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Alice Nez Horseherder, a Navajo sheep herder her entire life, lives in Hard Rock, Arizona in the the Black Mesa Region. She is 102 years old and travels to various areas throughout Arizona with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren to share the Navajo tradition of weaving. This Saturday, she was at the downtown Phoenix Farmer's Market.
Alice Nez Horseherder has taught her family members the tradition of weaving, which starts with the wool of her sheep and must be cleaned by carding the wool through towcards to remove debris, spun, washed and dyed before it is ready for the loom. She also has several members of her family, including her great grandchildren, who create the most exquisite beadwork.
Alice Nez Horseherder, the matriarch of the Herder Family Weavers of Hardrock, has grown her own food, herded sheep, spun and woven her entire life.
Edith, Alice's daughter, says that her mother claims to have had more than 13 children. Edith knows she has had more than eight children -- five of whom are still living. The family is a true nuclear family, with all Alice's children, grandchildren and great grandchildren living together and traveling together.
Her daughter, Lorraine, said that Alice wanted to make dinner last night but was disappointed when she learned that she could not make a fire to cook -- in their hotel room. Alice speaks only Navajo.
Alice did not say a word to people who stopped to watch her. But, when children approached her, she took their hand and let them feel the raw wool as she spun.
