Callie Bennett has many roles, but we came to know her through her work as a musician based in Arizona and the Navajo Nation. I called Callie from Seoul to talk about her background, identity, life and culture in the Navajo Nation, and her work in music and ministry.
The following conversation has been edited for clarity and concision.
Could you start by introducing yourself briefly for the readers?
So, formally, I am Red Running into Water Clan born for the Salt People Clan. My Maternal Grandfather’s Clan is the Towering House Clan and my Paternal Grandfather’s Clan is the Deer Water Clan, and people call me Callie Bennett.
In terms of being adopted, I was born in 1988, but I was adopted in 1989 at 3-4 months old, from what I was told. I’m from a place called [경상북도 [gyeong-sang-buk-do]], I don’t know if I’m saying that right, but they transferred me from there to Seoul. My [adoptive] mother at the time was married to my adoptive father. He was a construction worker and he passed away on the job, but that’s another story.
My mother knows the story better than I do, I should know it better. (laughs) From what I was told, my mother heard over the phone that she would not get an adopted baby for like 5 years and she was put on the waiting list. I guess she got a call on Feb 17, where the lady from the [adoption] agency said “Debbie, I don’t know who you know but your baby is coming. Your baby is coming sooner than expected.” So it was very divine. I don’t know how my mom bypassed all those people but she did and got me very quickly.
So my mother got me near Mother’s Day. She got the news about me on February 17, which is a significant date because I have two younger sisters who were adopted from the state of Arizona and she got the news about them on the same day.
My adoptive father was still alive at this time. He died when I was 3 years old and later remarried to a Navajo man. I call him my dad. So my sisters and I were raised on and off the reservation.
What was it like for you growing up?
Well, my parents are pastors. My mother was always raised in church and that’s actually how she met my father. When they got married, they started a full-time ministry, and so church has always been a big part of our lives.
They started a church off the reservation and they moved it onto the Navajo Nation. So we lived on the Navajo Nation, one in the Hidden Springs Arizona area. People call it Willow Springs, but the locals know the real name is Hidden Springs. And we have a second church location in the Kaibeto area, which is more in the heart of the Navajo Nation. And then we have a third church in the Gila River Indian Community. So we have three churches and want to be a truly all-nations church, not just for Native people, not just for non-Native people, but for all nations.
Singing has also been a big part of my life. I had always helped in the church and I started singing in church. Actually, at every church I went to, when we were looking for a church, I always sang. My mother said that when she got me off of the plane, she had to take me to my older sister’s high school play – I have an older sister as well (my mother’s biological daughter). She said that right off the bat, she knew I was going to be musically talented because I sang along with the play, just humming along with the music. So she knew right away that she wanted to put me into music lessons. At first, she placed me into piano lessons, and then as I got older, it was vocal lessons, and then guitar lessons, and now I just teach myself different instruments here and there and keep up with my own personal vocal lessons.
When I send you some family pictures, you’ll see our family is truly all nations. My father is Navajo and my mom’s Cherokee and Caucasian but she’s been adopted into the Navajo and the Blackfeet Nations. My two younger sisters also identify with the Navajo identity. With China, she didn’t have her birth papers or anything, so we weren’t sure for a while what she was, bloodwise. And then my other sister, she is part Mexican and Black.
Growing up as sisters, our Navajo grandfather taught us that when we’re given up for adoption, we’re spiritually cut off from that culture, from the people, from the language there. He said, “You were given up, you had none of that. You had no language, no people, no nation.” But he said “When we took you in, we saw you as our own. We see you as if we raised you from being a baby. That’s how I see you.” That’s how strong and spiritual our indigenous people are.
Our indigenous people, especially our Navajo people, we’re very spiritual. And so through the spirit of adoption, I relate and identify myself wholly with the Navajo Nation, because my mother, even though she wasn’t born Navajo, she was adopted into the Navajo Nation as well. So, all of my Navajo aunties, they call her as their sister. They even told her “these are your family clans.” Do you remember how I introduced my Navajo clan? They gave her her own Navajo clan, and that lets me say, “Hey, my mother’s clan is this,” because that’s what she was given. So it’s really beautiful. The family relations with Navajo people are really, really strong and once they say you’re family, you’re pretty in for life (laughs). So I’m very grateful for that.
It sounds like you had a relatively smooth transition into your Navajo identity, at least as smooth as identity can be.
Well, of course growing up, especially in my teen years, I did struggle with identity issues and questions of who I am. Of course, when you’re in church, you’re taught about your identity in Christ, and it’s like, “Okay, I got that down, I know who I am in the Lord.” (laughs) But then biologically– do I accept my Korean side? Do I accept my Navajo side? I think every adoptee will go through that.
