05/25/2026
This chapter of my Diné Women Empowerment Series began with Nicolette, Tiana’s 10-year-old niece.
I had been feeling that the series needed a young girl — a way to hold the future of the story alongside the wisdom and strength of the women who came before her.
We photographed her on family land in Ganado, Arizona, with a horse🐴 that had been saved from the slaughterhouse. Later that same day, the story widened into a multi-generational portrait with sheep — mothers, aunties, grandmothers, and a young girl standing together on the land.
And then, because the whole family was gathered, Isaiah proposed to Tiana.
I am not speaking for Diné people. I am still learning. I am listening, witnessing, researching, and creating these portraits with humility and care.
This project keeps reminding me that portraiture can hold more than a face.
It can hold lineage.
Memory.
Land.
Family.
Survival.
Continuity.
Love.
Link to my blog post is in the comments sections
