About the Artists

The Sweethearts of Navajo Land
from Chinlee, Arizona

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The Sweethearts of Navajo Land are just that, sweethearts. This group of women changes from year to year, a nice combination of young women and older women. The common thread between them is a love of Navajo culture and music.

We arranged to interview them early in the morning in Chinle, Arizona and were amazed to show up so early and find the women in full performance dress. The dresses are a rich velvet and their bracelets, pins, necklaces and earrings are all beautifully crafted from silver and Turquoise, much of it made by themselves or family members. Lillian Ashley, who composes many of the songs, was recovering from a cold and we tried not to work her too hard.

Like many other traditional singers we encountered, the women use a water drum. They showed us how the skin of the drum must be wet prior to playing to get the right sound. The Sweethearts perform at pow wows and festivals all over the southwest and have even performed in Washington DC. The traditional dress and leggins are so beautiful. Lillian told us it takes quite awhile to dress.

The Navajo nation is one of the largest tribes in N. America.