Funeral escort for US Army SPC Mattie Adakai

GALLUP, NM  – The family of US Army SPC Mattie Adakai is humbly requesting a funeral escort on Saturday February 19, 2022.

STAGING: 1:00pm Rollie Mortuary, 401 E. Nizhoni Blvd, Gallup, NM
KSU: 1:45pm
DESTINATION: Gallup City Cemetery, 3517 Camino de los Caballos, Gallup, NM

Funeral service will begin at 12:00pm for immediate family. Services will be conducted in accordance with CDC and Navajo Nation Covid-19 guidelines to protect all friends and family, thank you for understanding and cooperating

US Army SPC Mattie Adakai served 23 years in the Army.

“MY MOTHER WAS A STRONG WILLED AND AN INDEPENDENT YOUNG CHILD FLED FROM THE BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS OFFICIALS WHEN THEY CAME SEARCHING FOR CHILDREN TO BE TAKEN AWAY FROM THEIR FAMILIES TO ATTEND FULL TIME BOARDING SCHOOLS. SHE HAS INFLUENCED OUR LIVES IN A MAGNITUDE OF WAYS BY SACRIFICING THAT PART OF HER LIFE. SHE WAS MOST FLUENT IN THE NAVAJO LANGUAGE AND ONLY SPOKE NAVAJO UNTIL HER LAST DAY. THIS HAS ALLOWED HER CHILDREN TO REMAIN FLUENT IN THE NAVAJO LANGUAGE AND ALLOWED US TO RETAIN AND RESPECT OUR NAVAJO CULTURE, TRADITIONS AND LANGUAGE. SHIMÁ (MY MOTHER) REMINDED US ALL TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PERSEVERANCE OF OUR ANCESTORS CONSISTENTLY, DAILY. SHIMA WAS A WOMAN WHO WAS A RESEMBLANCE OF MY STRONG WILLED SHIMÁSANI (MY GRANDMOTHER). MY MOTHER AND GRANDMOTHER WERE TWO OF KIND; WOMEN WHO WERE RAISED TO BE WISE BEYOND THEIR YEARS AND TO BE TOUGH AS NAILS THROUGHOUT THEIR LIFE. THE NAVAJO FAMILY SYSTEM IS A SOCIETY BASED ON A STRONG MATRIARCH. WHEN YOU ARE BORN YOU ARE IDENTIFIED FIRST BY YOUR MATERNAL CLAN THAT IS WHO YOU ARE THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE. YOUR PATERNAL CLAN IS SECOND AND IT IS WHO YOU ARE BORN INTO.

MY MOTHER REMAINED A WIDOW SINCE OUR FATHER LEFT THIS WORLD IN 1986. SHE REMAINED LOYAL TO THE PATRIOTISM THAT WAS INSTILLED BY MY FATHER JACK ADAKAI AND TOLD US MANY STORIES OF HIS TIME AWAY FROM HER AND HER FIRST CHILD RAY ADAKAI WHEN OUR FATHER WAS WORKING ON THE RAILROAD. SHE WAS IMPARTING TO US TO BE THANKFUL FOR THE SACRIFICE THAT OUR NAVAJO MILITARY MEN FOUGHT FOR DURING WWII AND WHEN OUR NAVAJO PEOPLE WORKED ON BUILDING THE ATCHISON, SANTA FE AND TOPEKA RAILWAY. SHE REMINDED US THAT OUR NAVAJO LANGUAGE WAS A POWERFUL FORCE WHICH HELPED OUR UNITED STATED TO WIN IN WAR. SHE WOULD EMPHASIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR NAVAJO LANGUAGE AND TAUGHT US TO CONTINUE TO LEARN IT AND USE IT DAILY. SHE WOULD INSTILL IN US TO BECOME RESILIENT, INDEPENDENT, STRONG WILLED, HARD WORKING, HUMBLE AND PROUD NAVAJO PEOPLE.

