21 Navajo Night Way Song Sand Painting University of New Mexico
CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS:
Among the Diné, there seems to be a disconnect between the elders, more traditional people, and the youth who want modernity and are leaving Tuba City when they get the chance. Other aspects of the culture on the Navajo reservation include abject poverty, unemployment, and access to clean potable water.
The New Star Nation Services Complex aims to help provide some solutions to many of these problems. The buildings that are being built will offer services relating to housing, education, employment, children, elder care, and food security.
The New Star Nations Services Complex will build up the Navajo culture and pay homage to Hopi, Diné, and Paiute nations through art and traditions while simultaneously introducing diversity and cultural influences across the world. Bringing in arts from the people of Tuba City and also arts from around the globe can help make the community stronger.
All pictures taken by class except for the bottom center picture which is my own. Sand Painting and world view wheel from http://navajopeople.org/blog/ Aaron Yazzie, NASA, Twitter Sharing the Skies; Maryboy and Begay
Star Hogan
Inspiration
The spokes represent all aspects of the culture of Tuba City, but also aspects of the New Star Nations Service Complex. Included in this list are health care (incl. spiritual), housing, social, job, education, and governmental resources among others. The Diné have their own mythology and cosmology. Stars thus figure prominently in the culture; the spokes represent a star and the directions, including north, west, south, and east. The whole of this parti shows connections between inner and outer space and as above, so below.
The hogan is not only a living place, but also a sacred space for ceremony and ritual. There is both male and female space with these structures.
This parti design comprising both male and female hogans allows for two-spirit/Nádleehé.
The circle also represents unity, oneness, and holistic worldviews. The New Star Nations Service Complex is set as a complete center where everything is offered to the people of Tuba City, Arizona.
Star Hogan Star/Spokes
Male Hogan
Female Hogan
The New Star Nations Complex is surrounded by 3 buildings and has a main walk way that forms a point of a compass with the center coming to form a shape of a polygon.
The colors represent the various program spaces. The light brown is representative of the buildings and the darker shapes are the hogan colors. The green colors are dark green for public spaces; lime green for private areas; and the light green for a healing garden connected to the hogans. The violet represents the kid zone. The blue is for rain gardens/bio swales. The red is the plaza at the center of the complex.
Mood Board
Navajo Nation Council Chamber, Window Rock, Arizona
Hogan Interior Wooden plaza structure cultural Native American
Goals and Objectives:
Goal: Provide outdoor spaces for adults, public and private, and a safe area for kids.
Objective: Create separate spaces for the public to gather for a variety of functions, but also allow for reflection and respite from the business activities going on at the complex.
Objective: Have a safe, but private “zone” for kids to be kids and play if they want.
Objective: Build a private refuge for the staff who work at the service complex.
Goal: Design an area for a male and a female hogan.
Objective: Build two hogans, one male, and one female.
Objective: Have a native plant healing garden connected to both hogans.
Goal: Have culturally diverse and relevant pieces of art, sculptures, and murals displayed at the New Star Nation Services Complex.
Objective: Display artworks from local artists outdoors if possible.
Objective: Create murals on the outside walls of the complex and have locals design and paint them.
Objective: Bring in art from other first peoples from around the region.
Goal: Design both the parking area and sidewalks to be ADA-accessible.
Objective: Have enough parking to fulfill the needs of the New Star Nation Services Complex.
Objective: Build sidewalks throughout the site to meet the needs of the pedestrians.
Objective: Have ADA parking spaces and ramps where needed.
Goal: Design an environmentally friendly site to offset existing climate issues such as sheet flooding and soil erosion from wind and water.
Objective: Build roof gutter gardens and rain gardens (on the south side) to ease sheet flow.
Objective: Use existing retention walls and berms to further slow stormwater flow.
Objective: Plant trees on the north and southwest sides to ease the strong winds that sweep through the area.
Objective: Plant native rewilding vegetation to help hold in the soil and retain moisture.
Objective: Add solar panels to the site if possible.
