Profundo Heritage Archive Interview with Irene Benally

“We continue to present the audio recordings of a broad cross-section of people and their lives in New Mexico, as conducted by Frank Graziano and Nuevo Mexico Profundo for the Profundo Heritage Archives.

This interview with Irene Benally, Navajo, is special for me as I communicated with her by text periodically in assisting Frank in setting up the date and time to meet and talk. “Pass the black Hogan on hill, pass house with trailer beside it, on your left. Pass a yellow house and it’s the house next, grey stucco with white roof. Where there are critters moving around.”

You can hear these critters on the recording – sheep, cattle, chickens, dogs – and in the photographs, magnificent Shiprock rises behind her land. Irene is a sheepherder and weaver, and it is a joy to listen to her story. She is a bright voice on a day that The Guardian ran a report exploring the devastating effect of the health crisis on our country’s Native American population, the Navajo losing 1 in every 160 people on the reservation. Listen to Irene speak about her life and land.” — Pete Warzel

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This piece is part of the Profundo Heritage Archive of over 50+ interviews with prominent cultural figures in New Mexican conducted by Nuevo Mexico Profundo’s Frank Graziano. The complete archive will eventually reside at University of New Mexico’s Center for Southwest Research. View the list of current interviews here.

About Nuevo Mexico Profundo
Nuevo Mexico Profundo is the venture that conducts tours of New Mexico churches on the High Road, in the mountain villages, at pueblos, to raise money for the repair and restoration of these churches so important to the communities where they reside. Profundo is a collaboration started by Frank Graziano and supported by the Historic Santa Fe Foundation, Spanish Colonial Arts Society, Cornerstones Community Partnerships, New Mexico Historic Preservation Division, the Office of the New Mexico State Historian, and the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Alliance. Given the conditions of the ongoing health crisis, tours and events planned by Profundo have been canceled for the year. This program of interviews and recording histories was put into action according to social distancing and health regulations. You can learn more about Nuevo Mexico Profundo at nuevo-mexico-profundo.com.