Adopt-A-Native-Elder Blog

Rug Of The Week

2012-01-22T12:14:00.001-07:00

by John Aldrich

The storm pattern is a regional design that arose in the western part of the Navajo reservation. This relatively simple example by May Shay has all the basic elements: four rectangles in the corners symbolizing either the four sacred mountains or the four winds, four zig-zag lines connecting the rectangles to the center symbolizing lightning, a border with jagged edges on one side, and a variety of other elements including bugs and insects as well as geometric shapes.

May is one of our older weavers which helps explain why this rug isn't overly complicated. It's simplicity, however, is one of its virtues.

May is asking $375 for her rug which measures 29" x 42". Here is the rug catalog listing, 6195.

This is May at the Big Mountain food run last spring:

She is holding a rug which she donated to the program. Generosity such as this is common amongst the Elders.

May was one of the original Big Mountain Elders when Linda first started making trips to the reservation 25 years ago, and she has attended all the rug shows since their inception. Her quiet, reserved demeanor belies her fierce independence, determination, and inner strength.

See this 2010 post for more information about the rug catalog.

Notes: Every effort has been made to photograph and present the rugs with as accurate rendition of color as possible. It's not possible, however, to be certain that your computer won't show some variance. Where two prices are listed in the catalog, the higher represents what the weaver hopes to receive and the lower, the minimum she will accept. As has always been the case at ANE all the proceeds of every rug sale go entirely to the weaver. Prices are set by the weaver, and since there is no "middleman" they are typically very reasonable.

Rug Of The Week - Heart Rugs

2012-01-15T13:02:00.004-07:00

by John Aldrich

"I may not be able to make the biggest or straightest rugs any more, but I still need to eat."

This paraphrases something that Linda hears frequently from our aging weavers. Whether because of arthritis and declining health, failing eyesight, or other reasons, weavers find it increasingly challenging to set up their looms and continue to pursue this activity that has been an integral part of their lives since childhood. Many continue to weave because it is such an important part of who they are, and others, who have supported their families over the years through the sale of rugs, must still have the means to obtain the basic necessities of life.

The output from the looms of these weavers is frequently not perfect. The edges may not be square; the rugs are usually of smaller dimensions; the designs may be simpler. If the weaver has failing vision she may turn to brighter colors so she can better see what she is weaving. One of our weavers, who is blind, creates all-white rugs that are beautiful.

Regardless of how the rug looks, it still represents the heart of the weaver and the best she can do. We like to call these "heart rugs". There is a special table at the rug show to feature these rugs. They are frequently made with hand spun yarn from the weaver's own flock. Touching these rugs allows one to feel the hands and heart of the weaver.

Roseline Jackson is one of these weavers. She used to be a regular at the rug show, but isn't able to come any more because of her age and health. But she still comes to the Teesto food run where she typically has one or two new rugs for us to add to the catalog.

Roseline calls this rug a Greyhills:

As Greyhills rugs go, this is a simple design that uses relatively few colors. Yet it's a very appealing rug that anyone would be proud to own. Knowing that the purchase of this rug will help allow Roseline to continue weaving and to provide her with food makes it just that much more special.

Roseline's rug measures 22" x 40", and she is asking $400 for it. See the catalog listing here.

There are a number of other rugs by Roseline in the current catalog. To see them, type "Roseline Jackson" in the search field of any page on our site.

Here is a photo of Roseline at the May 2011 Teesto food run. She had just received a special Mother's Day gift box.

See this 2010 post for more information about the rug catalog.

The ANE Newsletter

2012-01-11T10:36:00.000-07:00

by John Aldrich

Those of you who subscribe to the ANE newsletter will have just received the most recent edition. Here is a look behind the scenes at how it is produced.

Newsletters are mailed out six times a year. The January newsletter features stories about the rug show the previous November. Newsletters in March and July anticipate the upcoming food runs, while those in June and December feature stories about the recently completed food runs. A special edition in September anticipates the upcoming rug show.

Approximately 2000 copies are mailed out to subscribers across the country and worldwide.

Design and production of the newsletter starts long before its printing, of course, with thoughts of possible stories floating through Linda's head. Design work starts in earnest about two weeks ahead of printing and involves the collaboration of Linda and Joyce Trapman, our administrative assistant, working together on the text, photos, and layout.

Once the layout is completed, the newsletter goes to the printer, Copytech, which is owned by one of our volunteers, Deb Conover. Thanks to this relationship, extra effort is put into making sure that the final product looks as good as possible.

When the printing is finished, it's time to call in the volunteers to the warehouse to assemble the newsletter for mailing. With the recent mailing, the newsletter assembly took place last Friday, January 6th. Here are some photos to illustrate the steps needed before the newsletter heads out the door to the post office.

Ten to twelve volunteers gather around a work area:

The first step in the process is affixing the mailing labels:

Then the newsletter is passed along to the team that tapes the three open sides:

And finally the stamps are applied:

At last, the newsletter is ready to be taken to the post office:

The final result is a twenty page newsletter with interesting stories about happenings in the program, lots of pictures, news about upcoming events, and special ways to help the Elders. It is also a resource for anyone who might be considering a food run or attending the rug show. It's one of the best ways there is to keep abreast of what's happening at ANE.

Newsletter subscriptions are $20 per year and represent a great investment for anyone interested in the Program.

Rug Of The Week

2012-01-08T07:36:00.001-07:00

by John Aldrich

For the Navajo, weaving is more than a cultural and artistic expression - it is a principle means of supporting families. Through the rug catalog, rug show, and other venues, ANE does its best to try to help provide a market for weavers.

To underline the importance of this role, Linda just received a plea from Lorraine Benally to try to help her sell her rug in order to provide food for her eleven children. Lorraine had been unsuccessful in finding a trader to take her rug since the market is soft in these uncertain economic times and traders aren't buying many rugs.

Lorraine's pictorial rug shows a pleasant pastoral scene of sheep in a landscape watched over by the herder. Puffy clouds appear pregnant with rain. It is a calm and peaceful image.

Lorraine is a younger weaver whose mother, Annie Bedonie, is an Elder in our program. Lorraine lives in Rough Rock, Arizona, which is about 30 miles from the site of the Many Farms food run.

Her rug measures 20" x 24", and she would like $300 for it. If you would like to help Lorraine and acquire a beautiful rug at the same time, visit the catalog listing 6904.

See this 2010 post for more information about the rug catalog.

Notes: Every effort has been made to photograph and present the rugs with as accurate rendition of color as possible. It's not possible, however, to be certain that your computer won't show some variance. Where two prices are listed in the catalog, the higher represents what the weaver hopes to receive and the lower, the minimum she will accept. As has always been the case at ANE all the proceeds of every rug sale go entirely to the weaver. Prices are set by the weaver, and since there is no "middleman" they are typically very reasonable.

Rug Of The Week

2012-01-01T13:35:00.003-07:00

by John Aldrich

With this post I am initiating a series that will feature a variety of rugs in our current catalog. Although the recent rug show resulted in the sale of many rugs, there are many beautiful weavings remaining in our inventory. These sales are an important way we help to support weavers on the reservation. Even if you're not looking for a rug to purchase, I hope you enjoy looking at the amazing artistry and learning a bit about the weavers.

In this first post there are actually two featured rugs, both by Mary Lee of Many Farms:

Mary is a prolific weaver and specializes in small rugs that are typically 16" by 18" which is the case here. Her rugs are finely woven and usually feature star patterns or dazzler designs in traditional colors. We often have several in the catalog, but they tend to not last long since the combination of quality and value makes them very desirable. These rugs are very reasonably priced at $95.

