CHESTERTOWN, MD— Will Tsosie, a Navajo storyteller and Tribal Archaeologist for the Navajo Nation, will visit Washington College on Monday, October 12 and sing the “Blessingway,” a series of song-prayers performed to promote health, well-being, harmony, and success. The evening, which is free and open to the public, takes place at 6:30 p.m. in Hotchkiss Recital Hall, Gibson Center for the Arts, on the College campus, 300 Washington Avenue. It is preceded by a 5:30 p.m. reception in the lobby.

One of the oldest and most important ceremonies for the Navajo People, or Diné (meaning “The People” or “Children of the Holy People”), the Blessingway tells of Navajo origins and the Navaho People’s place in the universe. Aaron Lampman, Chair of the Anthropology Department at Washington College, described the event as “a rare opportunity to learn first-hand about Navajo language and culture and to experience the chants that are central to maintenance of community well-being for the Navajo Nation.”  Janice Toya, a Puebloan, will prepare a limited amount of native Kneeldown Bread and Red Chili Stew for sampling at a reception before the Blessingway. 

This event is sponsored by the Anthropology Department, Phi Beta Kappa, the Douglass Cater Society of Junior Fellows, Lambda Alpha, the Ethnomusicology Minor, and the Anthropology Club.

Will Tsosie meets with Washington College students in the Southwest Seminar program.