Sharon Burch

Sharon Burch, Navaho folk singer and songwriter, is the daughter of a German father and a Navaho mother; for her, growing up bi-cultural was a blessing. "My grandfather was a Navaho healer who followed the Blessing Way. He had a very positive approach to life," Burch said, speaking from her Northern California home. "He brought my mother up to respect Indians and non-Indians, and taught us not to be afraid of what happens in this life, because in the final account, everything turns back to beauty."

In her music and her life, Burch has kept to the Blessing Way, finding a way to balance Navaho traditions with the demands of the modern non-Indian world. "People think I'm primarily a musician, but my main priority is my family. I work with developmentally disabled people - children and adults - who have special needs. That's really what I do, although right now I'm on maternity leave with my second child.