fordlibrarymuseum:November is Native American Heritage Month.Viola Hovel, a young Navajo woman, pres
fordlibrarymuseum:November is Native American Heritage Month.Viola Hovel, a young Navajo woman, presented a woven rug she made to First Lady Betty Ford on February 27, 1975. She had developed her skills in this complex traditional art as one of the first students to attend the Navajo Children’s Rehabilitation Center at Coyote Canyon in New Mexico. The center had been opened in 1973 to serve young Navajo people with mental disabilities. It tailored curriculum to its students’ needs and taught them skills to help prepare them for life in isolated rural communities. As part of its mission to integrate Navajo culture into its programs, the center also operated a Foster Grandparent program to help students learn about their heritage from members of the local community. With the encouragement of her teacher Norma Perry, Viola learned this craft from a skilled weaver who lived in Coyote Canyon through this program.Viola’s parents Tom and Thelma Hovel accompanied her to the White House for the rug presentation. They had been actively working for years to bring services for individuals with disabilities to the Navajo Nation. Tom Hovel served as president of the Hope for Children Association, an advocacy group of Navajo parents of children with mental disabilities, that provided key support for the development of the Navajo Children’s Rehabilitation Center. Both he and his wife were members of the center’s Board of Directors. Later renamed the Coyote Canyon Rehabilitation Center as it expanded its services for adults, it continues to serve those with developmental disabilities today.Image: Viola Hovel presenting a hand-woven Navajo rug that she made to First Lady Betty Ford in the Map Room at the White House, 2/27/1975. (White House Photograph A3479-13A) -- source link