FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — ‘The Red Hogaan,’ may be terrifying and controversial to some, with its focus on Skinwalkers, but it also seeks to impart Navajo teachings that have been misunderstood by non-Navajo people for a long time.
Navajo Filmmaker Kody Dayish said one of the things he wanted to make sure comes across in his newest movie is the power and respect Navajo people have for balance and harmony in life.
“We always have to respect things that are good and spread things (that) are good, positive energy,” he said. “But in order to maintain that balance, we also have to respect and believe things are evil out there.”
The movie, which is set sometime in the late 1990s, focuses on a family of four. Dayish’s brother, Kolin Dayish, is the lead actor, Jackson, who is about to turn 18. The other family members include Jackson’s dad, who is a sheep herder, his mother and his younter brother, Chief. The film follows the family as they prepare for their trip to sheep camp.
“The family lives off the land — their main priority is their sheep,” Dayish said. “But it just so happens, when they go up to the mountains, there’s a stranger haunting them, this entity and they don’t understand it.”
This entity is a Skinwalker.
Dayish said a previous version of the movie was first shown six years ago. Durig that showing, the audience understood immediately the entity was a Skinwalker.
“I believe from the stories that we’ve researched, that there’s a reason why they (Skinwalkers) target certain individuals,” Dayish said. “Jackson learns there’s something in the past that his parents and other family members, like his uncles, have been keeping secret from him. And now, through that, he’ll learn what took place at this place called ‘The Red Hogaan.’”
Dayish makes clear that everyone has heard non-Native stories about paranormal activity, but those aren’t the stories he is talking about in ‘The Red Hogaan.’
“This one is ours,” he said. “Not just ours as a film crew, but ours as a Navajo tribe. This is a story that I really wanted to push to be accurate. There’s been stories and movies focusing on Navajo Skinwalkers before.”
According to Dayish, some of these other films tended to focus on murders and detectives trying to figure out what happened, or finding evidence about what happened using modern tools, guns and weapons.
“But what if you take all that away and you put yourself in the shoes of how Navajo people live out there on the reservation, no running water, no electricity. What would you do if you’re out there alone with this thing? That is what the movie focuses on,” Dayish said.
Making ‘The Red Hogaan’
The movie was first made in 2016. In the interim, the team re-filmed some scenes with better equipment, however, they found the original was better and decided to release that original film.
Dayish said when they first filmed there was some pushback from actors about the subject matter and some refused to work on it because they weren’t clear on the film’s purpose and focus.
Dayish acknowledges the subject of Skinwalkers is taboo for Navajos — one they are not really supposed to talk about. He added that originally there were things on set that were happening while they were filming that felt unnatural.
“That was pretty creepy,” he said. “I do believe that these are real — these kinds of evil beings. But once [the actors] found out my main purpose in making this film, they were in it for the long haul.”
He wants his audience to have a more accurate picture of Navajo people..
Dayish said misinformation about Skinwalkers and Navajo culture comes up as soon as it is Googled.
“This is a real deep look at (who) Navajo people really are,” Dayish said. “Navajo storytelling has been around since forever. That’s how we learned about our stories and traditions. It’s always been through our elders and their teachings. There’s no book or dictionary that will show you exactly. That’s what this movie is, basically, what we’ve learned through our lives as far as what it means to be blessed, to be a Navajo person, to be Diné.”
Dayish said he hopes people will come out and see the movie.
“I’m very humble about our movies, but this one is one I really feel confident to brag about because it’s so good,” he said.
The movie shows in Tuba City Jan. 29.
Other showings are to be held in Phoenix, Farmington and Gallup in coming days.
More information about upcoming shows is available at Kody Dayish Productions on FaceBook.
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — ‘The Red Hogaan,’ may be terrifying and controversial to some, with its focus on Skinwalkers, but it also seeks to impart Navajo teachings that have been misunderstood by non-Navajo people for a long time.
Navajo Filmmaker Kody Dayish said one of the things he wanted to make sure comes across in his newest movie is the power and respect Navajo people have for balance and harmony in life.
“We always have to respect things that are good and spread things (that) are good, positive energy,” he said. “But in order to maintain that balance, we also have to respect and believe things are evil out there.”
The movie, which is set sometime in the late 1990s, focuses on a family of four. Dayish’s brother, Kolin Dayish, is the lead actor, Jackson, who is about to turn 18. The other family members include Jackson’s dad, who is a sheep herder, his mother and his younter brother, Chief. The film follows the family as they prepare for their trip to sheep camp.
“The family lives off the land — their main priority is their sheep,” Dayish said. “But it just so happens, when they go up to the mountains, there’s a stranger haunting them, this entity and they don’t understand it.”
This entity is a Skinwalker.
Dayish said a previous version of the movie was first shown six years ago. Durig that showing, the audience understood immediately the entity was a Skinwalker.
“I believe from the stories that we’ve researched, that there’s a reason why they (Skinwalkers) target certain individuals,” Dayish said. “Jackson learns there’s something in the past that his parents and other family members, like his uncles, have been keeping secret from him. And now, through that, he’ll learn what took place at this place called ‘The Red Hogaan.’”
Dayish makes clear that everyone has heard non-Native stories about paranormal activity, but those aren’t the stories he is talking about in ‘The Red Hogaan.’
“This one is ours,” he said. “Not just ours as a film crew, but ours as a Navajo tribe. This is a story that I really wanted to push to be accurate. There’s been stories and movies focusing on Navajo Skinwalkers before.”
According to Dayish, some of these other films tended to focus on murders and detectives trying to figure out what happened, or finding evidence about what happened using modern tools, guns and weapons.
“But what if you take all that away and you put yourself in the shoes of how Navajo people live out there on the reservation, no running water, no electricity. What would you do if you’re out there alone with this thing? That is what the movie focuses on,” Dayish said.
Making ‘The Red Hogaan’
The movie was first made in 2016. In the interim, the team re-filmed some scenes with better equipment, however, they found the original was better and decided to release that original film.
Dayish said when they first filmed there was some pushback from actors about the subject matter and some refused to work on it because they weren’t clear on the film’s purpose and focus.
Dayish acknowledges the subject of Skinwalkers is taboo for Navajos — one they are not really supposed to talk about. He added that originally there were things on set that were happening while they were filming that felt unnatural.
“That was pretty creepy,” he said. “I do believe that these are real — these kinds of evil beings. But once [the actors] found out my main purpose in making this film, they were in it for the long haul.”
He wants his audience to have a more accurate picture of Navajo people..
Dayish said misinformation about Skinwalkers and Navajo culture comes up as soon as it is Googled.
“This is a real deep look at (who) Navajo people really are,” Dayish said. “Navajo storytelling has been around since forever. That’s how we learned about our stories and traditions. It’s always been through our elders and their teachings. There’s no book or dictionary that will show you exactly. That’s what this movie is, basically, what we’ve learned through our lives as far as what it means to be blessed, to be a Navajo person, to be Diné.”
Dayish said he hopes people will come out and see the movie.
“I’m very humble about our movies, but this one is one I really feel confident to brag about because it’s so good,” he said.
The movie shows in Tuba City Jan. 29.
Other showings are to be held in Phoenix, Farmington and Gallup in coming days.
More information about upcoming shows is available at Kody Dayish Productions on FaceBook.