Dineh Tah Navajo Dancers at MPL

The Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dancers are visiting Manchester from the Navajo Nation for the 155th commemoration of the Navajo Treaty. The agreement was signed by two Indian Peace Commissioners, Colonel Samuel F. Tappan of Manchester, (1831-1913) and General William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891). The Dancers will be acknowledging the life and legacy of Colonel Tappan and the key role he played in negotiating the 1868 Navajo Treaty.

This settlement established the right of return for the Diné (the Navajos) to their ancestral homelands, the only treaty to do so. In 2018, Kitty Weaver found the third missing copy, now known as the ‘Tappan Copy,' and returned it to the Navajo Nation, housed today in their Museum at Window Rock Arizona. The Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dancers will be blessing Samuel F. Tappan’s house, which still stands in town, the morning of Thursday, May 18, with a public program to follow that evening at Crowell Chapel.

As performing ambassadors to the Great Navajo Nation, the Dineh Tah’ Navajo Dancers, under the direction of Shawn Price, are a group of young, talented, and disciplined individuals. The dancers have received many accolades for sharing their cultural programs across the country. Their unique program offers the finest in traditional and semi-contemporary performances. They have performed at many distinguished events and premiere venues throughout the country.