughout the weekend for answering questions and will give a presentation in the Shade House about N-CSA. • SARE Literature Table Information on sustainable agriculture, resources for educators and community leaders, information for producers, and free booklets on topics such as pastured poultry, pastured pigs, pest management, marketing strategies. Sustainable Agriculture, Research, and Education is part of USDA. www.sare.org
EXHIBITS • Navajo Dye Plants Exhibit, Shade House TahNibaa Natani • Spider Woman Designs Roy Kady • For more information, contact: Joan Delgai, DBI President, joan.delgai@ganado.k12.az.us; 928-755-6448, Diné be' iiná Inc., PO Box 539, Ganado, Arizona 86505 U.S.A. DBI is a nonprofit organization incorporated in the Navajo Nation. www.navajolifeway.org
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