Mary is not old enough to be an Elder in our program, but her rugs are a welcome addition to the catalog.

To see the catalog listings for these rugs or to place an order visit listings 7067 for the top rug and 7063 for the lower rug.

See this 2010 post for more information about the rug catalog.

Notes: Every effort has been made to photograph and present the rugs with as accurate rendition of color as possible. It's not possible, however, to be certain that your computer won't show some variance. Where two prices are listed in the catalog, the higher represents what the weaver hopes to receive and the lower, the minimum she will accept. As has always been the case at ANE all the proceeds of every rug sale go entirely to the weaver. Prices are set by the weaver, and since there is no "middleman" they are typically very reasonable.

What's Happening At ANE?

2012-01-01T11:49:00.001-07:00

January 3rd Tuesday: Volunteer Day at the warehouse, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30
January 6th Friday: Volunteer Day at the warehouse, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30.
January 10th Tuesday: Volunteer Day at the warehouse, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30
January 13th Friday: Volunteer Day at the warehouse, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30.
January 17th Tuesday: Volunteer Day at the warehouse, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30.
January 20th Friday: Volunteer Day at the warehouse, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30.
January 24th Tuesday: Volunteer Day at the warehouse, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30
January 27th Friday: Volunteer Day at the warehouse, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30.
January 29th Sunday: The Annual Winter Stories Night event, 5:00 p.m. at the warehouse.
January 31st Tuesday: Volunteer Day at the warehouse, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30.

For more detailed information about volunteer activities please visit the Volunteer Activities page of our web site.

Ya'at'eeh Keshmish

2011-12-19T14:06:00.001-07:00

by John Aldrich

That's Merry Christmas in Navajo.

Salt Lake City is a choral kind of place. From the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on down through a variety of professional, semi-professional, highly talented amateur groups, and on to the neighborhood church choirs, there are a lot of people singing here.

Our own Joyce Trapman, administrative assistant at ANE, is one of them. Joyce belongs to the Jubilate choral group that presented their annual Christmas concert on December 10th. As part of a selection of music from around the world, the group offered both We Wish You a Merry Christmas and Little Drummer Boy in Navajo. To add authenticity, the choir was augmented by Rose Jakub, a local Navajo woman with ANE connections. Rose also offered a short solo, accompanying herself with a drum.

Here are pictures of Joyce and Rose followed by each of them performing:

We hope you have a joyous holiday season and a New Year of peace and service to the Elders.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-18T14:55:00.002-07:00

by John Aldrich

After the rug show the heavy lifting is pretty much done for the year. It's a time for volunteers to reflect on another year of service to the Elders as well as on the good spirit created by working with one another. We do this at the annual Thanksgiving Dinner at the warehouse. It's a pot luck affair that can handle up to 100 people. The warehouse is transformed, as much as a warehouse can be, into a party setting with decorations appropriate to the season:

As people arrive with their assigned dishes, the long food table starts to fill with tempting sights:

There's plenty of time to socialize before eating:

And our new Shi Yazhi princess was introduced by Eileen Quintana:

Finally it's time to eat. The big question every year is which table will get to go first. Those who try to outguess Linda often find they are at the end of the line:

But there's plenty of delicious food for everyone. Three large turkeys and a Honey Baked ham served as the main staples while the variety of enticing side dishes seemed endless. And there was no shortage of desserts.

After we were all sated we sat back in our chairs anticipating being entertained by a song or two from Harry James. But Harry had other plans, and we ended up being the entertainment ourselves. Harry taught us a song in Navajo and asked everyone to sing along. Stumbling through this as part of the group was humbling enough, but he then invited individuals to come up and join him. As most of us were trying to hide under the table, Harry spotted Paul Barron who stepped forward and did a credible job:

Finally Linda got her turn:

She handled the song with sufficient aplomb that we suspect she wasn't totally unfamiliar with it.

It was a wonderful evening of food and fellowship.

Rug Show Moments 2011 - Veterans Ceremony

2011-12-16T10:12:00.000-07:00

by John Aldrich

The Veterans Ceremony on Sunday morning remains one of the most moving parts of the rug show. This year's event was no exception. We have been honored to have a Navajo Code Talker at the majority of ceremonies in recent years. Because of their advancing age and dwindling numbers it has become a challenge to find one who can make the journey to Park City for the event.

This year Howard and Beverly Benally answered the challenge by inviting Raymond Smith Jr. of Lupton, Arizona. Raymond is a veteran himself and the son of Code Talker Raymond Smith Sr., who passed away several years ago.

Here is Raymond with his wife Theresa and daughter Savannah:

And here is Raymond with Beverly and Howard:

The ceremony began with the stirring drumming and singing of the White Lake drum group:

- combined with the entrance of the colors:

Rhonda Duvall once again offered her inspiring rendition of the national anthem in Navajo:

- which was followed by Raymond's talk:

Raymond combined reminiscences of his own military career with others about his father. The Navajo are a very patriotic people which strikes many as a contradiction in view their past treatment by the U.S. Government and the army in particular. As a group the Code Talkers have been modestly unassuming about their key role in World War II, often not even discussing it among their own family.

From Raymond's talk we understand that his father was a man of great integrity, and a man in whose footsteps his son tries to walk. Integrity is a value we all need to embrace in our modern world.

Following Raymond's talk we had the prayers of the traditional Elders for all veterans and active military, and in closing, each of the veterans attending the ceremony was individually honored.

There were many vets in the audience, but to the best of my knowledge, this friend of LaRee White-Engel was the only one in full uniform:

The final photo shows Rhonda again in her beautiful dress and jewelry:

We express our gratitude to Howard and Beverly for orchestrating this moving event.

Rug Show Moments 2011 - Fine Dress

2011-12-14T11:04:00.000-07:00

by John Aldrich

The rug show is a feast for the eyes. The displays of rugs, jewelry, baskets, and crafts certainly create an extravagant visual treat. But add to that the traditional dress of the Elders and their families and you have something extraordinary.

Although I'm only guessing, I doubt that Navajos living their daily lives on the reservation have too many occasions to bring out their finery. But the rug show is one event where they show their best.

This photo of the Blackhorse-Benale family of Forest Lake shows multiple generations all dressed in the traditional manner:

Brightly colored velveteen blouses and skirts augmented by silver and turquoise jewelry make a dazzling display of color. Turquoise is the favored stone for jewelry as it traditionally provides protection to the wearer.

Here are Frances Bahe and her daughter Marie wearing their beautiful jewelry:

Frances is also wearing a Pendelton coat, another favorite among traditional Navajos.

Most traditional Navajos do not cut their hair, but wear it done up tightly and tied with yarn in a hair bun. This style is not limited to the women as Julius Chavez demonstrates:

Another aspect of traditional dress is leather moccasins complemented by deer hide leggings. Here Darlene Furcap is fitting the leggings for her daughter:

Young Navajo women often wear rug dresses at special occasions. These are woven in the same manner as blankets. At the show this year were two very special rug dresses. The first was created for Marty Whitehair by her parents for her graduation. It incorporates a horse in keeping with a theme often seen in the weavings of this family:

The other unique dress is a multiple rug design made by Darlene Furcap for her daughter Dianna:

And finally, back to the topic of hair, Harry Begay shows that he has talents beyond roping as he fixes the hair of his niece, Bobbi Jo Whitehair:

Rug Show Moments 2011 - International Visitors

2011-12-10T16:49:00.000-07:00

by John Aldrich

In 2006, at the inspiration of Lisa Wishnick, we invited Hollywood actor Jay Tavare to join us at the rug show. Jay, who is part Native American, made an immediate connection with the Elders and the Program. Since then he has returned for every show and has been using his popularity and connections to increasingly bring ANE to the attention of his fans. Here is Jay with the weavers at the 2006 show:

As Jay made more and more mention of the Program through his web site, many of his fans started to become interested in attending the rug show. Jay has a substantial international following, and the first to decide to make this long journey was a young woman from Holland, Rosita van den Burg, who had never been out of her homeland or been on an airplane.

