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Navajo Wedding

A traditional Navajo wedding is the centerpiece for this hour-long documentary titled, Navajo Wedding: Sacred Vows in Modern Times.

Producers Patty Talahongva and Pam Stevenson traveled to the Navajo Reservation near Chinle, Arizona, near Canyon de Chelly to record people trying to hold on to their historical traditions as well as fit in with more modern times.

A grant from the Arizona Humanities Council, with a matching check from Gallup Trading Company owner, Ellis Tanner, helped finance the taping.

Executive Summary

The television documentary, Navajo Wedding:  Sacred Vows in Modern Times takes viewers to the Canyon de Chelly area of the Navajo Reservation to meet the Yazzie and Tapahe families and to witness the traditional ceremony that unites the youngest children of both families in marriage.

Navajo Wedding explores the importance of being married in the Navajo way; a traditional wedding ceremony that is rarely seen outside of the Navajo community.  This documentary introduces Loren Tapahe, editor of a Native American newspaper, and Carolyn Yazzie, a registered nurse; a contemporary Navajo couple who are blending two religions and two cultures as they become husband and wife.

Navajo Wedding looks at the wedding preparations of the two families and takes viewers inside the Navajo hogan to witness the traditional Navajo wedding ceremony, where historically young couples accept the advice and guidance of family elders and the Medicine Man who performs the ceremony on their wedding day.  It shows how these traditional ways continue to be important and why young Navajos opt to be married in the traditional Navajo ceremony to show their respect for family and tradition.  Viewers also learn how the ceremony has changed over time and how those changes may affect future generations.  Where appropriate, the Navajo language will be used and explained in the context  of the traditional ceremony.

Navajo Wedding also helps viewers understand the challenges that face young Native Americans as they balance between the traditional and modern worlds.  It explores how Christian religion has impacted the Navajo and shows the couple exchanging vows in a contemporary church ceremony after their traditional Navajo ceremony.  Today, many young Navajos are merging Christian religions with Navajo traditions and want to be wed on both ceremonies.  This program will look at how this joining of religions has become common and will show viewers how Navajos have maintained their traditions while blending and embracing new beliefs.

Navajo Wedding:  Sacred Vows in Modern Times is a co-production of Agave Productions and White Spider Communications.  Grants from the Arizona Humanities Council and Tanner Trading Company in Gallup, New Mexico funded the videotaping of the wedding ceremonies on the Navajo Reservation in July 2000.

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