Tuesday, October 22, 2024 @ 6 pm – Museum of Northern Arizona in the Horse & Rider: A Southwest Story exhibition gallery

The strong and longstanding bond between horses and Southwest Indigenous Peoples is celebrated through visual and oral story in the Horse & Rider: A Southwest Story exhibition on display through October 27th. As a finale to this exhibition, Clayson and Jones Benally will perform the Horsetail Dance and share stories of transition and how horses have traveled through time alongside the Diné.

Clayson Benally, Diné, originally from Black Mesa on the Navajo Nation, is a healer, horse trainer, award-winning performer, actor, and advocate. He and his sister Jeneda Benally perform throughout the world in their band, Sihasin, which means “hope” in the Diné language. Clayson’s connection to horses has spanned his entire life. He carries the knowledge of the horse and his Diné culture as intertwined elements that inform his work as a healer and advocate.

Jones Benally, Diné, is a respected elder, healer, and award-winning hoop dancer of the Navajo Nation. He was raised in the traditional Diné ways, which included performing sacred dances guided by his father and grandfather. Jones has countless credits to his name as a performer, including traveling the world with his children as the Jones Benally Family Navajo Dance Troupe.

This event is free with Museum admission. There is no admission charge for Museum members.