Rez Ball (2024), directed by Sydney Freeland; written by Sydney Freeland and Sterlin Harjo; produced by LeBron James, Maurício Mota, Katie Elmore Mota, Spencer Beighley, Jamal Henderson, and Nancy Utley.
Rez Ball tells the story of a group of basketball players in New Mexico who juggle between being elite high school players, holding part time jobs and family responsibilities, while facing adverse life events. While it maintains a grounding on complex social realities within the Navajo Nation, at the same time highlights friendship and community building among players as a team, and among people surrounding the players.
They develop a playing technique that mirrors the directional spacing of the hooghan, the traditional circular dwelling. The connection among the four directions connects individuals in a round special sphere, which the players recreate by passing the ball to each other in a circular motion, as in an enchanting wheel that gradually disorients the adversary. Tradition is tangible knowledge bringing concrete results.
At the same time, teenagers are experiencing teenage life, by depicting how to be the Rez-cool without popularity contests, bullying or hazing. Dating is not a thing, just something that happens naturally through mutual interaction. You won’t see stories derived from who invites whom to the prom or the winter dance.
One of the most fascinating features of the film is seeing the English dialogue turn into Navajo subtitles. They are not for the hearing impaired, as they are absent when people are speaking Navajo. However, comparing the Navajo subtitles with the original English script depict vernacular conversational strategies.
In a conversation between Jimmy and the coach while on the bus, Jimmy pitches the strategy he intends to implement on the game. These few phrases just convince the coach to try a different approach to the strategy:
54:23
Jimmy: Shooh! Look!
Akót’áo nidei’néego sha’? (=What if we play it this way?) What if we do that in the game?
Coach: Hait’aó ááhdiní? (=What are you saying?) What do you mean?
Jimmy: Dinék’ehjí achį’ yádeiilti’go (=That we spoke the Navajo way). Call the plays in Navajo.
Coach: Nizhǫ́ní shį́į́ (=That would be beautiful). That’s interesting.
Jimmy: Haash yit’éego? (=like how that is?) But, how do you do that?
Coach: Hóla, ałtsé. I don’t know yet.
Ndi nihá ádoonííł shį́į́ (=but that would behave for us). But I think it could work.
Coach: Shinááł ádíílííł (=I will see you make it). Show me.
Jimmy goes to his boss, Krista, in order to get plays translated into Navajo. Jimmy starts by claiming community building in order to obtain benefit from a skill she has and he does not: speaking Navajo. In accepting to handle this favor, there’s unspoken dating starting to go around:
53:10
Krista: Yáa ałtsé. Okey, hold on.
Dííjį́ doo nanilnish da. You’re not working today.
Jimmy: Béénílniihhísh (=do you happen to remember), team daniidlį́ dinínée (=we all were a team playing)? Do you remember when you said all that stuff that are we a team?
Dinék’ehjí saad ła’bee shíká adíílwoł (Help me with some words come the Navajo way). I got some plays, that I need it translated it to Navajo.
Krista: Hágoshį́į́. Goshį́į́. Ok, ahá!
Kojí shił yah aninááh (=come down here). Let’s step in my office.
Dating also happens among parents, and an outsider may not guess easily that the brief exchanges among them would be leading to, indeed, dating. She works for him at a car shop, and suddenly he gives her an old car so she stops to get to places by walking:
44:38
Gloria: Shí k’ad, Ronald. (=I’m now) Night, Ronald.
Ronald: T’áásh ni’ yínílwod? (=Did you just run here?) Did you walk here?
Gloria: Ao’. yeah.
Ronald: Hágo. (Come here.)
Díí ni dooleeł (=This will be yours). No much but, it’s yours.
Gloria: Ronald, ha’íí biniiyé (=Ronald, to what purpose?). Ronald, you don’t have to do this.
Ronald: Jó… Well,
Gloria: Áłtsé didoots’į́į́l daats’í, áko índa ahéhee’ dooleeł (=First maybe it sounds, then thanks will happen). See if it starts first, before we start thanking each other
Ronald: K’ad. Now.
T’áá kǫ́ǫ́ nił nidzit’ih, nízaadgóó éí dooda (=it may not extend forward, don’t go far ). Don’t be driving out of the Rez with that one now.
While dating happens in short phrasing, friendship seems to need more complex wording, especially when handling a refusal. This happens when Jimmy is invited by his teammate Bryson to hold a “keg” at someone’s house.
43:30
Krista texting: Yiską́o nanilnishgóósh bííghah? (=Is it ok that you come to work tomorrow?) Can you pick up an evening shift tomorrow?
Doo shį́į́ baa nanihnáhí da (=I know you wouldn’t do anything). I know you don’t have any plans tomorrow.
Jimmy texting: T’áá aaníí? Are you serious?
