AnCita Benally and Peter Iverson

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AnCita Benally and Peter Iverson | Finding History | The Western Historical Quarterly, 36.3 | The History Cooperative

Finding History

Bitsi'yishtlizhii yikaidee' dóó ts'ídí bit adahoot'éí hazhó'í baadahoodoonihgo éí t'áá bí baadahane'ígíí t'áá'óóltëdoo. Naakéé Hane' hanaanish adajit 'ínígíí A'taa Dine'é bidahane'ígíí dóó bindanitinígíí dóó t'áábí bil adahoot'éí dóó binaagóóádahoot'éigi hadeisídígíí t'aa'ídajóëtágo yá'át'èèhdoo. Áko éí nizhónígo baadahojilne'doo. Anda Naakéé Hane' hoonidaanishígííÁt'aa Dine'é bitah nidajikai doo. Bidahane'ígíí hazhó'ó daadziists' aa 'doo. Haashiiyit'éigo bikeyah yaanitsíkeesígii baa'akodazdínóóziit . Binaají Átaa Dineé hazho' f béédahojidoos iil. Hazhó'ó hol daniljj dóó baa'aheeh dazhnízin doo.

In order to produce more complete histories of American Indian nations, more historians need to employ indigenous oral narratives, oral histories, traditional teachings, personal observation, and photographs. More historians should spend more time in Indian nations. They need to listen carefully and respectfully to stories and they need to understand more fully the significance of the land.

ANCITA BENALLY: My interest in history began with stories. In the winter we listened to sacred stories. I heard why the world came to be and why we, the Diné, are where we are. At other times, the narratives presented accounts of what happened "a long time ago." The stories were everywhere. Hilltops, canyons, trails, springs, mountains, and even tree tops held stories. The stories had no end. Community history and family history and Navajo national history were kept in these stories of "alki' daa'" [a long time ago]. These stories introduced me to history.

PETER IVERSON: My interest in history also began with stories. I came to realize through listening to these family stories that hard work did not always yield remarkable results. My paternal grandfather traded-in the Norwegian coast for the shore of Lake Erie. Work in the area steel mills, however, yielded limited income and even less satisfaction. After a particularly long day at the mill, he told me he had made a mistake in coming to America. This, of course, differed considerably from the messages I was receiving in U. S. history classes, and it made history more, rather than less, engaging. My father became a fine actor and an exceptional storyteller. Working in local radio, he appeared on the initial radio broadcasts of "The Lone Ranger" and "The Green Hornet," playing the part of one bad guy after another. He wound up teaching children's literature at Stanford. An American story.

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