Documentary Highlights USU Student

The Student Life section of Utah State Today highlights work written by the talented student journalists at Utah State University. Each week, the editor selects a story that has been published in The Utah Statesman or the Hard News Café, or both, for inclusion in Utah State Today.

 

 

by Mikayla Rich in The Utah Statesman, February 24, 2010

 

Miss Navajo, a documentary showcased in the Taggart Student Center Monday [Feb. 22, 2010], features USU’s Crystal Frazier.

 

The documentary follows Frazier in her journey preparing and competing for Miss Navajo Nation, a 55-year-old pageant that encompasses Navajo culture, traditions and language. Frazier didn’t get the crown but did win first runner-up.

 

Frazier isn’t the typical type to fit a pageant contestant. The mechanical engineering major is admittedly shy and a tomboy. The documentary shows her learning to be proficient in the Navajo language and traditional Navajo customs, such as sheep butchering.

 

The documentary is by Billy Luther, whose mother is a former Miss Navajo. While judging the Miss Northern Navajo pageant, his mother took interest in Frazier. Luther approached Frazier about the documentary, but at the time she was unsure of competing in the pageant.

 

“Before I had even said that I wanted to do it or had even thought about doing it, mother decided we were doing Miss Navajo,” Frazier said.

 

The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007 and received the Special Founder’s Prize at the Traverse City Film Festival. Frazier has since traveled the world to showcase the documentary, visiting most major cities in the U.S. and many places abroad.

 

Though the documentary follows Frazier’s journey, it also shows former Miss Navajo participants who talk about the pageant and its importance in preserving Navajo culture. The pageant isn’t all about beauty: it’s about being proficient in traditional Navajo tasks, such as weaving.

 

The documentary reveals the worries of the Navajo nation, such as preserving its culture and language. The pageant is important in preserving Navajo culture and language because it promotes the language and traditional skills, Frazier said.

 

After the documentary was shown Monday, Frazier gave a short talk about Navajo history and expressed concern at the low percentage of college graduates within the Navajo people. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, only approximately 7 percent of Navajo were college graduates, Frazier said. She also noted that because of the low graduation rate, the percentage of families living in poverty is higher for the Navajo people.