NAVAJO NATION (KRQE) – A Santa Fe, New Mexico, woman has made it her mission to bring smiles to Navajo kids and support them by providing them with skateboards and a brand-new skate park.
Amy Denet Deal is a member of the Diné Tribe and refers to herself as a “skate auntie.” She is currently in the process of handing out 5,000 skateboards to Indigenous youth in New Mexico and Arizona through her sustainable upcycled artwear brand, 4KINSHIP. Her first skateboard giveaway was in Window Rock, Arizona, in early September, and last week she held another giveaway in Shiprock, New Mexico.
“I’ve personally never been in a room with that much joy. Those kids were like, ‘Oh my God’, it’s just like the biggest smiles. Like, they were so excited, and they were all together so they could experience it together,” said Denet Deal about the giveaway event in Window Rock. “Within an hour and maybe 15 minutes, like 1,600 skateboards were gone.”
Denet Deal has one more skateboard distribution event planned in Tuba City, Arizona.
When asked about why she decided to promote skateboarding to Navajo children, Denet Deal said she was influenced during her time designing sportswear and meeting people who skated. “Everyone says that skateboarding saved their life. It’s a sport that they can practice at any time with friends, by themselves. It’s kind of like you make up your own idea of how you wanna participate in that sport. And from what I’ve seen, these kids have gained so much confidence,” Denet Deal explained.
Denet Deal started a crowdfunding campaign at the end of 2023 to help purchase the skateboards from Monarch Project and other skating equipment. The effort received donations from more than 2,000 people, including some affiliated with corporate businesses, and a private donor.
“We were lucky enough to have [Navajo Nation] President Nygren out at our last distribution, in addition to some of our corporate sponsors and Monarch Skateboards,” said Denet Deal following the Window Rock event. “They got to see firsthand how bonkers these kids go whenever they get their first skateboard, and it just makes everybody want to do more. So maybe next year we’ll try to do 100,000 or 500,000 [skateboards], or whatever that need is in the future.”
This is not the first time Denet Deal has raised awareness of skateboarding within the Navajo Nation. In April 2023, she helped open the Diné Skate Garden located in the Two Grey Hills chapter of the Navajo Nation.
That project was supported by skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, Vans, DC Shoes, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Jewel with the Inspiring Children Foundation, and other organizations and donors.
Diné Skate Garden grand opening in April 2023. (Credit: Wade Adakai)
