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Show FROM used to create a secret code to baffle the Japanese military forces. These codes and the Navajo language itself confounded the Japanese as Navajo men were specially selected and . AROUND THE BEND AGAIN... IN JAN JUAN CO. BY KEN SLEIGHT trained to serve on the front line. Speaking in Navajo, Code Talkers communicated information that was vital to the success of the Allied forces. : The Navajo code was never broken and the Code Talkers exemplify the unequaled bravery and patriotism of the Navajo people. Dr. Samuel Billison, the President of the Navajo Code Talkers Association, told me at a dinner in Salt Lake City, that this event was a tremendous opportunity to celebrate their language and their culture. It would secure them a place in the annals of U.S. history. The upcoming Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition will also feature the Navajo Code Talkers Included also will be a Festival of the Nations, an inter-tribal festival adjacent to the sanctioned exhibition. The 50,000 square feet indoor pavilion will bring together a gathering of tribes from Utah, Arizona, and surrounding states to celebrate their rich spiritual and artistic cultures. Said, Leon Bear, Chairman of the Tribal Leaders of Utah, “The Festival of Nations provides a meaningful place for the Tribes of Utah to tell their stories and share their cultures, so all tribes can explain their histories and showcase their economies to our visitors.” A Collector's Fine Art Show will feature Native fine arts for sale from more than one hundred award-winning Native American artisans. All these pieces are “one-of-a-kind” works ‘of art representing traditional and contemporary paintings, jewelry, sculpture, weavings, pottery, baskets, wood carvings, beadwork and clothing designs. There will be a Native American Entertainment Stage. During the day, the stage will present authentic tribal performances including traditional and contemporary dance, singing groups and story tellers and other performing and visual arts. In the evening, awardwinning Native Recording Artists will appear on the state-of-the-art stage in concert. There will be a Trading Post, a replica of the famous Hubbell Trading Post. It will stock and sell authentic Native-made art and craft items, traditional souvenirs, books, videos, and unique Native clothing. A Native American Tourism Center and Theater will highlight tourist opportunities offered by the various tribes in a dramatically visual manner. Tours will be scheduled so that visitors may tour the Navajo Nation and other Indian reservations during their trip to Utah. An Economic Development Center will present various tribal business opportunities. DISCOVER NAVAJO 2002 I came to know much of Navajoland through my many canyon travels and in working with the Navajo people. Their Nation spans the states of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, and covers 27,000 square miles of unparalleled beauty. Navajoland is larger than ten of our American states. It includes some of the most beautiful natural sites in all of America: Monument Valley, Canyon de Chelly, Navajo National Monument, Chaco Culture National Historic Park, and Rainbow Bridge National Monument. From the towering cliffs of Monument Valley to the Rainbow Bridge National Monument this is a land of great contrasts. It is a diverse land. Embracing this diversity, Navajos relate to the land as their mother, believing they're _an extension of Mother Earth, and thus are also a part of her beauty. Today, the Navajo people are striving to achieve something quite rare--the ability of indigenous people to blend both traditional and modern ways of life. In 1923, a tribal government was established, thus starting its march toward our modern world that now le many forms of economic expansion to care for the needs of the eople. : The Nation, Gsder the able leadership of President Kelsey A.B egaye, a nation within A Central Gathering. Place, an outdoor arena, will unify the two indoor pavilions and focus around a central fire pit. The grand exhibit will include a replica of a traditional homestead, complete with a Navajo hogan, sheep corral, rug loom and sweat house. Outdoor entertainment will provide audiences Salt Lake City air. a warm place to mingle in the cool of the Through tribal displays, visitors will learn about contemporary life on the reservation and the tourism and economic development opportunities existing on these scenic lands. Partners, like the National Park Service and sponsors’ representatives, will be on site. In the Native American Foods Market, visitors can sample traditional Native foods of many Indian Nations during the 24 days of this special cultural event. : A custom hospitality program will be available to Olympic sponsors*for entertaining sponsor guests during the Olympics, conducting official business, or for other social functions at this venue. a