When Amy Denet Deal returned to her home country in 2019, the lessons she had learned as a corporate fashion designer came back to her, too.
Having worked for large, wealthy companies throughout her career, including Puma and Reebok, Deal returned to her community knowing she wanted to create something reciprocal.
“I’ve worked my whole life for these big brands and I don’t know where the money went,” Deal said. “With (4KINSHIP), it’s wonderful to have a small, female-owned brand that’s very clear about what we’re doing, which is the most important thing, (with) the profits of the brand being reinvested into future generations.”
Deal carried that thinking over to his 2021 project called Diné Skate Garden — a passion project located on the Two Grey Hills Chapter (Navajo Nation) in New Mexico where amateur and professional skaters can ride.
“You don’t build a park in a remote area and say, ‘Goodbye, see you later,’” Deal said. “I wanted it to be sustainable and have an impact on the community in terms of jobs.”
Although Deal considered investing in other sports, she was drawn to skateboarding because of its versatility and uniqueness, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I wanted to come up with something really fun that they could participate in any time of year,” Deal said. “With a skatepark, it’s basically open 24/7, right? They can go there any time. … They have something to do and can stay active.”
When the park was completed in 2022, Deal launched a mentorship program with Indigenous skateboarder Shawn Harrison, who has accumulated over 18,000 Instagram fans of showcasing highlights from other indigenous skaters.
“(His classes) are now three times a week,” Deal said. “He’s also going to be moving around. We’re going to have the first-ever mobile skate school on a reservation with the Shawn Shine Skate School.”
Deal is also handing out 5,000 skateboards to Indigenous youth in several communities, including Chinle, Window Rock and Shiprock. The first of many skateboard giveaways took place at the Diné Skate Garden’s “Go Skate Day,” an annual gathering where skateboarding communities from around the world are encouraged to ride together.
“When we (Indigenous people) can host our own events and it’s hosted by an Indigenous brand that has a group of Indigenous mentors, it’s so different,” Deal said. “It’s like you’re at a family reunion where everyone’s there. Everyone loves each other. Everyone supports each other. Yes, there’s competition, but it’s a different energy.”
According to Deal, the Diné Skate Garden is a place for all skaters, regardless of expertise or age.
“At our events, we have little kids that are kind of in kindergarten right next to really high-level talent,” Deal said. “And they’re all there together. Because that’s who we are as Diné people. We’re resilient. We’re just going to go out and have fun and enjoy the day.”
To ensure young skaters continue to benefit from sustainable infrastructure and valuable mentorship, Deal says the skate garden could lead many aspiring athletes to pursue their Olympic dreams.
“As the kids get better at skating, our job will be to find them better and better teachers and facilities,” Deal said. “We’re also looking at expanding the Two Gray Hills park, if we need to expand the skate park to meet the different needs of Olympic training.”
With plans for a second skatepark already underway, Deal hopes the skatepark will generate tourism and create more opportunities for Indigenous youth over the years.
“I want to bring wealth back to these communities. We’re going to have to have a visitor center in Two Grey Hills someday,” Deal said. “I’d like to see a coffee shop where kids can learn to be baristas. I’d like to see money reinvested into a laundromat so all these families don’t have to go to border towns to do their laundry.”
4KINSHIP will host its second all-female, two-spirit Modern Matriarchs Skate Jam on September 21, with updated dates and location to be released in early August.
