The Navajo, or Diné, homeland, known as Dinétah, is marked by four sacred mountains: Blanca Peak, Mount Taylor, the San Francisco Peaks, and the La Plata Mountains. The reservation of Navajo Nation delineates only about a half of that area, which extends much further to the northeast and encompasses today’s political boundaries of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, known as the Four Corners.
The concept of four resonates throughout Diné culture, such as in the sacred colors representing four directions: yellow abalone embodies the west, white shell the east, turquoise the south, and jet black the north. These directions and their colors, the four seasons, and the first four clans associated with the mountains are deeply ingrained in Diné tradition and art.
In her multimedia practice, Dakota Mace draws on her own heritage, exploring her family lineage, community, identity, memory, and a sense of place. “As a Diné woman, these are important aspects of my cultural beliefs and speak to my relationship with my Diné homeland,” the artist says. “Place is more than a physical location, it is finding balance within nature, the shifting of time and memory. The land tells these stories; through her memories, we share a close relationship with the places we call home. This balance holds us together, a constant movement of stories, ever-evolving with each generation.” ...