Rosita is a painter, and on her first trip in 2008 she brought with her a special painting to be offered in the Friday night auction. Everyone loved Rosita, and her experience led her to return again in 2009 with another painting.

Here is Rosita with Jay at her first show in 2008:

Over the subsequent years more and more of Jay's supporters have come to attend and to volunteer at the show. Jay refers to this group as his Spirit Volunteers.

This year saw not only a record number of Spirit Volunteers but also an amazing number of international visitors. Not only did Rosita return, but volunteers also came from Italy, France, and Germany. Giovanna Gaddoni, following in Rosita's footsteps made her first journey outside of her homeland of Italy, while Dominique Samy came from France. These three showed up on Wednesday for the rug show setup and then volunteered throughout the remainder of the show.

At the Thursday evening dinner, Rosita revealed her latest painting which she sold to benefit Jay's Warming Hearts firewood program. Here are Rosita, Giovanna, and Dominique with the painting:

Dominique:

and Giovanna:

were each honored with a rug at the dinner.

During the course of the rug show many other Spirit Volunteers appeared, including additional international guests. Here is the overseas group with Jay which now includes Tanja Martin and Christoph Stocker from Germany:

That these individuals would make such an enormous commitment to come to Park City speaks volumes about the impact of Jay's influence. But the impact of the Elders, the show, and the spirit of volunteerism once they were here lead them all to wish for a return in the future.

Rug Show Moments 2011 - Fun and Games

2011-12-08T08:03:00.000-07:00

by John Aldrich

In recent years at the show, we have taken time on Thursday afternoon for some light-hearted diversion. A variety of games having been offered to entertain the Elders. This year it was a double header starting with stick ponies followed by a roping contest.

Janet Dalton has been the organizer for these games, and this year, in keeping with the horse theme of the show, the activity involved stick ponies. During the course of the year volunteers took standard toy ponies and transformed them into a variety of fanciful creatures such as giraffes, leprechauns, pigs, and cowboys.

Here's Janet, at one of the rug show planning meetings, with a small selection of these creations:

At the show, volunteers "rode" the horses out and presented each one to an Elder. Here are a few of the riders waiting in the wings to make their appearance onstage:

- - - while Linda is priming the audience for what is about to happen:

- - - then out came the riders:

Katie Furcap seems pleased with her Miss Piggy horse:

The second entertainment for the afternoon was roping. By way of explanation it should be noted that horses are an integral part of Navajo culture and most older Navajos grew up with and own them. Skills such as riding and roping are second nature to Navajos, both men and women.

Several years ago we had a calf roping event at the rug show, and Buster Bigashi was created as the target. This year Buster was transformed into a horse and renamed Hidalgo. Every Navajo attending had a chance to exhibit their skill and win prizes. Grace Smith Yellowhammer starts out with a bullseye:

- - - while Elizabeth Clah shows good form as her rope uncoils toward the unsuspecting Hidalgo:

Mary Lou Gleason looks determined as she begins her warmup:

In the end, many prizes were presented. Here are some of the winners:

In the background is Harry Begay to whom we owe many thanks for supervising the event.

Rug Show Moments 2011 - The Grandma Idol Contest

2011-12-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

by John Aldrich

Held on Saturday afternoon, this is one of the popular events of the show. Loosely based on American Idol, the Grandmas are given a theme about which to make up a song. In keeping with this years rug show theme, they were asked to sing about their horse and how it helped them in their lives. After a few minutes to think it over they stood up to present their song.

To add color to the event each Grandma picked out one of several brightly colored western hats to wear while they sang.

One of the early contestants, Lena Cowboy, was the eventual winner:

Additional entertainment was provided by Jay Tavare and his stick horse:

Most of the contestants sang of the merits of their horse, however a few lamented that their horse was lazy and just cost them money to feed.

Last year's winner, Carol Blackhorse, was back to defend her title but didn't pull it off this year:

Grace Smith Yellowhammer conscripted Jay to be a part of her presentation, and this was very popular with the audience:

The Grandmas were divided into groups and the group winner was decided by audience acclaim. As Jay held his horse over each contestant, the audience responded:

Other colorful participants included Jane Benale:

And Elsie Benale:

Eventually a winner emerged from each group and a final overall winner was proclaimed:

May Shay, Elizabeth Clah, Grace Smith Yellowhammer, and Lena Cowboy share the stage with Jay and Miss Indian USU. The winners each took home a basket of prizes.

At the end, overall winner, Lena Cowboy, takes a victory lap on Jay's horse:

Rug Show Moments 2011 - The Auction

2011-12-04T08:14:00.002-07:00

by John Aldrich

The show opens to the public on Friday night with a gala fund raiser, and the auction is the center of attention for the evening. A festive atmosphere helps set the mood, and attendees receive a 10% discount on rug purchases. Proceeds from the evening are used to help defray the cost of staging the show.

Deer Valley served tempting food:

Music added to the ambiance. Nancy and Gary played beautiful flute music:

Fred Engel entertained with cowboy poetry:

And the musical duo Stampede wowed the audience:

As we moved toward the actual auction, people had a chance to peruse the various packages that would be offered:

This beautiful horse-themed textile piece by ANE volunteer Gina Zimmerer was one of the highlights:

Our auctioneer for the past several years has been Richard O'Keefe who conducts a fast-paced and highly entertaining event:

Art Sleeper once again did an outstanding job organizing the auction. This year he added an additional feature in which bidders could win free raffle items based on a drawing of paddle numbers:

Another unusual auction feature was the opportunity to purchase Rainbow Food Boxes for delivery on food runs to the reservation. Bidders could jump in at any price that suited their inclination and budget:

Four rugs were included in the auction this year. The most unique was this ceremonial rug by Dorothy Cody, one of our Elders at Leupp:

This offering produced the most spirited bidding of the evening:

Thanks to the result of this package plus all the others and the generous bidding by the audience, we had the most successful auction in rug show history.

Rug Show 2011 - School Programs

2011-12-03T09:45:00.003-07:00

by John Aldrich

Special programs to educate school children about Navajo culture have been a part of the rug show since early in its history. Linda offered an explanation about how this tradition got started: "Several children once asked me, 'Aren't you afraid of them?', referring the Navajo people. This experience made me think that adding an opportunity for them to learn about Navajos would be a valuable experience."

Currently we have three sessions of programs, Thursday morning and afternoon, and Friday morning. Each session is divided into two parts occurring simultaneously in different parts of the Snow Park Lodge. At the midway point students switch to the other venue. Thus we can handle a larger number of students, and they can experience a greater range of topics. As many as 110 students were present at a time.

During the course of the three sessions, we have over 600 students from 15 schools come to the rug show. Most are of elementary age, but two high schools and one junior high participated as well.

This year, the coordination of all this was in the capable hands of Masuda Medcalf, shown here with Mary Owen, as they prepare the children for the first round of programs:

Navajo Elders and weavers participate by explaining or demonstrating a variety of aspects of their culture. Additionally, children can directly experience some of this by either spending a few minutes weaving at a loom or having their hair put up in a traditional hair bun.