I think identity goes back to what you’re taught growing up as a young person. Even though I relate more with the Navajo side of my family, I’m very thankful for the life that was given to me and for my biological parents, wherever and whoever they are, for giving me up for adoption. From what I know from my mother, I guess from the paperwork, is that they gave me up for adoption so that I could have a better life.
Having talks with my father and my uncles, they would sit me down and say, “Don’t refer to yourself as this. You are Navajo.” (laughs) They’re really strong about that. “Through the spirit of adoption, through us adopting you, taking you in, you are Navajo. It’s not about blood, it’s not about the physical part of it. It’s a spiritual thing.” A lot of people have a hard time grasping that, so I have to share with them how I was taught and where I’m coming from.
I actually met someone through a business connection, and he was like “Oh, I spent time in Korea.” I guess he lived there for some years and knew the culture more, so I told him my story. And because one of the things I do know is that my parents had me out of wedlock, he told me “Well, there’s a very rich society and a very impoverished society, and there’s not really a middle ground. If you were born out of wedlock in those days and people knew that, then you would have been shunned by the community. You would have been treated a certain way. It would have been a very hard life for you.” I didn’t know that it was a big thing in South Korea. Maybe it’s different now, but I guess when my biological parents had me, they were in their 40s and I guess I would’ve come from a kind of poor society.
I believe the Lord used that to really speak to me, because I wasn’t searching for answers. I kind of put my questions on the shelf, because a person can drive themselves crazy asking questions all day, right? And from what my mother told me, they gave me up so that I could have a better life. I appreciated the knowledge that he shared with me that day because it really helped settle some things in my mind even though I had already settled things in my heart and I was at peace either way. So I’m very thankful to my biological parents for giving me the life that they did because I have such a beautiful life.
So, looking towards your present life, put simply, what are your occupations?
That’s a loaded question. (laughs)
(laughs) Yeah, I guess “occupations” is a little census-y. But what would you say your labors are then? What are your crafts?
Oh gosh, I do so much. I was telling you earlier, August is our busiest month. So this month is our annual Healing of the Nations Motorcycle Rally that our church puts on and I’m the main director, underneath my father, and I manage everything. It’s a huge task. During our events, I direct them, I manage them, I piece people here and there. But on a daily basis, I’m the executive administrator for our ministry, Covenant of Faith, and then I’m a personal secretary to my father, and sometimes my mom. I’m the music director, the worship leader, and I also do PR work. (laughs) With the church I do a lot of different roles. In ministry, you kind of take on whatever role you have to fill at the time.
Apart from the church, in everyday life, I’m a daughter, I’m a sister, I’m a music recording artist, and I’m also a jewelry designer. I’ve also stepped into becoming a fashion designer. I was hired as a fashion designer with a Navajo-owned company called Hool’áágóó. They’re a brand new company, they just started this year. I’m also currently in the recording studio, working on my fourth studio album that hopefully will be released sometime next year.
What else? I’ve done plumbing, backhoe operating, welding, moving heavy objects – we live in the desert, a high desert, there’s a lot of dirt. (laughs) Again, whatever capacity we have to fill, we will fill. I’ve done different things, and living on the reservation–I don’t know if you’re educated on Indian Nations in the United States or Canada…
I think I can safely round my answer down to “no”.
Yeah, American history unfortunately is really lacking in the right history of Native America, but you’ve gotta remember, I’m Navajo stuck in an Asian body. (laughs) That’s another thing my father and I do. He’s also an educator on Native American history and present day Native America. So when he travels, I share my music through singing and we share the culture through music.
It’s crazy how many people aren’t aware of current day circumstances with Native America. You know Navajo Nation and many other federally-recognized Indian Nations, not just in America but also in Canada, they’re like third world nations in our own country. It’s crazy, people still have to haul water. There’s still many homes that don’t have electricity. We just got wifi, like five years ago. So we’re like 30 years behind in infrastructure.
On the note about the lack of education about Native America, is there anything that you’d like to clear up/clarify for readers that also might not have a deep knowledge of Native America?
Well, the Native community is very diverse. There are Natives that were raised on the reservation, Natives that were raised off the reservation, which are called Urban Indians, and then you have Natives, such as myself, that are raised both on and off of the reservation, and you know either way, being native, we have to bridge that gap of cultures, from the westernized society to native culture. Within that, you have natives that are in the pow-wow world, natives that are in the church world, etc.
