Yarn Program

Adopt-A-Native Elder Program

Outcomes & Measures: (self-reported)

Outcome 1
Weavers and their families are able to generate enough income from selling rugs and crafts to buy essentials like food, firewood, and transportation to and from stores and medical appointments.

Measure
ANE collects and sells rugs and crafts for weavers and returns all of the money to the weavers. Each year we look at how much income was generated for Elder from the Rug Shows and the on-line catalog. Last year's figure was about $300,000. This was precious income for the 70 Elder weavers and their families.

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Outcome 2
Weavers and their families feel more economically secure,and they are grateful for being able to get full value for their hard work.

Measure
ANE sends out forms to fill out and also completes forms at each Spring and Fall Food Run to the reservation. The Director and volunteer nurses also visit Elders in their homes to assess their personal needs and the impact of this program.

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Outcome 3
Elders are able to pass on their culture and appreciation of their art to non-Natives. They have supplies so they can teach younger Navajos how to weave. The Yarn program gives Elders enough supplies so they can teach the young to weave. ANE has placed child sized looms built by urban Boy Scouts, in reservation schools. We also provide yarn. There are few jobs on the reservation for teens,so weaving is a source of income for them, as well as cultural pride.

Measure
Young Navajos are now weaving at higher numbers. Before the program, the art was dying out. ANE counts the number of people who visit the Rug Show, and that number grows every year. Last year there were over 4.000 who attended. Last year two child weavers attended the show with their mother and sold high quality rugs. Many children on the reservation are now able to weave for income to help support their clothing and school supplies.

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Outcome 4
Pride and enjoyment from expressing one's culture and creating art. This includes even weavers who no longer are able to weave high quality rugs. The "Heart program" allows them to continue to sell their rugs. This allows people to buy more affordable Navajo art, while helping Elders earn income, despite increasing disability.

Measure
ANE sells many "Heart Rugs" every year. It ANE's question to Elders: "What has ANE done for you?" elicits responses that reflect the deep pride and enjoyment the Elders and children in this program receive.

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Outcome 5
As Elders age they cannot herd sheep for wool. They stopped weaving. Also, when they couldn't get a good price for their hard work, or couldn't sell their work when they needed money for food or firewood, they were discouraged from weaving for income, and sometimes they starved or froze.

Measure
ANE buys quality yarn in bulk so weavers can continue to weave even after they can no longer physically manage to herd sheep. ANE sells rugs on-line and at several rug shows throughout the year, so Elders receive full value for their rugs. Response cards filled out at the ANE Annual Rug Show and Sale show that people come to this quality show from around the world and across the US. Elders in this program no longer face starvation or freezing. Instead, they have pride, hope, comfort and security.

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Change Process: (self-reported)

ANE intends to help Elders and their families and the people who meet them, to understand one another and to support one another as they take this adventurous journey we call "life." In their history, Elders in this program were subject to cultural genocide, forced relocation, and some were sterilized. Over the years, ANE has helped Native and non-Native people come to understand one another, trust one another, and express deep love and care for one another. Elders know that help comes with love for the individual and respect for their spirituality and beliefs. As people adopt an Elder, they often end up exchanging letters, and many go on Food Runs to meet their Elder and the Elder's family. Many Elders and adopters have formed deep loving family bonds from these encounters. Definitely people have felt the healing force of opening themselves to each other's culture, beliefs, and personally sharing generously with one another. ANE also helps Elders pass on their art to young Navajos, giving all involved valuable pride in culture along with very important economic opportunity. Elders are able to give back generously to this program, by coming to the Rug Show and demonstrating their culture and art for school children over a period of two days and then at the show for the general public for two more days. Elders in the poorest areas also donate rugs to the program, which we give to volunteers in thanks for their dedication to helping people. Due to the nature of this program, volunteers often say they take more away from their work than they give. Volunteers donate vehicles, gas, and lodging and food expense to travel to the reservation to take yarn and food and other supplies twice a year. They also donate hundreds of hours to make the Rug Show and Food Runs possible. They find themselves changed by simply holding an Elders hand, participating in a spiritual ceremony during the Food Run, or reading a letter signed by their Elders "X" telling them how a food certificate gave the Elder enough food to make it through January when roads weren't passable for a month!

Director: Ms. Linda A Myers

Yarn Program
c/o Adopt-A-Native Elder Program
Park City, UT, 84060

Phone: (801) 474-0535
Fax: (801) 746-1186
Website: Visit Adopt-A-Native Elder Program online