Seven generations forward and seven generations back
During National Native American Heritage Month, Extension’s Tammy Haddad and Matilda Begay share their history and how they empower Native youth through education
My name is , and I am a member of the Navajo Nation. I was born on the Navajo reservation but raised in the city of Las Vegas. Today, I work for as a coordinator. More specifically, I coordinate the 4-H Afterschool Program serving youth in Boulder City and North Las Vegas.
I come from a line of teachers – my grandma was a teacher on the reservation, and my mom teaches special education. The Navajo people deeply value education as a means of keeping our culture alive. Chief Manuelito, a famous Navajo leader, is quoted as saying on his deathbed:
“Go and tell the Navajo people that education is the ladder. We should send our kids to school despite what they did to us.”
To be a Native American is to be a minority, almost always. The injustices done to our Native brothers and sisters can only be fixed by providing education. The Native American way is to consider the impacts of our actions today for our relatives seven generations forward, and seven generations back.
I never had a Navajo teacher during my time in Las Vegas. It was only in college that I finally met a Navajo professor who taught a multicultural course. Today, I am proud to work at the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno, as a Navajo woman, where I teach and facilitate a range of subjects, including multicultural topics. I can only guess how encouraging it must be for younger generations to see a Navajo woman in a faculty role, leading the classroom.
Although we don’t live on the reservation, a new generation of urban indigenous folk is growing in Las Vegas. I feel proud to represent my people in this generation and lead the next group of young Natives towards excellence and prosperity through education.
Yá'át'ééh, my name is . I have lived in Las Vegas for 13 years now. I have been with the ÁùºÏ±¦µä System of Higher Education for seven years, and three of those years have been with Extension’s in Clark County.
I am a proud Navajo woman. Every day I draw inspiration from my Navajo traditions and culture. As a 4-H community based instructor, I teach to empower the next generation. Growing up on the Navajo Nation has unknowingly prepared me to give back to the community in many aspects. My grandma was the matriarch in her Klagetoh Chapter area, so my summers with her included, but were not limited to, arranging community-wide dinners, growing and harvesting food for us and the community, hosting out-of-state visitors, doing early morning chores, sitting under the tree and watching her weave, feeding the livestock, and hauling water. I learned the importance of community, resilience and connection to the land because of her. She is forever my inspiration.
My eight years of service in the Marine Corps honed my discipline and teamwork approach to my community action. My upbringing and life experiences help me to navigate the classrooms of Clark County. I have since realized that the values instilled in me during my upbringing on the reservation and my service years align with Extension values, of preserving and using knowledge to strengthen the well-being of people. Together in the classroom, the students and I celebrate our identity and instill a sense of pride in our own heritage. Hágoónee'
ÁùºÏ±¦µä the authors
Tammy Haddad is Extension’s 4-H afterschool coordinator for Boulder City and North Las Vegas, ÁùºÏ±¦µä.
Tammy strives to reach youth in creative, innovative ways. When she is not teaching and coordinating 4-H classes on topics ranging from coding to cosmetic science, she reaches students around the world through her educational podcast for kids: .
She earned her honors bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the University of Utah and her master’s degree in urban leadership from the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Las Vegas.
Matilda Begay is an Extension 4-H community based instructor in Clark County.
Through 4-H, the nation’s largest youth development organization, Matilda empowers young people with the skills and confidence needed to thrive as engaged citizens, making positive impacts in their lives and communities.
Matilda earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Las Vegas.
