Documentary on Navajo Farmers’ Resilience After Gold King Mine Spill to Screen at Diné College
SHIPROCK, N.M. The Diné College Land Grant Office and New Mexico State University’s Agriculture Science Center in Farmington screened a new documentary, “Story Through Lenses: Resilience in Farming Along the San Juan River,” on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Diné College Shiprock South Campus Senator John Pinto Library Auditorium. The film documents how Navajo farmers along the San Juan River persevered after the 2015 Gold King Mine spill.
Daveishena Redhouse, of Shiprock, N.M., and Cayden Manuelito, of Farmington, N.M., created the film over roughly two years, with production support from the NMSU Agriculture Science Center. Redhouse holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in cinematic arts and technology, with a minor in interactive arts and game design, from the Institute of American Indian Arts, and is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in animation at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Ga. Manuelito is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in film and digital media at the University of New Mexico.
The filmmakers interviewed seven Diné farmers of varying ages about life before and after the spill. The farmers shared their struggles and their strength as they continued working on the land. Redhouse wove animated storytelling elements throughout the film to bring those accounts to life. The project grew out of an NMSU grant-funded internship. Organizers served light refreshments before and after the screening, which drew just over 30 community members.
Thomas Bennett, associate director of student affairs at Diné College’s Shiprock South Campus, praised the film. “I thoroughly enjoyed the film,” Bennett said. “It shows Shiprock’s resilience from the Gold King Mine spill and how we persevered even though other communities were afraid to buy our products. The two young women are to be commended for a job well done.”
Beverly Maxwell, extension agent at the Diné College Land Grant Office on the Shiprock Campus, noted that the spill remains a significant topic more than a decade later, and that farming communities along the San Juan River continue to feel its effects. The Diné College Land Grant Office extends its best wishes to Redhouse, Manuelito, and the NMSU Agriculture Science Center as they pursue future film festival entries for the documentary, which honors the resilience of Navajo farmers despite the lasting impacts of the 2015 spill.
The 2015 Gold King Mine spill released millions of gallons of toxic wastewater into the Animas River. The pollution flowed into the San Juan River and reached Navajo farming communities downstream. More than 10 years later, the spill continues to shape daily life for many families in the region. The film preserves the farmers’ stories of resilience for future generations.
The Diné College Land Grant Office thanks Darwyn Henderson, branch librarian, Shiprock Campus, Dr. Kevin Lombard, director of the NMSU Agriculture Science Center in Farmington; and Sonja Morgan, student recruiter, Shiprock Campus. Morgan used the screening to advance student recruitment for the college and remains a valued presence in supporting the Shiprock Campus community.
About the Diné College Land Grant Office
Diné College earned Land Grant Institution Status from the U.S. Congress in 1994 and established the Land Grant Office in 1996. The office delivers culturally based extension programs in agriculture, youth development, and livestock management, funded through USDA NIFA grants. Learn more at www.dinecollege.edu.
PHOTO L-R: Beverly Maxwell, Daveishena Redhouse, Cayden Manuelito, and Dr. Kevin Lombard
