The New Deal: 4Kinship’s Push to 5,000 Skateboards for Navajo Nation
Words by Anthony Pappalardo
Whether it’s millimeters, wheelbases, or shoe minutiae, skateboarders tend to be “gear obsessed.” With the prices of decks rising largely due to wage increases and material costs, we’re more aware of the economics of inches. Still, the expense of skateboarding has changed and, without getting into the weeds on inflation, it’s impacting the entire ecosystem of skateboarding.
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For the over 170,000 Indigenous tribal members of the Navajo Nation whose per capita income is roughly one-third of the national average, the dollar has a much different and more dire meaning to daily life than those of us with the ability to re-up from our phones impulsively. With 81-percent of American voters claiming the “economy” is the biggest issue in the upcoming election in November, the needs and financial standing of the Indigenous population of the US (estimated at over 9 million people) is rarely mentioned or represented, let alone the unequal conditions lacking infrastructure on the 300-plus Native reservations throughout the US.
Ignoring this situation is not possible for Diné artist, designer, entrepreneur, and activist Amy Denet Deal. Currently based in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she operates the brand 4KINSHIP, Deal’s work creating a platform for Native creators extends into different disciplines and lanes, with skateboarding becoming a growing arm of her efforts. Though she’s not a skateboarder herself, Deal understands the potential reach of skateboarding as an outlet that’s both physical and creative, and with the help of younger mentors embedded in the culture of skateboarding, she moved quickly to tap into that potential.
In 2021 Deal founded the Diné Skate Garden Project to celebrate Diné youth and introduce and sustain skateboarding in the Toadlena community. Through DSGP’s efforts, donations, and sponsorship, by Fall 2022, a 7,400 square-foot park was built by Wonders Around the World and 5th Pocket Skateparks in Newcomb, NM near Navajo Nation. Along with other community events and aid, Deal and DSGP created the Modern Matriarch Skate Jam–a woman and femme-focused day of skateboarding on Navajo Nation–with help from Di’Orr Greenwood, who Deal describes as “A guiding light for DSGP and our community initiatives like Modern Matriarch Skate Jam.” Initially a passion project and source of extra money, Greenwood’s wood-burning artistry and designs have appeared on collaborative decks, and US Postal Service stamps, and in 2024, Nike SB released two customized silhouettes by Greenwood, each telling a different story about her heritage and inspiration.
With a team and park in place, DSGP continues to a high bar, however, providing access to equipment for Indigenous youth has proven to be a barrier and ongoing focus of DSGP’s efforts.
“In 2023, after our first Modern Matriarch Skate Jam event, my friend Micaela from the Poseiden Foundation introduced me to Scott Sentianin, who had an amazing offer: 5,000 Monarch Project completes and Protec Helmets at an unbeatable price,” Deal said. “How could I say no? This was a chance to change the lives of 5,000 kids by giving them access to much-needed gear. Unpacking thousands of boxes was a big job, but seeing the joy on so many kids‘ faces made the room come alive. We handed out the first 1,600 boards in just over an hour!”
Focused on distributing 5,000 completes, Deal’s continued to work with Greenwood and a Two Grey Hills local known as the “shreducator.” Shawnshine Harrison spends three days a week at Two Grey Hills Skate Park in Newcomb, New Mexico teaching kids interested in rolling around the sprawling park. Modest yet outspoken about the stereotypes and lack of awareness of Indigenous culture, Harrison’s “Masa TV” and “Shawn Shine Show” videos lampoon those biases, often leveraging the line “Proof That Natives Exist,” while offering an open truth of his day-to-day. Proof of skateboarding’s impact, Harrison’s “Skate Across Native America” YouTube video is a 22-minute 44-second distillation of his 61-mile eight-hour push along cracked desert-lined highways from Farmington, New Mexico to Two Grey Hills Skate Park.
“Skateboarding saves lives because it’s a dance with danger,” Harrison said. “We live in a society where everything is “protected”. We don’t have to hunt for food in the literal sense. There are no wild animals in our modern towns. So skateboarding is a way to learn how to deal with danger. It’s something inherent in us that doesn’t get used too often nowadays. Skateboarding gives us the ability to become something more than we can be. Two Grey Hills Skatepark offers a place where anyone can express themselves creatively. It’s a place in an underserved area where there isn’t much going on and the significance is just the beginning of inspiring others to tap into something deep within themselves to help them grow creativity. “
With ongoing free lessons and events, Deal and crew will be distributing completes and safety equipment at Navajo Nation fairs throughout the Fall in Tuba City in Arizona as well as Shiprock, NM, but as Deal has found, the demand is not only growing but greater than the 5,000 boards currently making their way to the reservations.
“We’re planning to keep working on annual funding to make this event happen each year during the Navajo Nation Fairs,” she said. “If you want to help out, you can text SKATEINBEAUTY to 707070 to support our crowdfunding for future equipment. If you work at a skate company you can donate or let us buy your overstock. Let’s get these boards to kids on the reservations and support indigenous skate culture.”
For more information on supporting 4KINSHIP’s efforts contact community@4kinship.com.
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