Growing up I remember playing Navajo string games. It was a fun activity we would do at school. Everyone would gather around at recess and we would watch each other transform our yarn into these intricate designs. Although we were at school, I did not learn string games from my teachers, but rather my peers. I remember being so fascinated by this as I wondered who taught them how to do this. As a child, the only knowledge I had about Navajo string games was the Navajo belief, that you could only play during the winter time because spiders were dormant in the winter.
To this day I still practice this belief. After seeing my peers at school play string games, I started to ask my family to teach me more. They taught me the basics, two coyotes running away from each other and the butterfly. They were so patient with me as I asked them to repeat steps until I finally mastered it. I still hold these two string games dear to my heart!
The thing about string games is that they take a lot of patience. I remember getting frustrated on the playground when I couldn’t master cat’s cradle. I would see my peers pass their strings back and forth effortlessly. Then when it was my turn, I struggled to remember which strings to pull. Eventually I would figure it out, but it amazed me how challenging and stimulating strings games are to a young mind. Or at any age…
As an adult, I still haven’t fully mastered Navajo string games. Perhaps it’s the eye hand coordination. Or maybe it’s the fact that sometimes you may have someone watching over you as you are learning. I don’t know about you, but when I have an audience, I get so nervous! Hahaha! But there is so much I have learned from string games.
It has taught me patience, to ask for help, and most importantly, to not give up! It’s easy to get frustrated and give up when you are not good at something. But with practice and determination, you can overcome anything! It has also taught me to keep learning and to not be afraid to ask those around you for help. Although I only know 2 games by heart, I push myself to learn new string games every year. This challenges me to step outside my comfort zones and strengthen bonds with family and friends.
Last year, I attended a string games event that my IG bestie Jen, hosted. It was such a fun event and I was most excited to learn about the Navajo history and storytelling aspect of string games. It was so much fun as we learned the stories that go along with each game. It all started to make sense. I even learned a few a new string games, like the rug, teepee, and drum.
Recently, I asked my IG bestie to come over to my hogan (house) and we had some fun with string games. We had a little photoshoot, using our glitter string (because I am The Fancy Navajo, right?) and I just love how the photos turned out. Since it had been about a year since her event, I was excited to see if I still remembered what I had learned. At first, I didn’t, but after some help I was able to remember!! Luckily, Jen is patient and such a great teacher, I remastered the rug design!! Yay!!
I hope to master more string games and pass these onto my future family. With time and patience, I think I’ll be able to accomplish this.
Let me know your favorite string game. Or if you have a story to tell, I would love to hear.
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*Photography by Jennifer Hubbell