During the program children are able to watch as weavers work at their looms:

The youngest weaver from the reservation this year was eight-year-old Israel Whitehair. The school children were impressed that at such a young age Israel was able to make his first rug:

Some of the other aspects of Navajo culture that are demonstrated include basket making, explained here by Leonard Holiday:

Corn grinding, demonstrated by Marklyn Whitehair:

And the winter activity of making play animals from Play-Doh, explained by Vina Horseherder:

For the past several years we have been fortunate to have two talented flute players at the show, Nancy Haga and Gary Hansen. School children are typically fascinated by their demonstrations of flute playing:

One of the program leaders this year was Julius Chavez:

Julius is a traditional Navajo who lives locally. He was able to give the children first-hand descriptions of what it's like to be Navajo.

The other program leader was Robin Field-Williams. Here she shows children a model Hogan, the traditional Navajo dwelling. With the removable roof it was possible to imagine what life might be like inside such a home:

Many of the classes bring gifts for the Elders. Often this is in the form of food:

A number of the classes participate in ANE's Classromm Amasani Program, where they adopt one of the Elders. These classes usually make special presentations to their Elder during the school programs. Here is Helen Rose Lewis with her class from the Trailside School:

Soaring Wings Montessori School sponsors Frances Bahe who is seen in this photo receiving gift baskets from them. In return she is holding a rug to present to them:

And the final photograph shows Katie Furcap with her class from the Soldier Hollow School.

In the past all of the classes attending have been from elementary grades. This year we also had some students from junior and senior high schools. Regardless of age, the students seem genuinely fascinated and entertained by the programs and hopefully leave with a much richer understanding of Navajo culture.

Rug Show 2011 - Getting Ready

2011-12-02T10:37:00.002-07:00

by John Aldrich

Setting up the show represents the culmination of a year's work by many volunteers who have spent countless hours to preparing for this day. During the course of 5 or 6 hours, the Snow Park Lodge is transformed into a dazzling display of Navajo culture.

The early scene at the Lodge seems like one of chaos with boxes scattered everywhere. This disarray is quickly converted to order. A jumble of electrical cords seems an apt metaphor for the initial scene:

But it doesn't take long for things to start taking shape. John Percival can be seen on a ladder most every year helping to install the ceiling lights that illuminate the displays:

Not long after we started work, a weaver, Louise Cly, showed up with a beautiful large rug over 12 feet in length. Taking a photograph of a rug this size presented a challenge which was solved by using the stairs and a ladder:

Later, the rug was hung over the east exit by Mac Lund and Boyd Mitchell:

The biggest job is hanging the hundreds of rugs that make up the core of the show. Here is CJ Robb at work on a ladder:

While Susan Cook and Robin Field-Williams offer advice on the layout design:

One of the biggest jobs at the show is that of volunteer coordinator. This task was ably shared this year by Elinda McKenna and Mac Lund. Setup day gave them a chance to get things organized:

Another important task that takes place Wednesday morning is stocking the condos where the Elders and their families will stay with a variety of food items for their use. Samantha and Brad Pyne arranged for the condos while Virginia Aldrich and Marie English shopped for and packed the food. Here is Virginia with her food stocking group pouring over a map of Park City to locate their delivery destinations:

Here's part of the hard-working group that helped hang lights and rugs:

In addition to the rugs, there are many other displays that must be assembled. One of the big jobs is setting up the tables of crafts. Here is part of the group that worked on that task:

And the result of some of their effort:

This display featured a variety of craft items that were made using sacks from Blue Bird Flour, a stable of the Navajo diet.

The final reward of all the volunteer work is seeing the show ready for the public. But an additional bonus is the lunch featuring a selection of delicious sandwiches prepared by Jean Glazer:

With the work done by 2:00, the show is ready for prime time.

Rug Show 2011 - Rug Training

2011-11-07T12:08:00.000-07:00

by John Aldrich

Although the rug show doesn't officially open for a few more days, last night's rug training event at the warehouse seemed for many of us as though it was the start. A record crowd of volunteers who will help at the show came to learn about Navajo weaving and get last minute instructions.

John Burrow is incredibly generous with his time and knowledge for this event. He not only makes the trip from his home in Oregon for this occasion but returns just a few days later for the rug show itself. Volunteers, whether veteran or new, benefit from John's discussion of the art of Navajo weaving as well as the variety of different rug styles.

After a break, John spent some time discussing how to be effective sales people. His advice is that the rugs will "sell themselves" to people who make a connection with a particular weaving. The role of the volunteer is just to facilitate this happening. First time volunteers probably feel a sense of relief at this recommendation since they can feel more relaxed with their role.

Besides the rug training itself a variety of other things took place. Before the meeting and during the break, volunteers could enjoy a selection of potluck goodies:

Masuda Medcalf manned a table where people could buy rug books or DVD's of the recent ANE Turning Point broadcast:

Volunteer coordinators, Elinda McKenna and Mac Lund, gave us some last minute advice and instruction:

And during the break a variety of horse rugs were on display:

To close the evening, Linda gave us some rug show history and spent time reviewing the real purpose of the rug show:

It's easy to think of the show as a venue for this unique art form and a place for people attending the show to find a wonderful piece to hang on the wall. But Linda reminded us that these rugs represent the livelihood of the weavers, and that by buying the creations of their looms we are giving them the means to continue not only weaving but to acquire the basic necessities of life and support their families.

Food Run Report - Sanders-Big Mountain-Teesto Fall 2011

2011-10-24T08:00:00.001-06:00

by Elizabeth R. Rose Photos by Penny Montague

This fall's food run to Sanders, Big Mountain and Teesto was the last of the year for the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program. For the volunteers, 50 strong, who came to Winslow to participate, the food runs turned out to be especially meaningful.

We gathered in Winslow, the struggling railroad town along historic Route 66. I'd say at least half our volunteers had been to this food run location before and some had participated in the previous food run, arriving late on Saturday. As we gathered, I found myself missing Wendy Sanborn very much, and thought of her as she continued in her recovery from a broken leg. I thought of her dedication to the elders and the program and how much she would have enjoyed being with us. We missed her warm and cheerful personality.

Sunday we gathered at a local church for our first meeting. It was great to see Linda and Celeste and meet CJ who was carrying out the tough organizing role usually handled by Ed. I have to say, he did a magnificent job. (But we missed Ed and Judy!). You can see by my writing that those of us who return season after season to volunteer for the food runs become a family of sorts, having twice yearly reunions.

Sanders:
Our luck held, weather-wise, and, as the day dawned we looked forward to seeing the elders in Sanders. It was a sunny day with no wind. These are the elders who were re-located from the Big Mountain area when the boundaries were re-drawn. Ella, the coordinator, requested that the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program visit "her" elders and we are always happy to gather in the little shade house and have time with them.

As the volunteers busily unloaded vehicles and set up, the elders gathered in the shade house. 100% of the elders in the program were there! The sunshine warmed us all and there was an animated, happy atmosphere as we went through the program. When Linda got to the part where she offered Blue Bird flour for any elder willing to sing for us, several brave women got up and sang rhythmic Navajo songs. As I enjoyed the songs, I hoped that they were teaching the songs to their grandchildren so that the culture and the words of the songs would live on.

The singing continued and a tall, stately elder rose to offer her song. Following is what Cindy Devers, volunteer, recalled. We were all moved by what happened next.

