“For William P. Yazzie of Chinle, Arizona, it is as much about language preservation as it is about entertainment. On December 10, Yazzie, who is Diné, posted a video to his Facebook page where he sings the classic Christmas carol, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town in Navajo. Since then, the video has generated more than 54,000 views.” S.Moya-Smith
Discussion Questions for this post
CLICK VIDEO BELOW to hear William Yazzie sing santa song.
Excerpt: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town’ Is Best Sung in Navajo By Simon Moya-Smith, ICTMN
“I didn’t expect this post to get as much attention as it did, Yazzie told ICTMN. It’s kind of scary. I got so many friend requests from this alone.
Native American Night Before Christmas by Gary Robinson , Jesse T. Hummingbird
Yazzie, who is two years into his retirement from his career as a Chief Park Ranger with the National Park Service, said he has converted songs into Navajo since the 1980s. Navajo was Yazzie’s first language. He has also converted Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Let It Snow to Navajo.”
“It’s fun. But the main reason why I do this is language preservation. It’s to get kid’s, young people’s attention that language is important.” ~William P. Yazzie~
Discussion Questions for this post
- What is William Yazzie’s first language?
- What was Yazzie’s career?
- Where does William Yazzie live?
- How many people have viewed his video?
- Name two other songs that Yazzie also sings in Navajo.
