The Sand as a Culture

Though I traveled regulary to the Navajo Nation, it is far from my desire to make traditional sand paintings. Some Medicin Men explain : "It takes more than ten years to get to know the language of the Diné perfectly in order to be able to formulate and transmit the know-how of the Ancients".

My inspiration is accepting my ability to go all the way back to the very origins of the meaning, representation and symbolism contained in the function of the sand paintings.

I play the Call game. I live this Otherness with the Other so I can be intensely capable of creating connections with today's Otherness, capable of connecting with that which does not come from me but that Otherness within me.

At certain times when I"m creating, my work is the result of this encounter and turns my artistic act into a contribution to the creating of a world that is more fair, more harmonious and more balanced.

The ceremonies are organized by the members of the Navajo Nation who are themselves inscribed in a highly structured system imbued with very serious traditional principles. Their axes and functions are directed not towards an artistic principle but towards a medicinal principle.

Lorenza Garcia - Navajo France

The Sand as a Culture

So Western thought is dominated by the complete and radical separation of mind and matter, idea and entity, subject and object, good and evil?

The Diné concept of harmony, balance and order are essential in intellectual, moral, esthetic and social contexts which are as ecological as they are holy.

Thought is the power of all creation, transformation of regeneration and its power to create the world, and transform that which regenerates life.

We must, as far as possible, transcribe the imaginary boundaries between our culture and theirs : the universe is one and indivisible and the world forms a whole.

There is no dichotomy between the sacred and the profane. All things are connected to each other and create a universal and indivisible balance in the Native American world.

Image E. Strigler

Lorenza Garcia - Navajo France

Once upon a time, the sand.

While getting closer to the Dine Culture and those who had already gotten close to it. I was struck by a paradox that I shared with medecin men and women.

"How is is that pioneers and the American army could undertake genocide with the conquest of the West while other pioneers tried to keep this culture alive that had been left exposed so violently to silence and to the extincion of its oral transmission?"

"How is it that by the simple fact that throught a dense and concentrated creative act, the emotion, culture and imagination of the artist can globalize and become indivisible with the universe and make the act of creation as an act of perfect harmony possible? The notion of duality between the body and the spirit then ceases to exist."

Lorenza Garcia - Navajo France

Once upon a time... there is the Sand,

The goal of life for a Navajo is to die of old age and then melt into beauty, harmony and universal well-being, in other words"Hozho" which means Beauty, Harmony, Succes, Peace, Love, Compassion, Prosperity.
The guarantors of this state of grace are the "Holy People" these sacred beings outlined by the medicine man's fingers full of sand.
"Sa' naaghaii bik' eh hozho".
My research led me down different paths : in the 20's, Hosteen Klah (1867-1937), a renowned hermaphrodite medicine man and Franc Newcomb (1887-1970), a talented pionner's wife, decided to preserve the memory of the Navajo people. Franc, therefore, attended the ceremonies and recorded more than 500 ceremonials in aquarelle paintings...
Lorenza Garcia - Navajo France

Tha Navajo France Association at the Museum of the Quai Branly in Paris

The Museum of Quai Branly, in the front of the Effel Tower, organizes on the occasion ot the Rugby World's Cup a cultural and scientic event : "The Scrum of Cultures".
Around this event, a cultural program in the discovery of the participating nations in the tournament, will take place from the 1st of September to the 20th of October 2007.

A picnic with 20 nations and around the culturals differents activities will take place on the 9th of September 2007 in the garden and hall of the Museum of the Quai Branly.
The objective will be to present to a large public traditions and specialities of 20 nations.

The 9th of September 2007 and to represente the Navajo Nation, the Navajo France Association and its members from Navajoland will be present to the Museum of the Quai Branly and will create an Artistic Painting in Sand.
Have a great day.
Lorenza Garcia - Navajo France

Welcome to Paris

Bonjour,
The price for a plane ticket to Paris is between 600 to 1000 euros. Hi everybody, what's the price in $?
Here I am, back to Paris.
Summer time is sometimes behind the clouds!
Talk you soon
Lorenza Garcia - Navajo France

Why Navajo France Association?

All around the world, the Native Americans became an old legend. The words of "Indian", "American Indian", "Native American", are synomic of desappearance, suffering, famine, and disparage. Not only was a legend left, some filmakers for decades have stereotyped Native Americans, resulting in disrespect, ignorance and arrogance.
Through these attemps of exposure of the Native Americans, the world has become convinced by these illusions and misinterpretations, therefore granting false perceptions.
The world needs to experience and support this cultural wealth of the Diné people.
One of the missions of Navajo France Association is to have the world discover the humanity, life, wealth, development, progress, and solidarity of the Diné peole.
Lorenza Garcia - Navajo France

What is the Navajo France Association

Born in France, Navajo France Association (A. N. F) is a non-governemental, cultural and artistic independent not-for-profit organization. Its prioity is to introduce and make Navajo culture familiar to the large public.
The A. N. F is notably supported by members and friends from different countries who have prestigious personalities of culture, media and politics.
During several years, A. N. F create various programs to support the development of the Preservation of the Diné throught intercultural and students programs. Creation of website between Navajo and french students promote the media and goals of those different exchanges.
In agreement with the Diné people, this objective of the project is :

• to develop an economic and social sustainable approch through Ethic Tourism on Navajoland.

• to make familiar the Navajo culture and its reality

• to educate the public and expose the universal values shared by the Diné Nation and the rest of the world.

Lorenza Garcia - Navajo FranceLorenza Garcia - Navajo France

Creation of a Navajo and American language Website "Navajo France Association"

Yaa't'eeh,
The objective of this American and Navajo version of the "Navajo France Assocation" website with the great collaboration of Leclair Yazzie, teacher of the web design class of Greyhills Academy, is primarily to show that French people can be interested in the Native-American people but also to show the significance of the projects carried out by the association for the Navajo people and to prove them that they can also be interested in France. It could also be a way to develop fair and interdependent Ethic Tourism.
This website is also there to document, utilizing new technology, an international relationship between Native-American culture, like Navajo but also Hopi, Pueblo(...)and French cultures and shows the benefits of exchange.

• Utilizing pictures, video, interviews, experiences, links, this website is to promote the futures exchanges.
• Each Navajo student will create its personal blog thanks to what they've learned during classes.
  

This parallel project, which is actually a set of several personal projects (a blog for each student) will be carried out daily through out the project. Each student will be able to use the concepts approached in classes with a more personal aim. We will be there to supervise them, help them, and review certain points of classes if necessary.

Ahé hee'
Lorenza Garcia - Navajo France

yaa t eeh

Welcome to my blog. My name is Lorenza, I m founder of the Navajo France Association.
I invite you to the webside of Navajo France Association :
This website is actually in a french version.
We are working on an exchange program between students from Navajoland and France. This program will be to create the webside on a Navajo and English version.
We need support to continue to work on new project every year.
Thanks a lot
Lorenza Garcia - Navajo France