ReclaimingDinéFilm: Visual Sovereignty and the Return ofNavajoFilmThemselves

In the summer of 1966, seven N avajo community members from P ine S prings, A rizona, were the subjects of one of the most provocative experiments in cognitive and visual anthropology yet completed, the N avajo F ilm P roject, resulting in S ol W orth and J ohn A dair's seminal work T hrough N avajo E yes , as well as seven short films produced by N avajo filmmakers that garnered worldwide attention in their own right. In 2011, the films were repaired and returned to the N avajo N ation for public screenings, the first step in a process of repatriation and resignification that mirrors the repatriation of other visual media to N avajo and indigenous communities. The return of the films offers a unique opportunity to reexamine the meanings of the films and the project itself, reframing the discussion around issues of visual sovereignty, community reengagements, and “reclaiming” D iné/ N avajo histories.