Urban Natives Reconnect With Their Culture Via Keshjéé’

January 30, 2026

Jeston Morris

Community Newsperson

PHOENIX, Ariz. — On Jan. 10, more than 350 Native Americans attended the 14th Annual Keshjéé’ at the Phoenix Indian Center (PIC). The Language and Culture Department hosted the event, with Elicia Goodsoldier and Kami Ortiz leading the Navajo shoe game.

According to Goodsoldier, many Native relatives live away from their homelands for education and employment. The shoe game gives urban Natives an opportunity to reconnect with their culture. Keshjéé’ is a psychological probability game that involves teasing, acting, singing, storytelling, teaching and playing. Participants of all ages practice k’é, or kinship, during the game. Goodsoldier serves as program manager and Ortiz as coordinator.

Kevin Belin and Landon Succo facilitated the event. They opened with a one-hour lecture about the shoe game. In the traditional story, diurnal and nocturnal animals play the game to settle a dispute over the earth’s cycle. Because neither side wins, the result is a balanced day-and-night cycle. Belin is the director of the Diné Bizaad Institute at Navajo Preparatory School, and Succo is his mentee.

Keshjéé’ features two teams representing day and night. Each team has a blanket, wooden baton, yucca stems, a set of four shoes and a wooden box filled with sand. The yucca ball is hidden inside one of the shoes and covered with sand while the team sings. The opposing team sends a player with a baton to guess where the ball is hidden, using the baton to signal their intent.

If the player guesses incorrectly, the team loses yucca stems. Penalty values are 4, 6 and 10 stems. A correct guess allows the player to retrieve the yucca ball and return it to their team. The game uses 102 stems, representing the golden age. The yucca ball, made from the yucca root, symbolizes the human psyche. The team that loses all its stems loses the game.

Belin explained that the origins of Keshjéé’ trace back to the Yellow World. A giant is the central figure. In the Third World, he created the game, but no one wanted to play with him because of his massive size. When he walked, the ground shook and rumbled. The bear, coyote and lion helped the giant introduce the game to the people. The first Keshjéé’ was played at the mirage stone hogan on the east side of the Chuska Mountains.

Today, Keshjéé’ is played both on and off the Navajo ancestral homelands, including in border towns and major urban centers. The host sets the rules, such as how many times the ball may be hidden in the same shoe and how players may signal with the baton. Players often ante up before the game begins, though PIC’s house rules did not require it. Keshjéé’ is not considered gambling; its purpose is cultural reconnection.

Information booths and merchandise vendors were set up in the parking lot, and the shoe game took place inside a large tent. Food truck vendors included Emmerson Frybread and Hatch-It Green Chile Burgers & Tacos. The event was postponed in January 2022 due to COVID-19. In 2024, the shoe game focused on youth. This year’s event included both youth and adults. PIC staff did an excellent job hosting, and attendees enjoyed a positive cultural experience.