"When Alice stood up and spoke in Navajo I thought she would also sing in Navajo. I was stunned when she began singing God Bless America in English, with a clear, beautiful voice. I was thinking of our country's shameful history with the Navajo nation, (and every other Native American nation for that matter), yet she was singing this particular song. When she sang the phrase, land that I love, I was overcome by emotion and tears welled up. It was really touching that other elders and many support people sang along with her and finished the song together. Truly a special, shared moment that I will never forget. It was a gift and a blessing to have been a part of it.

A little later I noticed she was sitting alone so I walked over to thank her for the song. I complimented her on her beautiful voice and how much I enjoyed her singing. She said she had learned the song many years ago in school (a catholic Indian school) And it was the first time she sang it by herself. I told her I had also learned it as a child. She also told me she was part of a group a year or so ago that learned it together again and performed it at a ceremony at Ft. Sumner. I'm thinking that must have been related to the Bosque Redondo Memorial and a commemorative event acknowledging the "long walk". She said she was 84 years old at the time."

As we finished the program and the time came to eat, we did something different. It was so warm, we asked the elders if they would like to eat outside, and most of them did. So we took the tables and chairs outside and the atmosphere continued to be lively and social.... kind of like a garden party! It was nice to have more room to walk around and serve the elders and visit with them.

Big Mountain:
The gathering at Big Mountain is always impressive and always results in my commitment to return to the Land and the elders. We were blessed with yet another sunny mild day. New volunteers had been told about the size of the group at Big Mountain and the history. John Burrow was joined by his son Bob, from Boston who was clearly enjoying the experience. I knew this day would be special for him.

As always, the elders formed a large circle with the beautiful countryside and sky as their backdrop. It has become traditional for groups of elders to sit in the same place each year. A group of dapper men, all dressed up in fancy boots, bolos, ketohs, western hats... on the left. And a special group of elder women friends on the right, under the big tree. Way down in the circle, as the sun warmed us, a group of women opened colorful umbrellas to shade themselves. This added to the festive atmosphere as items were laid out on the tarp and giveaways stacked neatly on the tables.

The Robertsons had been cooking up a storm and we were greeted with those famous cinnamon rolls. The food is always excellent at Big Mountain!

The program commenced and Big Mountain, too, provided us with food for thought and some inspiring words from the elders. Grace Smith Yellowhammer talked about how important the program was and how we did not forget the elders at Big Mountain. One elder talked about her appreciation for the program, tearing up.

I was impressed with how much our coming means to the elders. This group was dressed for an important occasion. As I made my rounds touching the warm, leathery hands of the elders I noticed beautiful jewelry, colorful silky skirts and matching scarves. We were being honored with their dress. They had carefully chosen what to wear that day.

As we got ready to leave, I remember the image of an elder sitting under a tree and wished I could have painted a picture of her. She had dressed in shades of purple, blue and turquoise. The colors flowed together like a watercolor wash. She was amazingly beautiful.

Teesto:
Our last food run, Teesto, is always like coming home to family. The Jacksons are so welcoming and work hard preparing food and getting the shade house ready for us. I'll never forget the time when the Jacksons proudly showed us the new outhouses. The women's outhouse, labeled Saani, came complete with padded toilet seat, mirror, plastic flowers and hand sanitizer.

This was a smaller food run as compared with Big Mountain, but the elders were equally as excited about our being there and we looked forward to making the rounds, touching their hands and renewing acquaintances. I enjoyed the slower pace and got to talk to some of my friends who come to each food run as volunteers. Our volunteers are special people with amazing life stories as well.

It is always fun to see Anita Jackson and see what she is weaving. She had some of her marvelous snowflake pattern rugs for sale. The weavers at each location are so giving of their talent and donations to both their sponsors and the program. Even seeing and touching these traditionally woven rugs is a gift.

Teesto is also the place to purchase traditional Navajo skirts and blouses. It was fun watching our volunteers from New Zealand choose skirts.

As we gathered for our last circle, we said good-bye to each other. After less than a week, we had become friends and had shared some moving experiences on the Land. I look forward to spring and seeing the elders and the returning staff and volunteers once again.

I decided to make the five hour drive home. I did just fine... guided by the light of a huge harvest moon and remembering how the elders were saying prayers for our journey and blessing us with gratitude for the gifts we had brought.

(Liz is a travel writer and regular volunteer on the Sanders-Big Mountain-Teesto food run. See more about her here.)

Food Run Report - Dilkon-Leupp-Birdsprings Fall 2011

2011-10-22T09:54:00.000-06:00

by Jane Wierengo

Shirley Upchurch and I traveled to Winslow from Phoenix on September 26th, 2011 to participate in the Dilkon, Leupp, and Birdsprings food run. We are from Georgia. It is our 6th year to come on a food run. But we have come about 9 times altogether. I have helped with photography about 4 times.

We arrived at the Super 8 and immediately ran into Linda, Rodger and Celeste. It was good to see the whole family at this food run, including CJ. Celeste had big shoes to fill taking Wendy's place for this food run due to Wendy's accident. She was surely missed by everyone who knows her! Pravin and Aruna, the managers at Super 8, welcomed us with open arms.

Ray Coleman and Cindy Cook were out delivering shoes for the Walk In Beauty program. We were looking forward to our reunion with them. Ray was the one who first convinced Joyce Reese and me to come on this particular food run about 6 years ago. He has since "watched over us" very well!

Dilkon:
On the 28th, we had our cars loaded and headed out for Dilkon in a caravan. We were proud that Lorna, Kate's Mother, was able to stop what she was doing and drive the medical van down from SLC at the last minute.

We headed to the LDS church but it had not been opened. Everyone had unpacked the cars and when we saw that we would have to rearrange, the volunteers put all the things back in the cars and we made a smooth transition to the Chapter House at Dilkon. That is one of the things that continues to impress me about the volunteers for ANE. They see a job and get it done. There is no whining or complaining! There seems to always be a "plan B"!

I liked the Chapter House because it had 2 open doors and there was good air flow and plenty of room to move around to give out the "giveaways" and also to greet the elders. The bad thing was that there was not a real kitchen so the kitchen workers had a hard time of it but they pulled through in great style.

Emil was a new volunteer who got to meet his elder for the first time. Rodger interpreted for him and I was glad to be a witness thru my camera.

During the Dilkon food run, my elder, Anita Jackson from nearby Teesto , always comes to check to see if I am coming to see her afterward. Shirley and I made the trip out to her house after the food run. We are always impressed with ourselves that we can find Anita's house as there is no GPS that could take us there. It is so special to be invited to visit with her and to talk to her about her life past and present.

The men of the group always do the most excellent job working together , setting up the boxes and the accessories. Although we had beautiful weather on this trip, I have seen them work thru 70 mph wind storms and they never take a break. They have a job to do and they work together to do it.

Leupp:
I think it is at Leupp that I cherish my role as photographer. I love to take portraits and some of my favorite elders are here. I think as a photographer, you have to hope for the best. You don't know what opportunities you will have, what the lighting will be like, if your camera will work and so on...

The elders at Leupp are happy and joyful. So many of them express their appreciation to us for coming from near and far to serve them. This year we had volunteers from AZ, WI, FL, GA, UT, NH, PA, CO, WA, and other places.

Kate couldn't come due to a family emergency and her Mom, Lorna, filled in by driving the medical van. "Nurse" Trudy(CO) and "Nurse" Krista (WA) took over Kate's duties and did a great job serving the elders.

One of my favorite photos was of Trudy talking to George Willie. It expresses tender care and concern as well as admiration for his role as a Code Talker in WWII. Their hands lovingly touch to form the "bridge between the cultures" which is one of the goals of ANE. This photo to me shows the heart of every volunteer who was on this food run. It shows love in action.

