Navajo Proud 2021

Terri Kelly Moyers created ‘Navajo Proud’ in the late 20th century. This portrait captures a Navajo man in traditional clothing. The backdrop, with its stylized rendering of the landscape, places him firmly within his ancestral homeland. The image prompts us to consider questions of identity and representation. How does the man's clothing, with its elaborate patterns and silver jewelry, function as a visual marker of his cultural heritage? In the American West, there is a long tradition of depicting Native Americans. These images have often reinforced stereotypes or romanticized indigenous cultures. Is Moyers’ portrait challenging those conventions? Does the title itself – ‘Navajo Proud’ – suggest an assertion of cultural identity? To understand this image better, we might research the history of Navajo portraiture, and the ways in which Navajo people have sought to represent themselves. We can explore how questions of pride and cultural resilience have played out in the Navajo Nation. The meaning of art is contingent on its social and institutional context.