>Photographer of “We Walk the Earth in Beauty”<
Soulstice Publishing invites readers to pay tribute to the memory of Helen Lau Running (1945–2014), whose photographs make our book We Walk the Earth in Beauty: Traditional Navajo Lifeways so special.
Helen Lau was born in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, Caribbean, of Chinese and Afro-Caribbean ancestry. In 1964, she married John Running, then a U.S. Marine. They came to the United States in 1965 and moved to Flagstaff, Arizona. Their children, RAEchel and John Paul, were raised there, at the foot of the sacred San Francisco Peaks.
An Influential Person
Helen was a woman of many talents. This is just a sample of her noteworthy accomplishments:
- Trilingual in English, Spanish, and French, she provided Spanish-language interpretation for clients of the Northern Arizona Regional Behavioral Health Authority and volunteered as an English tutor for non-native speakers.
- A skilled wordsmith, she wrote and edited articles for the Navajo-Hopi Observer newspaper and the IBM General Products Division, among others.
- Her writing and advocacy skills made her a sought-after grant-writer. She secured $1 million from the Arizona Heritage Foundation for the Fort Tuthill Performing Arts Amphitheater Phase II construction and assisted in securing $2 million from the National Science Foundation to improve Native American students’ performance in STEM fields.
- Unafraid of technology, she held various jobs in IT support and project management, including a stint as a Senior Computer Operator in the Astrogeology Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Her vast accomplishments speak to Helen’s intelligence, creativity, and people skills. For a more complete list, visit the website maintained by her daughter, RAEchel: runningphoto.com.
Helen’s Photography
Helen’s vivid creative life is notably evident in her photography. By the mid-1970s, she was sharing a studio with John Running and other artists. She documented the traditional lifeways and environmental stewardship of Indigenous peoples and championed the stories and work of other artists. Her love for humanity and for the cultural landscapes of the Colorado Plateau shines through her photographs.
In 1979, Helen met Kathy Hooker, a teacher with experience on the Navajo Reservation. Together, the two women began a project that would take them across the western side of the Navajo Reservation, documenting elements of traditional Navajo culture. Hooker recalls:
Helen was a driving force in this project. Her many contacts propelled us in locating more Navajo people who were willing to show us their traditional lifeways. The Diné could sense her respect as she photographed them. Her warmth and grace traveled with her constantly… Her photographs capture the dignity and spirit of Navajo people as they live day to day with Mother Earth.
Helen knew it was important to document and record Navajo lifeways to preserve them for future generations. In 1992, this project was published as the book Time Among the Navajo. Without Helen’s sensitive portraits and documentary photographs, contacts, and enthusiasm, this project would not have been possible. Soulstice Publishing produced a third edition in 2024 under the title We Walk the Earth in Beauty: Traditional Navajo Lifeways.
Photo by Helen Lau Running
The Little Colorado River Farms Project
Helen continued to maintain strong connections with Navajo people. In the 1980s, she worked with the Little Colorado River Farms Project. According to the Tolani Lake Enterprises website, this project involved four communities: Cameron, Tolani Lake, Leupp, and Birdsprings. Over 40 years, these communities developed family and community-irrigated farms, capturing the essence of Navajo agricultural practices.
Her colleague Jacques Seronde, a small farm development expert with the project, recalls:
I remember Helen tucked in among smiling moms and grandmas, grandpas and children at the feasts of mutton stew, blue corn mush and fry bread we shared… I remember her among corn tasseling high over her head, composing another vivid frame…
Helen’s beautiful photography and words held and honored and shared the heart and truth of those bright moments. She was gentle and loving, wise and keenly observant; she was so respectful—and so well respected and beloved by the Diné families, by all of us. Her photos were luminous, clear and deep like her. Reverent.
Helen’s daughter, RAEchel Running, a freelance photographer, rediscovered her mother’s work for the project. “The images evoke sensory memories,” she writes, “emphasizing the Beauty Way and the importance of preserving these moments for future generations.” Read more about the Navajo Little Colorado River Farms story here.
Helen’s vast body of poignant black and white documentary work remains a visual testament of the trust she developed with Diné people through years of friendship and collaboration. Soulstice Publishing is glad to pay tribute to the memory of this influential woman. To learn more about Helen Lau Running, visit runningphoto.com. [Photo of Helen Lau Running provided by RAEchel Running]
FURTHER READING
“We Walk the Earth in Beauty”: Long-awaited new book edition used by Navajo educators, by Alexandra Wittenberg. Published in the Navajo-Hopi Observer Feb. 4, 2025
New book pays homage to traditional Navajo way of life, published in the Painted Desert Tribute Nov. 20, 2024