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Indian Summer Films proudly presents “Kinaalda, Navajo Rite of Passage” a one-hour documentary that takes viewers inside an ancient coming-of-age ceremony.

Only an “insider” could record and explain the personal meaning, communal intricacy, and mystical significance of the kinaalda ceremony.  Producer/ director Lena Carr was denied her kinaalda ceremony because of her parent’s relocation and their desire to integrate her into mainstream culture.  By documenting her niece’s rite of passage, Carr journeyed back to her childhood and found “that piece of my life that I felt was missing.” Carr follows 13-year-old Tanya Sheperd’s initiation into womanhood during the rite of passage that connects her to the Navajo community and culture.

Viewers step inside Navajo homes and watch women preparing ceremonial foods and sharing personal treasures; they also learn about the physically demanding all-night vigil and running at dawn which lifts Tanya from child to woman. Members of the Sheperd family and the Navajo community explain their prescribed roles during the four-day kinaalda ceremony, which will ensure that Tanya will be healthy and strong, and have a happy life.

The two stories, youthful Tanya Sheperd and professional filmmaker Lena Carr, intertwine and provide a contrast between the Native American view of womanhood and the demands of today’s mainstream culture. Carr, who also narrates the documentary, said, “I wanted to know if I had any connection to my Navajo world that I had left many years ago.” She also wanted to investigate the power and spirituality of a sacred ceremony she had only heard about from other Navajo women. “Through this film, I became a part of my past.”

This film allow viewers to witness one of the oldest and most sacred of all Navajo ceremonies. It also illustrates the complexity of living in “two worlds”. 

“Kinaalda, Navajo Rite of Passage” documents the moment when Tanya arrives at the pinnacle of her journey, on the last night of her ceremony, as she runs at dawn to present herself to the Holy People, who witness her transformation from child to adult and therefore, recognize her as a woman to be honored.

2000 56 min Color -Subtitled - NTSC

Filmmaker Lena Carr