From Diné to the Nihamwo: “From The People to The People”

As a Diné Asdzą́ą́ (Navajo Woman), my cultural identity and ancestral teachings have shaped how I understand community, service, and public health. In the Navajo language, Diné means “The People”. Thousands of miles from my homeland, along the Amazon River in Peru, I encountered another Indigenous community, the Yagua, whose traditional self-designation, Nihamwo, means “We, the People.” Although our peoples have distinct languages, histories, and traditions, I found a meaningful connection in how we identify ourselves.

Through Youthlinc, I spent two weeks in Peru providing community health education, participating in a water filtration project, and learning alongside the Yagua people. What began as an opportunity to apply my public health knowledge became a journey of cultural exchange, Indigenous identity, and personal reflection.

Walking in Two Indigenous Worlds

My journey to the Yagua village began with a boat ride along the Amazon River from Heliconia Lodge. Coming from the deserts of the Navajo Nation, I found myself surrounded by dense rainforest, winding waterways, and an environment vastly different from my homeland. As I walked in the village of Las Palmeras, all my senses did not indicate I was in a foreign land, it felt like I was home.

During my visit, I learned from our local guide, Victor, that I was the first Indigenous Navajo to ever visit the community. The possibility of being the first Diné woman to step onto their ancestral lands was deeply meaningful. Each day spent on their lands, I proudly wore my traditional Diné attire, spoke my language, and shared cultural teachings passed through generations. Although I was thousands of miles away from Dinétah, I carried my identity with me.

Victor left a lasting impression in one of our conversations. He expressed deep admiration, and even a little jealousy, for how openly and proudly I represented my culture. He reflected on how colonization and cultural change have affected the transmission of ancestral knowledge among Indigenous tribes on the Amazon. He hoped that my presence would inspire others to embrace their cultural identity and recognize the resilience rooted in their own ancestral teachings.

Sharing Public Health Through Storytelling

One of the most meaningful parts of my Youthlinc experience was developing and delivering a community health lesson grounded in the importance of Indigenous storytelling.

Within Diné culture, storytelling carries teachings that extend beyond spoken words. Stories preserve knowledge, communicate values, and pass lessons from generation to the next. I wanted my health lesson to reflect this approach rather than rely solely on conventional Western education methods.

I began by sharing a Diné teaching about the Holy People and emergence of our people. From there, I transitioned into a discussion about ancestral relationships with the land and how Indigenous food practices have changed over time. Before colonization, Indigenous communities sustained themselves through locally available foods, cultivation, gathering, hunting, and fishing. Today, processed foods have become increasingly available. Relying heavily on certain highly processed foods can affect health and contribute to gradual loss of traditional food knowledge.

To make the lesson culturally relevant, I introduced fruits, vegetables, and protein sources from both Navajo and Yagua food. Although our environments differ, both communities have valuable ancestral knowledge about

the foods available within their homelands. The central message was simple: healthy eating does not have to be complicated. The Yagua people had fairly healthy foods and highly processed foods were a new concept. I explained nutritious whole foods contain just one ingredient, while some highly processed foods contain numerous added ingredients. This comparison helped introduce the importance of recognizing whole foods, understanding food choices, and preserving traditional food knowledge.

I concluded my lesson by preparing a traditional Navajo dish, blue corn mush, to share with the students. A wonderful chef from Heliconia Lodge generously welcomed me into his kitchen and served as my sous-chef while I prepared the meal.

Sharing blue corn mush was especially meaningful because it allowed me to offer something beyond health education. I was sharing a piece of my Diné identity and demonstrating how traditional foods carry history, culture, and ancestral knowledge. Additionally, our Youthlinc team’s service was to provide water filtration to support access to safer drinking water. Together, these efforts demonstrated how public health can address community well-being through both education and practical resources.

Experiencing the Amazon and Beyond

Outside our service activities, we had opportunities to experience the extraordinary environment and cultural diversity of Peru.

We explored the Amazon rainforest during both daytime and nighttime walks, went piranha fishing, and visited Monkey Island. We also witnessed traditional Yagua dancing and spent time playing and interacting with community members and children. These experiences allowed us to build relationships beyond our scheduled service activities.

Our journey continued beyond the Amazon to Lima, Cusco, Aguas Calientes, and Machu Picchu. Traveling through these regions introduced me to different landscapes, histories, and expressions of Peru’s cultural heritage. I concluded my time in Peru with a solo trip to Rainbow Mountain. After two weeks of service, cultural exchange, and exploration, this final experience gave me an opportunity to reflect on the people I had met, the lessons I shared, and the knowledge I would carry home. I arrived in Peru as a Diné woman with knowledge to share, and I returned home with a deeper appreciation for recognizing that public health knowledge does not only belong exclusively to classrooms, textbooks, or Western institutions.

To Peru, I am forever grateful for the people who welcomed me, fed me, taught me, and provided experiences that broaden my perspectives, and the opportunity to inspire others. Ahéheeʼ (Thank you in Navajo).