I have to admit I have a few favorite elders whom I love to photograph. One of them is Woody. Woody won "Crackerjacks" for being 96! I was amazed that Woody was 96. I think he wanted to win the prize and that he is really 88. But, nevertheless...he still herds sheep. He wears magnificent jewelry to the food runs and he expresses his genuine thanks to us for helping his people...all said through the Navajo language and interpreted by Mary.

Mary Robertson Begay is our interpreter along with her husband, Harry. They are dedicated to helping the elders and are from Big Mountain. They continually express sincere thanks to the volunteers for coming to help their people.

Another favorite couple at Leupp is Alice and Austin Tso. These are Shirley's elders. They love Shirley and she loves them back.. Their daughter, Linda, watches over them and communicates with Shirley as they do not speak English. They have formed a true friendship across the miles. It is fun to see them participate in the games. At first you think they are quiet and shy. But, in the games they become playful. It is rewarding to get to see that side of them!

I like to see all the joy of the elders during the planned games. I think of all their hardships, their daily struggles , the problem of how to get to the center for the food run, the struggles with their health and so forth. But, the joy on their faces at these food runs touches my heart. The planned moments of fun will be something they will talk about until the next food run.

At Leupp, Lola is the coordinator. I was glad to hear Lola sing. I believe she sang "Jesus Loves Me". Very quietly and one by one the 40 or so elders joined in. It was inspirational to hear and it touched my heart . I found out on this food run that Lola and her husband are gospel singers. Lola retired but no one could be found to replace her at the Senior Center, and she was hired back. Everyone is delighted. She is trying to provide healthier food choices for the elders.

Victoria Begay is another of my favorites. She has the most beautiful countenance on her face. She has a peaceful , beautiful spirit. She especially likes Ray and she usually brings something for him. She couldn't understand why her sponsors were not at the food run. By her expressing that thought, I could see how important it is to the elders to "see" their sponsors. I know it is hard to come from far distances due to the cost and so forth, but it means a lot to the elders if you can make it to a food run.

One thing so outstanding that I want to mention it here is the antique sewing machine. Trudy brought an antique treadle sewing machine to her elder. The lady getting it was so thrilled. Trudy had to go to a lot of trouble to bring that sewing machine to the reservation, but now it will go back into use. Such a thoughtful gift!

Normally, I can never catch the guys in one place. They are busy arranging the boxes, taking boxes of give aways into the chapter house and so forth. But, I caught them "resting". Well, truthfully it is a "set up" shot.

Birdsprings:
Last day. The weather was nice so we headed out to Sadie's land. Sadie looked great! She has had a hard year or so, and has bounced back.

Her daughters , Toni and Terri, prepared a beautiful meal for us. They received the ANE blankets as a gift.

Zonnie and John Slowtalker are two of my favorites. I think I am "in their clan" as I am also a "slow talker" from Georgia!

The elders love to see young people volunteering. Hayleigh and Michelle are here with Lillie Curley.

Cindy is the sponsor of Jill Curley. They are 2 of my favorite people to photograph. As a photographer, I do not know why I am drawn to certain people. But with Jill, it was his big rodeo belt buckle that he earned in his youth. When I first saw Jill, I wanted to know his story. He is in his 90's, but he used to ride in the rodeo. I could imagine how interesting it would be to sit down with him and many others of these elders to hear the stories of their lives. Jill gave Cindy his watch last year as a gift. (The "giveaway" circle is a beautiful thing to behold. The elders give what they have, and we give what we have and it is never ending...) It made him very proud to see her wearing it. Again, the touch of their hands creates a healing gesture between our cultures. It is a reminder that one person can make a difference in the life of another... wounds from the past can be healed through a loving touch of kindness, generosity, and genuine caring for another person. Just to recognize what the elders have been through and to try to make a positive difference at this point in their lives is important for us as volunteers.

I could never guess what was in store for me the day I found the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program on line. Everything about the program blesses me. I am thankful that Linda paved the way 25 years ago for the rest of us so that we would be trusted to come out on the land. I feel I am witnessing a vanishing people and their way of life. I have received more blessings than I have given. I have been thankful to work with volunteers with open and loving hearts for others. I feel so fortunate to be integrated into the Navajo culture even for a brief period of time. I have loved meeting the elders, learning about their lives, being welcomed by them as they now recognize "the peaches", and being able to share from a first hand experience about their needs to people in Georgia.

To be given the opportunity to capture these elders on film has meant a lot to me. I look forward to "the next time". As for the volunteers and the elders..." one is silver and the other gold". It is difficult to "tell" about a food run. You have to experience it to really know what it is like.

Walk In Beauty - Fall 2011

2011-10-20T13:49:00.001-06:00

by Cindy Cook and Ray Coleman

Quaking aspens were tinged with yellow and the air was crisp. It was time for the fall delivery of Walk In Beauty shoes. The truck held nearly 400 pair of new shoes – each tagged for delivery to a specific child. It also held over 130 pair of shoes from inventory.

Building an inventory of shoes allows the dollars of our generous donors to meet the needs of even more children. Knowing what style, color and size of shoes most often requested, we shop sales and hold the shoes in inventory until we receive orders from our schools. A selected number of inventory shoes are taken on each delivery. During the fall delivery we were able to meet emergency needs of 16 children. The inventory was also used to trade out a number of pairs that, due to measuring problems, didn’t fit.

The morning we began deliveries, we said morning prayers along the San Juan River. There had been considerable rain in the area and the river was swollen and a muddy color. The desert was unusually moist and green for this time of year.

Over the summer a new school had been built for the students of the former Mexican Hat Elementary. We met our coordinator, Patricia Bigman, in the lobby of the new Monument Valley Elementary School. The pillars in the lobby were built from stones brought from the mesas behind the school. Adorning the wall of the lobby was a painting made from a photo of Patricia’s children on her homeland.

In spring we visited Many Farms Community and Tsaile Public Schools and agreed to add them to the fall delivery. Our coordinators at both schools did a wonderful job identifying the children in need of shoes and measuring their feet. As we left Tsaile, a kindergarten boy who received new shoes was standing in the hall with his classmates. Pointing at us, he loudly exclaimed, “They’re the ones who gave me the shoes. Thank you Ray. Thank you Cindy.”

Our coordinator at Leupp Boarding School, Colt Chischillie, poses with some of the students who received new shoes. A young boy said, “My old shoes don’t fit.” A broad smile covered his face when he put on his new shoes. Several teachers from Leupp met us in the parking lot to tell us their students had come back to class all excited and showing them their new shoes. They invited us to stay and share fresh mutton with them as a show of their gratitude.

At Pinon Elementary, our coordinator, Rose Blie, looks on as shoes are tried on a special needs child. Teachers at Pinon offer their help.

Each child tries on their shoes to be certain they are a good fit. At Many Farms Public School we were assisted by teacher’s aide, Sadie Hoswoot, Walk In Beauty Coordinator, Lorraine Begay, and a parent volunteer.

At each school, the children’s voices fill the air. “If these fit can I take them home?” “My mom is in Flag. I live with my auntie. She will be so happy.” “Can I go on the playground with these?"

If you have questions about Walk In Beauty please email us.

Click here for more photos.

ANE on Turning Point

2011-10-12T13:59:00.002-06:00

For those of you outside the BYUtv viewing area, or those who missed the broadcast or want to see it again, the episode of Turning Point that features Linda and the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program can be seen via streaming video from the BYUtv web site. Here is the link. Another story is part of this broadcast as well, so be patient. That's not Linda in the kayak.

