Sunny Dooley is a

Diné The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States. With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...

storyteller born into the Saltwater Clan and born from the Water's Edge Clan. She shares Hane', or Diné Blessingway stories, and is a former

Miss Navajo Nation Miss Navajo Nation is a pageant that has been held annually on the Navajo Nation, United States, since 1952. The first Miss Navajo was Beulah Melvin Allen, in 1952. She was crowned at the Navajo Nation Fair, the largest fair held on the Nava ...

, having won the title in 1982.

Biography

Dooley was born to parents Dorothy and Tom Dooley. She is from the Chi Chil' Tah (Where the Oaks Grow) community in New Mexico, and grew up on the

Navajo reservation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native Americans in the United States, Native American Indian reservation, reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwe ...

in Arizona. She learned to speak Diné Bizaad as her first language and learned the skill of storytelling from her mother. As a storyteller, Dooley shares stories that have been passed down through generations in her family. In 1979, Dooley graduated from West High School in Salt Lake City, Utah. She attended the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25, ...

, where she received an

Associate of Art An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

degree. She later graduated from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

, majoring in speech communications and minoring in art. While at the school, she was awarded Miss Indian Brigham Young University. In 1982, she competed in Miss Navajo Nation. During the competition's skills portion, she told a story about the Changing Woman. She won the competition, becoming Miss Navajo Nation from 1982 to 1983. After the contest, she continued storytelling. She performed at the

National Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian is a museum in the United States devoted to the culture of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. It is part of the Smithsonian Institution group of museums and research centers. The museum has three ...

in Washington, D.C. around 2009. A year later, she published a story called "Mai and the Cliff-Dwelling Birds" in the 2010 book, ''Trickster: Native American Tales''. As of 2021, Dooley lives in Chi Chil' Tah in a

hogan A hogan ( or ; from Navajo ' ) is the primary, traditional dwelling of the Navajo people. Other traditional structures include the summer shelter, the underground home, and the sweat house. A hogan can be round, cone-shaped, multi-sided, or squ ...

, a traditional log house. In 2023, she had an acting appearance in the film '' Frybread Face and Me''. In 2024, she served as a cultural advisor and one of the central narrative figures in Johannes Grenzfurther's documentary ''

Hacking at Leaves Hacking at Leaves is a 2024 Austrian documentary film directed and written by Johannes Grenzfurthner. It explores various themes including the United States' colonial past, Navajo tribal history, and the hacker culture, hacker movement, through th ...

''. An interview with Kayla Briët is included in the 2025 documentary, ''Ways of Knowing''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dooley, Sunny Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American storytellers Women storytellers Navajo Nation people People from New Mexico Native American people from New Mexico University of New Mexico alumni Brigham Young University alumni