Of course, there are Natives that are like myself, who are accepting to people if they’re part Native, but then there are also Natives who are really against Natives that are half-white, half-Native, which is very unfortunate and sad. So, I think especially through my music today, I try to bring inspiring, positive, and encouraging values. I’m sorry, I’m kind of blabbing on. (laughs)
Not at all! I think that’s something a lot of adoptees can relate to. Another thing that I thought was interesting in what you just talked about was your experience growing up on and off the reservation. What was that like? The navigating between those two settings.
I remember when I really started realizing, when I was really young. I started going to the reservation and it was a major culture shock because there’s hardly any infrastructure. The way things are set up, there’s only one gas station for a town. It’s very rural. You come from Phoenix, which is a huge city, to desert and very rural towns. From where we live on the reservation, just to get to a good town and to get to a good hospital you have to drive at least 45 minutes to an hour. So growing up on and off the reservation, you have to learn real fast how to bridge the cultures, how to learn to live on the reservation and off it.
So yeah, it can be a challenge for some people. I think for our generation, it’s easier because you’re growing up with all the electronics and everything, but for the older generation, it’s been very challenging because there’s also a language barrier. Many of our elders still speak in full-blown Navajo. Primarily, everyone speaks English now. So our Navajo language is something that we have to bring back. It’s definitely a challenge in some areas.
(laughs) I can imagine. Actually, on the topic of navigating cultures, have you ever had to navigate between any of the other cultures in your life? Navajo, music, church, etc.?
Well, I actually had my first experience with a Korean church through my Aunt Helena. I have a grandmother by clan, she’s a very well-known Navajo singer on the Navajo Nation, but through her ministry, because she’s also a pastor at a church on our Navajo Nation, my aunt at the time, before the pandemic, was attending her church and one day a Korean missions group came out to her church, so she told them about my story.
The Korean church is actually a Californian church, Sarang Church, which means “Love Church”. It’s a beautiful church. I was amazed at their facilities. I love the people, they’re just so sweet and they’re awesome, and now they’re connected with us and they’re doing [Vacation Bible School] and everything on our Navajo Nation. This was a couple years ago before the pandemic, but they formed a connection with us. They still contact us and make sure how we’re doing. We’re cool. (laughs)
But that was my first experience, and they actually brought me in because they wanted to know us. They were like, “What’s your story?” and “We heard you were adopted from South Korea but you’re Navajo?” (laughs) So they invited me to come and speak at their church. They had an interpreter in Korean which was so cool and I sang in Navajo. I sang Amazing Grace in English and Navajo. And it’s a huge church. I had to wake up at 4 o’clock in the morning…
Oh, for morning prayer? (laughs)
It was the morning prayer service!
So, for me being a professional singer, I have to warm up my voice, and my voice was so not great but fortunately it still came out pretty good. They told me, “Yeah, you can speak and sing,” and I said “Okay, what time’s your service? 10?” and they were like “6 o’clock!” (laughs) Oh my gosh. Talk about a culture shock for me. Our church service doesn’t start until 10:30.
It was hard but it was good. But I was amazed that there were so many people there. It was a beautiful service because they did their praise and worship before they had me come up to sing and speak. After I spoke, so many women came up and they just hugged me. Some of them were really thankful and some of them were telling the pastor, “Next time she comes, give her more time to speak! Don’t have an interpreter!” (laughs) It was great.
Image courtesy of Hool’áágóó.
That’s wonderful! I’m glad it was a good experience for you. Before we wrap up, do you have any plans or ambitions for the future that you’d like to share?
Oh gosh, I definitely want to continue expanding in my music, and of course, especially in ministry.
I love Hillsong. I love Bethel worship, Elevation worship, stuff like that. My music’s not like that. (laughs) I want to do a worship album, maybe later. I just released my first Navajo gospel hymnal album this Easter. But yeah, Christianity is a big part of my life obviously.
My family’s next goals are to have a podcast or something else from the ministry, as well as getting some radio excerpts of my father’s teaching, really helping the ministry expand more as well as the music. I really have a heart to not only continue going into the Native communities with my music but also to expand out of the Native communities and see how I can get my music on local radio stations outside of the Indian Nations. I think that the messages in my songs can inspire people of all walks of life. So I’m trying to just do my best to expand in whatever capacity I can.
I also want to continue pursuing fashion and especially working with Hool’áágóó. Really helping wherever I can, being a part of the team, and designing more. They have the capability to create all different types of clothing, but right now I’m just starting with skirt designs. The first skirt design I released, they sold out in some sizes that evening. I’m guessing that’s a good sign.