Amasani Program Classroom Activities - Fall 2011

2011-09-29T09:54:00.001-06:00

by April Wilsey

The Classroom Amasani Program recently presented mini rug shows for Trailside Elementary School in Park City and Community Montessori School in Salt Lake City.

There were 100 second graders who attended the rug show at Trailside Elementary School that was held in the gymnasium during school hours. Some of the activities the students participated in were: making a talking stick, grinding corn, hair tying, experiencing some weaving on a loom, and learning about the rugs made by Navajo children on the reservation. The students seemed to enjoy the activities and were able to keep the talking sticks that they made with their partners.

Shirlee Silversmith taught the students to grind corn while listening to a corn grinding song sung in Navajo.

Carla Sydenham and Linda Myers talked to the students about how the rugs were made by Navajo children.

Tanisha Quintana did traditional hair tying for the students.

The students experienced weaving at a two-sided loom.

The students enjoyed making talking sticks. A talking stick was used by the Navajo while having group discussions. The person holding the talking stick was the person who was allowed to talk. This solved the problem of people interrupting one another.

The rug show held at the Community Montessori School in SLC was held in the evening in their gymnasium. About 50 people, including parents and children, attended the show. The parents seemed to enjoy experiencing the Navajo culture with their children. Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program’s Shiyazhi Princess, Sariah Williams, was able to attend this evening show wearing traditional Navajo clothing and performing a dance with her father, Jonathan.

Shiyazhi Princess, Sariah Williams, and her father, Jonathan, performed the Eagle Dance.

Rodger Williams helped students make talking sticks.

Beverly Benally helped the children experience weaving at the loom.

There were books about the Navajo culture and a variety of Navajo crafts on display.

Weaving Wild Horses

2011-09-20T14:28:00.000-06:00

by Linda Myers

(note: This piece was written for the September 2011 ANE newsletter. Weaving Wild Horses is the theme for this year's rug show to be held in Park City in November. The inspiration for the theme came from the Whitehair family who are described in this article.)

In the Native cultures, the horse has always been honored for bravery and grace. The horse is a soul mate and a comrade.

Most native cultures decorated their horses by beading bridles. The Navajo made turquoise and silver bridles as well as beautiful saddle blankets. In the early 1930's some of the weavers started making handspun rugs depicting the horses, sheep, and cattle. I began asking weavers about seven years ago if they had ever woven any rugs with horses, sheep, or cattle. Most of the Elders replied that they wove the more traditional designs.

When you meet someone like Martin Whitehair, you feel not only his love for horses, but a deep sense of the understanding and respect he has for horses. Has trained many horses.

His brother, Wayne, had a beautiful three-year-old golden mustang stallion he named Bucky. Martin felt deeply connected to this horse and began drawing pictures of Bucky and other horses.

Martin and his wife Rena had grown up riding horses and they taught their children to also ride at a very young age. The girls have participated in many horse races. They all seem to share their dad's love and respect for horses.

When I asked Rena and Martin if they could weave a rug with horses in it, Martin said he would draw a horse that Rena could weave into the center of a Chief's Blanket. The first horse rug had Bucky, the golden mustang in the center of the rug. Rena and Martin then began working on their horse rugs together. For the last few years, they have designed many different one-of-a-kind horse rugs.

Rena began weaving when she was about seven years old. Her mother, the late Sarah Robertson, taught her how to weave and also told her to weave for a living, not as a hobby. Sarah raised and supported ten children through her weaving.

She told Rena to think of her weaving as a full-time job. Weaving rugs is the only source of income for Rena and her family.

When her daughters were around six years old, she began to mentor three of them to weave beautiful horse rugs and other styles as well. Miriam and Marty have grown up weaving to help with the family's needs. Bobbi Joe is in her teens and likes to weave and help design the rugs, while Marklyn and Israel, her only son, are up-and-coming weavers.

I have great respect for Rena and Martin and their family. It is very challenging to carry on the traditional way of life in the modern world today.

Rena also weaves many other styles of Navajo rugs - Storm Pattern, Two Greyhills, Ganado, Pictorials, and the Tree of Life.

This last year she has been working on Blue Canyon design rugs that are very intricately detailed. One of the featured rugs that will be in the rug show is a beautiful Blue Canyon rug with a golden mustang.

Each of the girls has been working on their own designs of horse rugs for the opening night of the show when several will be auctioned.

Martin and Rena are both very humble as they share about their work. Martin states, "We were not brought up to speak about ourselves or to share what our personal goals were. ". Each of these horse rugs they are weaving for the show comes from a deep place in their hearts.

It is very moving in my life to see what came from a desire to see horses woven into rugs again and to watch the rugs become beautiful stories of a family's love for horses.

Someone asked me once, "What is your most favorite rug? You've sold so many in the last 25 years." I have watched many of them weave rugs just to sell for food, but the rugs I enjoy most are the ones you feel are a deep part of their lives, and they hold it for a moment before they give it to you for you to take and sell for them. It has a story of their lives woven into each day, and you feel that release of themselves.

I want to thank Rena and Martin and their family for creating these rugs. And to all the weavers who are trying to weave horse rugs and make it a part of the show, I feel their trust and love and their desire to challenge themselves.

It has been a beautiful journey to this year's show.

Food Box Packing 8/10/11

2011-09-19T15:48:00.001-06:00

by John Aldrich

The past two Saturday mornings have been devoted to packing the Rainbow Food Boxes for the upcoming series of food runs. We didn't have the Alta High School soccer team this time but we still ended up with plenty of help to get the job done. A previous blog about the spring packing shows more of the overall activity in the warehouse. In this blog I will show some of the faces.

As has been the case for the past several years, the packing day was the culmination of a great deal of hard work on the part of Roger Daley who purchases all the food, sees that it gets to the warehouse, and organizes everything for the actual packing day. A great deal of preparation takes place behind the scenes to make this all happen.

Here's Roger with Kathy Wilde:

United Stationers, a wholesale office supply warehouse, has a community-service-oriented perspective, and three of their employees came to pitch in:

Rob Netzler, Sheri Thurgood, and Pam Getz were all hard workers who were busy the entire time and never took a break. Rob, in particular, was an enormous asset as he lifted all the boxes from the shopping carts onto the taping table. As you can see he's a strong, burly guy, but this was still more than we would expect any one person to do. If these three are representative of the work force at United Stationers, it must be a remarkably productive operation.

Family groups aren't unusual on food packing days, but the size of the group rounded up by Kate Maxwell-Stephens from her family must have set a new record. Here is Kate with a bunch of name tags to distribute to them:

While here is the whole group:

There are actually four generations represented in this photo.

Another multi-generation family was the Berryhills with three generations present:

Mary, Sandra, and Jackson, age 12, were all diligent workers.

The youngest-participant-award went to this infant whose mother, Misty, shows that juggling motherhood and ramen is a piece of cake:

The last photo shows a bit of an overview as the carts make the rounds of the warehouse:

Now the food is all packed, and the food runs will commence soon to get it all delivered to the Elders.

ANE On Turning Point October 11th

2011-09-18T08:46:00.004-06:00

by John Aldrich

All those who have been aware of this video project have been eagerly awaiting the announcement of its airing. In the spring, volunteers attending the Rainbow Food Box packing events at the warehouse or the Many Farms food run were aware that a major video project was in the works. BYUtv in Provo had conceived a series called Turning Point which would feature non-profit and humanitarian endeavors and their founders. The concept was to explore what had affected the lives of these key people to alter the course of their lives and pursue these new goals. BYUtv had contracted with Cosmic Pictures in Salt Lake to produce a segment about Linda and ANE.

