My Most Recent Publishing

Fig. 13.7 Christine Ami, “Running with Mud.” Hand Processed Clay, Kiln Fired Pot. T’áá awołí bee Exhibit, Diné College, Tsaile, Arizona. credit: Photography by Matthew Bollinger, 2021

"Wołí bee: Diné Cultural Arts amid Pandemics" (2024) is chapter in COVID-19 in Indian Country Native American Memories and Experiences of the Pandemic, an edited volume by Farina King and Wade Davies. In this chapter I offer an autobiographic exhibit explication of the "T'áá awółí bee Exhibit" now homed at Diné College. Based upon the Diné survivance tactic, wolí bee, the 20 pieces of this exhibit do not merely align with considerations of visual Diné aesthetics or serve as art therapy to cope with our COVID-19 induced environments. Rather, these pieces exude our resilience as Diné people on much deeper levels—levels that we face daily, pandemic or not. The stories which appear in the backspace of this exhibit carry me through a debriefing space as the Navajo Cultural Art Program grant manager during the thrusts of COVID-19. In this dust, wołí bee served as the fog lights, guiding Diné cultural arts and Diné people into an unseen, unknown, yet brilliant future - a future that needs not grant nor classes - only those who push through obstacles at all costs to learn these skills, songs, and stories.

To read this book, here is the link for purchase, or  message me if you would like copy of this particular chapter to visit the unique relationships developed in to bring this exhibit to life.

My Favorite Writing as of Today

At this moment - my favorite writing comes in the form of a creative writing book review. I had an opportunity to give feedback on The Diné Reader (2021) for Transmotion. I particularly enjoyed this writing because I was able to frame it through a conversation with a blue bird that I had just woven on my loom. It also included teachings from my nálí and from our corn field. I talk with my loom and my rug all the time - oh man... the stories they could tell you!

This review captures a conversation on The Diné Reader that also enters a terrain of lateral oppression and how we, as Native people, are shamed when we offer honest feedback about our own people and their work.

If you want to check it out... here is the link :) 🐦

Print Journals

Ami, Christine. (Forthcoming). "Between the Loom and the Laptop: A Diné Sabbatical" Tribal College Journal Forthcoming Summer 2025.

Ami, Christine. (2022). "“When Waters Rise and Rocks Speak: An Analysis of Indigenous Research Credential Theft by an Ally.” Wicazo Sa Review. 34. 2 muse.jhu.edu/issue/48824

Internet Journals

Ami, Christine. (2022). "My Kind of Waste of Time: Indigenous Research at Diné College." Tribal College Journal. https://tribalcollegejournal.org/my-kind-of-waste-of-time-indigenous-student-research-at-dine-college/

Ami, Christine. (2020). "Politics of Distrust: The Navajo Nation’s use of propaganda devices to recruit participants for COVID-19 trial vaccine." Indian Country Today. https://indiancountrytoday.com/opinion/politics-of-distrust-the-navajo-nations-use-of-propaganda-devices-to-recruit-participants-for-covid-19-trial-vaccine

Podcasts

Labouff, Colete (Host) and Christine Ami (Guest). 2021. "On Indigenous research methodologies and Diné sheep butchering." [Audio Podcast Episode]. Where We Meet Conversations from New Mexico and Beyond. Toas Center for the Arts. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ttTo3qOBtnQok9cQGf6UT?si=K2TtbgJzQ0mQr-QQNLABWQ

Curley, Andrew (Host) and Christine Ami (Guest). 2020. "Research Risks and Diné Vaccine Trials." [Audio Podcast Episode]. Diné Situation. https://soundcloud.com/din-situation/research-risks-and-dine-vaccine-trialssoundcloud.com/din-situation/research-risks-and-dine-vaccine-trials

Deswood, Peter (Host) and Christine Ami (Guest). 2018. "Navajo Cultural Arts Program: Dr. Christine Ami." [Audio Podcast Episode]. 21st Century Native Leaders. https://nativeleaders.podbean.com/?s=christine+ami

Book Chapters

Ami, Christine (Forthcoming). "Seeds in Snow" In Jennifer Denetdale and Lilia McNaney. (eds) Snow Photography. University of New Mexico, Press.

Ami, Christine. (2024). Wołí bee: Diné Cultural Arts Amid Pandemics. In: King, F., Davies, W. (eds) COVID-19 in Indian Country. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-70184-9_13  (Contact for copy)

Book Reviews

Ami, Christine. (2023). Review: A New Deal for Navajo Weaving: Reform and Revival of Diné Textiles (by Jennifer McLerran). Tribal College Journal. https://tribalcollegejournal.org/a-new-deal-for-navajo-weaving-reform-and-revival-of-dine-textiles/tribalcollegejournal.org/a-new-deal-for-navajo-weaving-reform-and-revival-of-dine-textiles/

Ami, Christine. (2022). Review Essay: The Diné Reader: An Anthology of Navajo Literature (Esther G. Belin, Jeff Berglund, Connie A. Jacobs, Anthony Webster, and Sherwin Bitsui, eds.). Transmotion, 8(1), 209-217. https://doi.org/10.22024/UniKent/03/tm.1064

Ami, Christine. (2022). Review: Reclaiming the Reservation: Histories of Indian Sovereignty Suppressed and Renewed (by Alexandra Harmon). American Indian Culture and Resource Journal. 45(2): 166-68.  escholarship.org/uc/item/3388h07h

Book reviews_AICRJ_45.2.pdf
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Ami, Christine. (2021). Review: A Diné History of Navajoland (by Klara Kelley and Harris Francis). Tribal College Journal. https://tribalcollegejournal.org/a-dine-history-of-navajoland/

Ami, Christine. (2019). Review: Food Sovereignty the Navajo Way: Cooking with Tall Woman (by Charlotte Frisbie). Tribal College Journal. https://tribalcollegejournal.org/food-sovereignty-the-navajo-way-cooking-with-tall-woman/

 Blogs (outside of the Dismembering: The Blog entries)

Ami, Christine. 2021. “Vulnerabilities of Storytelling, Memoir Writing and Weaving”. Navajo Cultural Arts Program Blog. https://lib.dinecollege.edu/NCAP_Blog/04-2021

Ami, Christine. 2020. Playing Indian: Internal Colonization Seated at the Navajo Loom. Navajo Cultural Arts Program Blog. https://lib.dinecollege.edu/NCAP_Blog/02-2020