The Kokopelli...Made in China

This past weekend, Mr. Salt and I visited a local Trading Post. This Trading Post buys and sells Native American arts and crafts. While Mr.Salt went off to find a Dine made Dreamcatcher for a friend of his, I headed for the stuffed Kokopellis.

What's a Kokopelli? In short, a Kokopelli is flute player that can be a trickster, as well as bring good harvests and help with fertility. The Wikipedia article linked goes more in depth.

I love Kokopellis. Even though they mostly identify with the Hopi and the Zuni tribes, the Navajo also talk about them as well. Mr. Salt and I talk about them a lot. In our trips to trading posts and back home on the reservation, I'm always looking for them.

So while I was here, I bought the little stuffed Kokopelli pictured above. I've been meaning to by him since I saw him at the trading post last year. He's cute, don't you think?

After I bought him, I noticed a tag on his bottom with some wording I hadn't really paid any attention to. I took a closer look, and saw this message:

"Made in China...Not a Native American made product."

Who would have thought it. Kokopelli's have been outsourced to China!

But, it does make you think about what other products in the Trading Post have been made in China...

DineBoo, who still loves her Kokopelli regardless. And yes, I really know that this a "neutered" Kokopelli.

Walk this way...Part II

Mr. Salt and I finally made it once around the trail at the local park yesterday. I was proud that we did it! Mr. Salt has been very encouraging. If we keep it up, we'll both be in better health. Losing weight is just an added benefit.

Since we've started walking, it's been an effort to stay hydrated. Especially in this Texas heat. Prior to this, I never drunk a lot of water. Now, I'm on my second 3 cup bottle, which is a feat in and of itself. I've found if I drink a bottle while waiting for Mr. Salt to go to work, it's easier to drink more water throughout the day.

Food is another subject for me. I never eat enough. Usually, I just eat once a day. So for now, I've been trying to eat at least three times a day. SparkPeople is a great free website that helps track the food you eat, as well as offer plans to help you lose weight. It's a nifty site.

If Mr. Salt and I keep all this up, we'll both be in better health. Losing weight is just an added benefit. And doing this together makes our bonds stronger.

DineBoo, drinking her water

"Don't use your lips!"

Whenever SaltMama calls or when Mr. Salt calls her, I try to use it as a chance to practice my understanding of the Navajo language.

Since I've met Mr. Salt, I've learned bits and pieces. It's not an easy language to learn. There's a reason why the military used Navajo Code Talkers in World War II.

Mr. Salt says not to use my lips as much, and concentrate on using my tongue more. It's hard to adapt to since English and the French lessons I took almost require you to use your lips, but I'm working on it.

Why am I doing this? So I can enjoy talking with SaltMama(who knows English) and Mr. Salt more, and to pass along the language to any Zhindians that may come along. Mr. Salt and I both want our kids to know their language.

So for now, I practice. And enjoy Mr. Salt when he speaks it. One of the most beautiful things he has ever said to me is that he loved me in Navajo...and that's not the full translation.

DineBo

Walk this way

Mr. Salt and I didn't walk today. He was tired and and has been working weird hours.

We recently started walking to lose weight. We chose to walk outside, since there's a lot of trails around here. But Texas makes it so hard since its really hot now. But that's no excuse either. Texas stays hot until September.

The good thing about walking outside is that it gives Mr. Salt and I a chance to talk and unwind about the day together. We also surprise ourself on how far we can walk before returning back to the starting point. So the pros of walking outweigh the heat at this point.

Since we're walking to lose weight, it also means we have to adjust our diets...which means no more frybread for now. That excludes celebrations, however. Special occasions always call for frybread!

DineBoo

What are your clans?

First of all, welcome to my blog! I'm DineBoo, the 'Zhini' of Zhindian Affairs. I've discussed with my husband about creating a blog about our life, so here it is. This will also have commentary on interracial living, issues, Navajo way, and of course, frybread.

So let me introduce my husband, the 'indian' of Zhindian Affairs. I'll say this in English to simplify things:

He belongs to Salt Clan, and is born for the Mexican People Clan. So he'll be called Mr. Salt from now on. If I say his other two clans, people would probably figure out who he is ;)

If we were to create our own clan, it would have to be the Tasty Salt Clan. It's a joke from my mother-in-law.

When Mr. Salt was talking about his family when we were dating, it would often confuse me when he would talk about his many grandmas. Especially when I thought you would only have two grandmas. Now that I know about the clan system, I get it.

So what are your clans?

DineBoo, who passed all but two of the tests to be a Navajo wife. More on that later.