'Navajo Highways' invites young viewers to explore Navajo language

Sep. 3—Pete Sands noticed something as he delivered food to remote corners of the Navajo Nation.

It was the middle of the pandemic, and families were stuck at home together.

During his visits, Sands, a fluent Navajo speaker, served as a kind of translator. English-speaking children asked him to speak with their grandparents in Navajo, Sands said. The elders, in turn, lamented that their grandchildren didn't understand their language.

The experience — coupled with the memory of a teacher friend grabbing her students' attention with a hand puppet — gave Sands an idea.

"I noticed that language disparity. ... Lights went off in my head, like 'Hey, there's something here.' " he recalled.

That's how Navajo Highways came to be. Funded by the Navajo Nation and the New Mexico Public Education Department, the educational television series follows the summertime adventures of Sadie, a young puppet from the city, as she learns Navajo words and traditions from fellow-puppet family members and real-people guest stars.

Essentially, if you take a left off Sesame Street — and drive for about 2,000 miles — you might end up on Navajo Highways.

After wrapping this summer, the show is slated to premiere on Navajo Nation Television and be available to stream for free on YouTube in late 2024 or early 2025, said Sands, the show's writer and director.

"The completion of Navajo Highways is a wonderful and proud moment for the Navajo Nation," Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said in a news release. "This monumental series demonstrates the Navajo Nation's long-standing commitment to cultural preservation and education."

Navajo Highways comes from a simple concept, Sands said: "People learn better when ... they don't realize they're learning at all."

The first season of the show, which spans six episodes, follows Sadie's summertime adventures. While that story unfolds, the show sprinkles in elements of Navajo life — like blue corn mush and rodeos — as well as words from the Navajo language. Sadie — and the audience — learn to say "hello," "my name is" and "horse."

Created by a majority-Indigenous production team, the show will also feature a series of Native American guest stars, including actors Raoul Max Trujillo and Macedonio Elias, martial artist Nicco Monta?o and food and lifestyle blogger Alana Yazzie.

In addition to its language lessons, Navajo Highways offers a chance for Navajo children to see themselves — and their families — on screen, said co-producer Lori Tapahonso, who is Diné and a member of Acoma Pueblo.

"We have puppets that look like Navajo grandmas and children and uncles and aunties — so the kids and the families that get to watch these episodes are going to see themselves on TV. They're going to see their culture on TV," she said.

More seasons of Navajo Highways will be released in the future, Sands said. The show's creator hopes to recreate the concept with other tribes, to highlight their unique cultural and linguistic traditions.

"Eventually, I want to turn Navajo Highways into Native Highways, where the puppets can meet people from different tribes, puppets from different tribes," Sands said.

That's a few years down the road, he added, but it's something Sands would like to make happen.

"We have the platform now," he said. "We have the technology to do things like this and really get it out there for people."