![Navajo/Deaf traditional elder Arletta Toland is seen here on her home site in Upper Greasewood (four miles north of Lukachukai, Ariz.) on March 18. IndigenousWays held its Fourth Relief Run since January to Navajo deaf and hard of hearing individuals living in the Four Corners area. They delivered emergency supplies including personal protective equipment, food, firewood, and water after they learned that many community members missed out due to communication and transportation issues. Photo Credit: Courtesy IndigenousWays](/images/resized/images/news/2016/319_may14/15_100_100.jpg)
The Indigenous Healing Festival is back — but in virtual form — after a hiatus last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Elena Higgins, co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit IndigenousWays, and its artistic director, Tash Terry, spoke to the Gallup Sun ahead of the event, scheduled for May 8 and 9.
“We have put on physical festivals, but this is a different beast entirely,” Higgins wrote in an email.
Terry called the event “a new beginning” for festivals — ones which can be attended virtually or in-person, depending on the participant’s choice.
“Because [of] this surge into Zoom as a result of the pandemic and the need to stay safe, a lot of the...