By Karen Gavis/se news editor
In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, a member of the Navajo Nation will visit SE Campus to demonstrate the traditional art of weaving.
Rosalita Teller is from a reservation in Chinle, Ariz., near Canyon de Chelly, a place sacred to the Navajo. She will be available 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 18 in the Commons.
Teller learned the art of weaving from her mother. Her grandmother died when Teller’s mother was 2, but her grandfather kept the tradition alive by teaching it to Teller’s mother when she was a young girl.
When weaving, Teller does not use a pattern. She can envision the finished product beforehand, she said.
She and her husband are jewelry makers. She will bring some of their handmade jewelry with her to SE Campus along with the traditional, handcrafted cradleboard that recently carried their youngest child.
SE student development associate Amy Staley said the event is unlike any the campus has had before, and she thinks it will open students’ eyes to a different culture.
“The things she brings may be something that our students are not familiar with,” she said. “And it will give them an opportunity to ask questions to someone directly related to the Native American culture.”
SE associate professor of psychology Karl Robinson has worked with industrial textiles and has experience in fabric weaving. He said he plans to attend the event.
“Having some experience in the textile industry, I am well aware of the intricate artistry involved in hand weaving,” he said. “I am very excited to see this process done firsthand in the Native American tradition.”
Teller said she is looking forward to coming to SE Campus.
“Just thinking about Arlington, Texas. Can’t wait to go,” she said via a recent Facebook post.