nation, is striving to sustain a viable economy for an ever-increasing population that now surpasses 250,000. But there is also a great focus on retaining and passing on its remarkable cultural legacy. Accordingly, the Navajo Nation offers a spectrum of cultural events throughout the year. Scarcely anything depicts American Indians more eloquently than their love for dancing, story telling, singing, fairs and rodeos. The Navajo Nation is dedicated in seeking to secure the future of its cultural heritage. The key to creating this delicate balance involves the paramount use of the Navajo language which is still exclusively spoken in Navajo prayers, songs and religious ceremonies. The Navajo people now reach out to invite you to experience their cultural wonders and their land of pristine unrivaled natural beauty. The Navajo Nation and the Salt Lake City Olympic Organizing Committee recently culminated an agreement sanctioning the Nation to anchor the 2002 Cultural Olympiad with an exhibit/pavilion extravaganza. Mark Maryboy, Utah's San Juan County Commissioner and a Navajo Nation Council Delegate, along with other members of the Navajo Utah Commission, introduced a resolution to the Navajo Council supporting the involvement of the Navajo Nation at the 2002 Winter Games. The Economic Development Committee of the Council secured seed funding of $1.75 million to create a full-scale and interactive cultural Olympiad Exhibit. The measure was accepted although the project will eventually cost about $4 million. The revenues to complete the project will be generated from corporate sponsorship grants, individual donations, ticket revenue, hospitality and entertainment sales and other operating revenues. To meet these unique needs the Navajo Nation initiated the creation of a non-profit foundation--Discover Navajo 2002 Foundation—to continue and oversee the direction and development of the project. The Foundation visions the Salt Lake City Olympics as the first stop of a global Navajo initiative that will continue far beyond the 2002 Games. The Discover Navajo 2002 Project will open in downtown Salt Lake City on February 1, 2002 and will remain open for the duration of the Olympic Games. Besides the many Utah residents, fifty to seventy thousand global visitors will gather in the downtown area on a daily basis plus an expected ten thousand world media representatives. Several elements encompass the Project. Discover Navajo: People of the Fourth World sets forth in an officially sanctioned pavilion of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee Cultural Olympiad. The 15,000 square foot pavilion will present an introduction to Navajo creation stories, demonstrations of traditional weaving and jewelry making, a poignant display on the Long Walk, a tribute to the World War II Code Talkers, replicas of male and female hogans with stories as to the significance of each and a look at contemporary Navajo society and accomplishments. The pavilion is being created with the participation of Navajo scholars, museum personnel, representatives of tribal government, the artistic community and medicine men. The pavilion will be staffed by Navajo hosts and students schooled in the traditional ways. A feature of the Project will relate the story of the Navajo Code Talkers who gallantly served their country during World War II. Unknown to many, the Navajo language was Indian Arts and Crafts Sales View of Traditional Trading Post This exhibit, curated by the Navajo Nation, is the first time the Navajo Nation has an opportunity to tell its story to the world. Navajo President Kelsey A. Begaye says that “This is an opportunity for us to tell our own story in our own words. Through .this exhibit, we want visitors to learn about our spiritual and physical world, our past, and our potential. We hope that after visiting our pavilion, people will be inspired to visit our land.” Recently, Frederick H. White, Director of the Navajo Nation 2002 Winter Olympics Project, and Jake Boyer, Partner, The Boyer Company, announced that the Navajo Nation Cultural Olympiad exhibition, Discover Navajo: People of the Fourth World, will be located in the Gateway Project, Salt Lake City. The Navajo Project will be located at 50 North and 500° West, a premier location, near the Medals Plaza, Ice Skating Venue and Media Center. Raymond T. Grant, Director of the 2002 Cultural Olympiad also applauded the site in that the location selected was adjacent to the Olympic Legacy Plaza and complemented the Olympic Festival. “The Navajo Nation's participation is one of the significant initiatives of the Cultural Olympiad in that it ensures the credible and authentic ee of Native people, “ Grant said. The 2002 Olympics is only the first step in spreading the Navajo message. The Navajo Nation and the Discover Navajo 2002 Foundation will continue bringing the Navajo story and the development of tourism and: economic initiatives to the world-stage. Innovative |