Mrs. Abeita’s Pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Hózhó at Archway Chandler

Mariah Abeita, a fifth-grade teacher at Archway Chandler, has brought her Navajo heritage and passion for education into the classroom, inspiring her students with the values of peace, beauty, and balance. From her roots in Ganado, Arizona, to her career as a teacher, Abeita’s story demonstrates her commitment to sharing her culture and imparting a love of learning.

Abeita explained that in Diné culture, they are storytellers. “I feel like my work tells stories and I can tell you about every single piece and what it represents and what it means.” Holding a current piece of jewelry that she has made, she added that the abalone shell represents family. “In this pair of earrings I have, we have seven hearts [which] represents seven generations. I feel like this is a more of a family matriarch generational earring, so I have the abalone shell which means family in the heart [shape], like your love for family.” She continued to explain other symbolisms in the beads she uses. “White shells like mother of pearl always represent the female and turquoise more represents the male in our in our culture.”

Whether she is teaching young hearts and minds or creating timeless beadwork, Abeita says she does it with Hózhó – with beauty and balance. “Every school should lead with Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. When I saw those pillars and I saw that it I could relate it back to Hózhó, I feel like this is where I belong.”

With a background in teaching science, this is Abeita’s first year teaching at Great Hearts. Although she initially felt nervous about her new teaching assignment, she shared that the New Faculty Orientation helped her feel more confident and settled. “As the school year started, I feel like I grew a lot more as a teacher,” she said.

Abeita said she was particularly drawn to the pursuit of Beauty in the mission of Great Hearts. The Navajo word, Hózhó, while difficult to translate is loosely used to convey “peace, beauty, and harmony” or “to surround yourself in beauty.” Abeita said this Navajo word is considered to be the most important in the language and she was excited to know that Beauty was such an important part of the Great Hearts curriculum.

From the Diné Tribe (Navajo Tribe), her clans are Blacksheep, Bitter Water, Tangle Clan, and Towering House. “That’s how I identify myself as an indigenous Navajo woman,” she proudly shared. Abeita grew up raising corn and livestock in Ganado, Arizona, where she says she was rooted in Navajo culture and traditional ceremonies.

Abeita learned a culturally significant artform at a young age that she still practices. “When I was eight years old, we had a cultural class in our school and one of the visitors who came and taught at our class showed us how to do bead work, and that really stuck with me.” she recalled. “I loved the many colors they had and the endless possibilities… That’s what really intrigued me was the infinite possibilities of what she could create. So as a young 8-year-old girl, that was something I became passionate about, and I’ve been beading on and off ever since.”

Just a few years ago, Abeita began selling some of her handmade jewelry on Instagram under the name, Pony Puff Beads. Her husband, who has a master’s in graphic design and marketing, saw her potential and designed a website for her to display and sell her wearable art pieces. “That’s where it all started to grow very rapidly. Then shortly after, I just really missed being in the classroom, and so I started incorporating classes where I was teaching students anywhere from ages five to 18 how to do some of the beading sessions and create jewelry. I would go to different schools… and I would teach classes there.” This led to her fulltime return to teaching, but she still makes room for her beading.

You can view Abeita’s work and shop her online store at https://ponypuffbeads.com.

Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts? Please contact jason.moore@greathearts.org