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW STAR NATIONS SERVICES COMPLEX
The site of the New Star Nations Service Complex is part of the Tuba City Chapter House Projection that the College for Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (CAPLA) at the University of Arizona is designing. The New Star Nations Service Complex is dedicated to providing housing, social services, health, education, employment, elections and other benefits to the area.
The space is made up of public, private, and healing spaces to improve the lives of the community, including a kids’ zone and hogans.
The site will have a trendy and diverse feel to it. Much of the space will be progressive in its effort to be environmentally proactive.
Where is this site in Tuba City?
And where is Tuba City, Arizona?
Tuba City, Arizona
Nation’s Services Complex
Site inventory & Analysis
Currently, the Tuba City Nations Complex is a set of temporary buildings, many run down. These buildings will be removed. Their removal can be thought of as an opportunity to build something more permanent while keeping the culture and many of the plants in place. There are many utilities on the ground that may need to be moved.
The grounds are made up of very soft, fine Navajo sandstone sand that easily gets blown away from the site. There’s an opportunity to plant more vegetation to hold in the soil and moisture. Also more trees will shade the area from the intense sun.
Nations Service Complex (continued)
The current building on the east side of the complex
Aerial view of the current Nations Complex
Google Earth Photo
LAR 301 Nations Team
New Star Nations Services Complex: Schematic Site Plan
New Star Nations Complex
Spatial Diagram
*The Kids Zone and Hogans are safe spaces and are walled off. These walls can either be adjusted in height or thorny plants added to the outside to deter trespass.
Raingardens
Male and female hogans
Enclosed kids zone with playground
Parking lot with 127 spaces and 7 ADA spaces
Public zones
Private zones Healing Gardens
New Star Plaza Cultural and Heritage space (Still in design)
(4) picnic tables
Sidewalk
Rendered Site Plan
Sumac Rhus aromatica, R. trilobata
7. Beebalm/wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa
8. Gambel’s
“sumac
Erosion control, skin problems (poison ivy), treatment for hair loss; berries as food, dye. Bush/sm.
Quercus gambelii Tsé’ch’il, “rock plant’ N. prop. line, SW side prop. line, etc Tool material, dye, lessen after birth pain
9. Arizona cypress Cupressus arizonica Same as oak
as oak Multiple uses, poultice for aching joints; ghost beads. Building material, cooking Tree
Globemallow
Gambel’s
New Star Nations Services Complex
Diagramatic Section Cuts
Lynn Easton LAR 301
North Facing East
Rain Gardens
Looking Glass South South
New Star Nations Services Complex
Rendered Section Cuts
Lynn Easton LAR 301
Looking Glass
The Hogans Looking East Looking South
New Star Nations Services Complex
Perspectives
Lynn Easton LAR 301
East Through the Looking Glass Gardens West
Plaza Concepts
The center of the New Star Nation Services Complex is a plaza and the outline for the space is of a spiders web and I connect it to Spider Woman in the myths. As I am designing New Star I am realizing that the plaza is not mine to design. I have some basic concepts. 1. The plaza should be covered like a ramada or pavilion. 2. The Plaza should be dedicated to the community with their rich history and culture. 3. Art work and plaques should be dedicated to people that have made a difference in Tuba City and other indigenous people from the surrounding region.
Four Directions/Colors
Náhookos Biko’ Hearth Fire
Thank You
The New Star Nations Services Complex is intended to be wholistic and attentive to cultural considerations. Though modern and striking, its many features will address age-old problems with solutions regarding housing, employment, care for children and the elderly, and food security. It will celebrate the arts and introduce diversity and cultural influences from around the world.
Inspirations for its design range from the traditional hogan to the design of a new star. Goals range from providing outdoor spaces and safe areas for all ages to addressing climate issues.
In addition to its functions related to housing, employment, security, and care of children and the elderly, the New Star Nations Services Complex is meant to be a healing space. The sand painting on the Table of Contents page is called “Navajo Night Way Song.” It speaks of healing:
Restore my feet for me.
Restore my legs for me.
Restore my body for me.
Restore my mind for me.
Restore my voice for me.
(from the University of New Mexico)
I hope the New Star Nations Services Complex will be restorative in all ways.
LAR 301 | Landscape Architecture Design Studio III | University of Arizona | FALL 2023
