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Chargé d’Affaires Martin Quinn Opens Navaho Indian Performance at Dubai Summer Surprises
On August 10, the U.S. Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires, Mr. Martin Quinn, visited
Dubai to open a series of performances by the Native American Group “The Shinle
Valley Singers.” The group is participating in the Dubai Summer Surprises
Festival at the invitation of the festival’s CEO, Mr. Sayeed Al Nabooda. Mr.
Quinn expressed his pleasure in seeing local interest in bringing the arts,
culture and lifeways of Native Americans to audiences in the Emirates. “We are
grateful to the government of Dubai, and in particular to Mr. Saeed Al Nabooda,
for making this performance possible,” Mr. Quinn said. Performances are taking
place from August 10 to 15, 6 p.m. to 9:20 p.m., at the Mall of the Emirate’s
Centerstage.
The Chinle Valley Singers represent the culturally rich
traditions and great diversity of the United States, which values, promotes,
protects and encourages cultural diversity not only inside the country, but
around the world. The free flow of culture and ideas, the acceptance of
diversity, respect for cultural heritage and the promotion of cultural legacies
are important to us. We greatly prize cultural partnerships and the opportunity
to reinvigorate forgotten traditions as well as to promote new ideas and
changes. This is fundamental to America's vision of itself and of how culture
operates in a free world. Mr. Quinn noted he was glad to see that the government
of Dubai shared this vision in celebrating the Dubai Summer Surprises Festival
and bringing performances from all over the world.
The Chinle Valley
Singers share their rich Navajo traditions through story-telling and songs and
dances they have adapted from traditional ceremonial contexts. They began
singing as a group in 1981. Over the years they won numerous awards for their
performances. Their music is rooted in the traditions of Canyon de Chelley in
Arizona. Among the group is also a renowned Navajo weaver, who demonstrates
traditional weaving techniques as part of this performance. Navajo Indian
culture is unique and co-exists with other Native American cultures in the
United States, such as the Zuni Indians. The Navajo own about 70,000 square
kilometers of land located in the Southwest in Arizona, Utah and New Mexico.
More than one-quarter of a million Navajo live in the United States. Of these,
roughly 170,000 live on the Navajo Indian lands.