Bryson (comes in car with Dezbah): Shooh shínaaí! Hey, (older) brother!
Tyson be’at’ééd keg néíní’ą́. Tyson’s lady got a keg.
Jimmy: Áá’aníí? Seriously?
Bryson: Ao’ Yeah.
Jimmy: Yiską́o yee’ nínáádadii’ne’? You know we got a game tomorrow, right?
Bryson: Jó éí biniiyé nát’ą́. Yeah, that’s what the keg is for.
Dezbah: Doreen éí nihá na’iisnii’. Doreen is sending you guys off to districts in style.
Jimmy: Doo bííghah da (=this is not ok). Too much riding on this.
Bryson: Baa dahodínóónééłgo át’é. Sko. Bro, this is gonna be a walk in the park. Sko.
Dezbah: Dóó ne’at’eéd áádi doo. Yeah, and your girlfriend’s gonna be there.
Jimmy: Dooda sha’shin. I don’t wanna chance it.
Bryson: “Dooda sha’shin.” K’is, doo níhoneedlį́į da. “I don’t wanna chance it.” Bro, are you for real? You’re dead-ass.
Bryson: Yáa. Hágoshį́į́ lą́ą. What a loser. All right.
Dezbah: Nanináa lą́ą́. It’s your loss, titty baby.
While we highlighted dating and refusals, there is a lot more to analyze with regards to other speech events such as refusals, teasing, joking, arguing, and nagging, which could also be turned into conversational templates for the student of the Navajo language. These dialogues show that speakers can handle multiple communicational events using a short phrasing in Navajo, which may be a natural way of speaking the language.
Some expressions:
ahool’ą́ągo=for good
akot’áo nidei’néego shą?=what if we do it in the game.
akoo dóó da la=can’t be
ákódzaa=happened
akót’áo=in that way
anánígees=turn that off
ao, doo ánáádeeshnííłda=i won’t do it again
ashkii zhǫ nii=pretty boy (sarcastically)
atsę́ędą́ą́=last time
ákosh _____ haidzaa?=then what happened to _____?
ałtsé shooh=wait here! (?)
bííghah=right, now
bííghah yá?=are you with me?
bik’ehgo na’abąąsí=driver’s license
bohoneeslį̨įd=that was a lot of fun.
da’ołhosh=go to bed (you 3+)!
da t’áá ’aanii=are you serious?
dahooneelná=we won
dayee’=rather. or better
díí alena ’áhí=alena talking (over the phone)
díí ní dooleeł=it’s all yours
díísh éí hai?=what’s tho?
diigis=stupid
dibé yóó’ííjéé=she lost the sheep.
doo beiłt’ée da=disagree
doo bee nihonít’i’í da=nothing is set in stone
doo hąh da=you’re late
doo txídíínííł da nisin=i want you don’t hurt
doola bichąą=bullshit
éí béídaołniih doo=remember (you 3+) it
_______gi noohkai=welcome (everybody) to ______!
goshį́į́=see you!
haalą́ nitį́?=what are you doing?
háala wohtí=what are you doing?
háásh hóót’įįd=what’s going on?
hait’ao=that’s what we should do
hait’aó áhdiní ?=what do you mean?
ha’íísh danół’į́?=what are you (3+) looking at?
hane’ę́ę́=told you
honeedlį́=exciting
honeesná=wins
íí ázhgo at’é=they’re here
ííshją́ą́shį́į́=only one way to find out
ííyísi éí=for most of us
idlą́o na’iłbąąsgo=duis
ihilyeed=shoot!
k’adí=get off, stop it!
k’ad, ashiiké=this is it, kids
naaki ahéé’ílkid yidziih=we’re two hours from …
naanéhę́ę́=player
ną! nizhǫǫ nee adoo’ááł=tenga un buen día
nahjį=fuera! cuidado!
náásgóó=future
ndi nihá ádoonííł shį́į́=but i think it could work
ndi wołí yee át’į́=at least she’s trying
ni dó=you too
rez neiłt’éé lá=the rez suits you
shiká adííwoł=help me
shiká ánálwoł=assistant
shooh!=silence!
t’ahdii=just, hardly, only
t’ahdi nooséłí=are just kids
t’áá aanii?=are you serious?
t’áá aaníí=seriously?
t’áá aaníígo=the truth is
t’áá ánółtso=all of you
t’áá náás=gotta keep going
t’áá yá’át’ééh=not bad, just good
t’áadoo íísdzą́ą́ da=i haven’t done anything
wolyéego ’ályaa=renamed
ya’ish? tį’ áko tsį́į́łgo nídiikah=vamos, súbanse rápido.
yáa=damn!
yáá ałtsé=came first.
yáadilá=let’s do this, this is good, that’s already done!
yooch’ííd=lie, bullshit
yiiits’ǫs=kiss