THE ADAKAI CHILDREN WILL NEVER FORGET WHERE AND HOW WE HAVE GROWN UP IN A WORLD OF COLORFUL CULTURE AND SPEAKING DINEH BIZAAD AS OUR FIRST SPOKEN LANGUAGE AND A MENTALITY OF FAMILY FIRST: SAGE AND YUCCA PLANTS WERE PLENTIFUL, WE HAD NO RUNNING WATER-OUR FAMILY HAULED WATER EVERY WEEK, WE HAD HUGE FAMILY GATHERINGS, EVERY NOW AND THEN ACHII (A NAVAJO DELICACY AND AN ACQUIRED TASTE), TORTILLAS WITH EVERY MEAL, OCCASIONALLY FRIED BREAD, GREEN CHILI STEW, TAMALES-GREEN CHILI-RED CHILI, WOOD HAULING IN THE WINTER, PINON PICKING IN THE SUMMERS, GROWING OUR OWN FOOD AND GATHERING THE FALL HARVEST-CORN-SQUASH-BEANS-WATERMELONS-PUMPKINS, UNFORGIVING WINTERS WITH THE WOOD BURNING STOVE TO WARM OUR SMALL FAMILY HOME, MUDDY RESERVATION ROADS THAT LEFT MUD RACKS FOR DAYS, HAND ME DOWN CLOTHES, AND OF COURSE RAISING LIVESTOCK AND THE BUTCHERING WE DID FOR OUR FAMILY SUSTENANCE, AND LASTLY THE SILVER JEWELRY WORK OUR FATHER DID IN HIS LAST YEARS AS INCOME FOR HIS FAMILY. GOD REST HIS SOUL; HIS COMMITMENT AND DEDICATION TO SERVE AS A COMBAT SOLDIER LIVES WITHIN OUR HEARTS AND MIND. HIS APTITUDE AS A SILVER SMITH AND HIS ARTISTIC FLAIR OF TRADITIONAL DESIGNS REFLECTS IN THE SILVER WORK WE WEAR TODAY.

MY MOTHER AND MY FATHER. LOVED THE SILVER AND TURQUOISE OF THE NAVAJO TRADITIONAL SILVERSMITHS WE ARE PROUD OF OUR MOTHER AND FATHER WHO TAUGHT US THE NAVAJO SILVERSMITHING SKILLS-OUR FAMILY TRADE.

SHIMÁ WAS AN AVID SILVERSMITH AS WELL AS A SEAMSTRESS WHO CREATED HER OWN CLOTHES AND HER CHILDREN’S CLOTHES, SHE WAS SELF-TAUGHT AS A SEAMSTRESS, SHE ALSO CREATED NAVAJO WOVEN RUGS THAT SHE LEFT FOR HER CHILDREN. HER TALENT TO LEARN THESE SKILLS AND CRAFTS REMAINS AMAZING TO HER CHILDREN. WE HAVE THE SAME INSTINCTS THAT SHE HAD TO LEARN, CREATE ART AND TO APPRECIATE THE OUTDOORS.

SHE TAUGHT US SKILLS SUCH AS RAISING LIVESTOCK, CULTIVATING A HARVEST FIELD, GAINING VALUABLE NAVAJO KNOWLEDGE BY PATIENTLY LISTENING TO OUR ELDERS, SHE ENCOURAGED US TO BE CREATIVE IN ART AND TO ENJOY THE SIMPLE SOLITUDE OF WATCHING THE SUNRISES AND SUNSETS, SHE HELPED US TO APPRECIATE THE HIKING AND ROCK CLIMBS OF OUR LANDS. SHE WOULD SAY LOUDLY THE NAVAJO NAMES OF THE BIRDS AND ANIMALS WE HAD SEEN THROUGH OUT OUR LIVES AND TO APPRECIATE THESE CREATURES. SHE TAUGHT US HOW TO PRAY AND TO BELIEVE IN FAITH. SHE WILL ALWAYS REMAIN OUR MATRIARCH.” (written by her daughter)

On behalf of the Navajo Hopi Honor Riders, we send our condolences and prayers to the family of US Army SPC Mattie Adakai. Rest in peace.

Contact: Mattie Adakai (daughter)
mati.adakai@gmail.com