As we watched the video crew at work in the warehouse and on the food run, we realized that this would be a very special production. And now the air time has been announced. If you're in the viewing area for BYUtv plan to be watching on October 11th at 8:00 p.m. (Please note that BYUtv is a differnet channel than KBYU.) Each one hour broadcast in this series will feature two segments of roughly 25 minutes. ANE will be featured in one of those segments on that date. If you are not able to watch or receive the broadcast, there are several options. If you are out of the viewing area, check with your local PBS station to see if they will be airing this series. It should also be possible to watch the segment via streaming video through the BYUtv web site once it is released.

Here's an online feature from BYUtv about the upcoming program.

The Cosmic Pictures video crew that was assigned to this project was very personable and engaging, and a number of volunteers made nice connections with the three who came to Chinle to film the Many Farms food run.

Here are a few photos from the production process:

The first filming event took place at the warehouse when we were packing food boxes on April 9th for the upcoming food runs. Here is Rich Patch who was the field director, both on this date and in Chinle:

Here is the filming of an interview with Linda that day. Rich is watching over the shoulder of Gordon, the cameraman:

In Chinle, the crew of three accompanied Linda on home visits to local Elders for two days prior to the food run at Many Farms, and I was able to join them for the second day. The next three shots were taken at Jennie Todechine's homeland in Nazlini, south of Chinle. The first shows Jennie with Elizabeth Clah who was along to facilitate and translate, and the other two shots show an interview with Jennie.

The next two shots were taken at Elizabeth Clah's homeland in Many Farms, the site of the Many Farms food run. In the first, Phil is setting up a camera on the roof of the storage building to do a time-lapse sequence of the outside activity at the food run. I hope some of this footage makes it into the final production because I expect it is fascinating.

Last is Greg Kiefer working on the ground. It appears that he's interested in the sanitation facilities, but he's really documenting the box crew setting up the Rainbow Circle which is out of sight to the left.

A technical note that might be of interest to a few readers is that the crew used digital SLR cameras with video capability for this production rather than what most people would think of as traditional video cameras. Digital SLR's offer certain advantages over videocams in achieving what is considered the classic look of movie film.

All told, the crew produced many hours of video from which the final production was made. It would be wonderful to be able to see it all, but we'll still eagerly anticipate the 25 minutes that will be available for us to see on October 11th.

Shonto Trading Post

2011-09-15T10:05:00.000-06:00

by John Aldrich

The trading post era is all but history on the reservation. For the most part the traditional functions of these outposts have been supplanted by conventional retail outlets in towns that are now much more readily accessed thanks to improved roads and transportation. Instead of being the regional source of food and supplies, often provided on credit through the pawn system, the modern-day trading post is more likely to be just a convenience store or a tourist stop for purchasing locally made crafts.

One post that still serves at least some of the traditional functions is the Shonto Trading Post. Shonto is a small settlement south of Navajo Mountain which is still relatively isolated. The post is both a gas station and convenience store, but also extends credit (but not via pawn), serves as the hub for local mail service, and provides a market place for local artisans. Adding to its "authentic" look is the fact that the buildings are mostly unchanged from the early 20th century.

Established in 1914 by the famous trader John Wetherill, the Shonto Trading Post was a satellite to his primary location in Kayenta. Initially it was a tent operation, but after World War I stone buildings were built that still exist today as the core of the operation. The trading post was built in a beautiful canyon with water supplied by a nearby spring. Shonto means "spring water in the sunshine" in Navajo.

We visited Shonto following the recent food run to Navajo Mountain. The populated settlement sits on a bench near the canyon, and this sign directs the traveler toward the canyon:

Dropping down through these red rock walls, the approach to the canyon is very inviting:

In the canyon itself is the trading post and the chapter house. Many large cottonwoods attest to a reliable water source over many years. Here is the front of the post:

The bulletin board shows that the location still serves a significant community function for the local residents.

Over the years a variety of traders have operated this location. Trading families often operated multiple posts, and after marriages between families the same names keep popping up at different locations across the reservation. After Wetherill, other well-known names that have owned or operated here include, Turpen, Richardson, Carson, Heflin, and Foutz.

The Shonto Trading Post is now owned by the Navajo Nation through the local Shonto Chapter. The current trader, Al Grieve, came out of retirement to operate the post several years ago after the previous trader left and the post was closed briefly. He and his wife Margaret, a Navajo, have a year-to-year lease arrangement with the chapter.

During our visit, Al was generous with his time in helping us understand the history of the trading post as well as the challenges of its current operation. Here he is holding a beautiful basket by Fay King:

The subsequent sale of this basket to my brother perhaps helped him to feel that his time with us wasn't entirely wasted.

This area of the reservation is probably better known for its basketry than for rug weaving. Despite its modest size, Al's "rug room" had a nice selection of baskets, rugs, and pottery.

A number of our Navajo Mountain Elders have post office addresses at Shonto. It turns out they don't live there, but use this location to collect their mail. Given the Navajo tradition of dispersed living, they may live many miles from their post office box in very remote locations. Daily mail delivery would be an inconceivable concept to these people. This photo shows the line up of post office boxes:

And here's the convenience store end of the post which, of course, doesn't look much different from countless other similar places:

Walking about the grounds we saw this old stone building behind the post:

Adjacent to the trading post is this stone hogan:

It was built in the early years of the operation to serve as lodging for Navajos who had to travel long distances to reach the post and couldn't return home in the same day.

The final picture shows a plot of corn to the rear of the post:

Al assured us that the life of a trader was not an easy one - long hours, seven days a week, with no respite. Also missing are a few modern conveniences we take for granted like TV and internet access. But Al says there would be no time to enjoy these amenities anyway. And furthermore, he doesn't even consider them amenities. The trading life is clearly in his blood.

If you're ever in this area of the reservation, a detour to the Shonto Trading Post would be worth your time - it's a beautiful, restful location as well as a fascinating trip back in time.

Wilhelmina Manyboxes

2011-09-14T09:49:00.000-06:00

by Fientje Allis

One thing is for sure: when you drive the ANE van (otherwise known as Wilhelmina Manyboxes) you get noticed, sometimes in surprising ways.

It started in Nephi. I had grabbed a quick coffee for the road on my way to the reservation to do a backpack delivery for the schools recently. As I climbed into the van and took a quick sip ready to go, I noticed three women standing in front of the van looking, pointing, and discussing something amongst themselves. Finally one of them came up to my window and told me that there was a lot of fluid coming from the van they felt I needed to know about. I figured it was probably water from the air conditioner as it was a hot day, but got out to check just in case. The women proceeded to tell me they had recognized the logo on the van and were concerned for my safe travel.

One of the women introduced herself as the owner of the former weaving shop in Salt Lake City and asked after Linda. She shared fond memories of Linda bringing Elders to her shop and the special time she had with them-now many years ago. Several stories followed. I thanked the women for their concerns and assured them I thought the van was o.k., but that I would make sure I kept an eye on my dials on the dashboard indicators for any sign of trouble. I got back on the road some 30 minutes later.

Once on the reservation it didn’t take long either. Parked at Bashas in Dilkon and later at the swap meet in Leupp people instantly recognized the ANE logo on the van. It was like we had driven into our hometown. We were greeted by: “Are you guys in town?” (meaning: are you here on a food run?) “No”; Or: “my grandma is in the program” or “do you know so and so, she is my grandma?” Since that has been my regular food run area for years I did know some of the Elders mentioned and conversations followed.

To be greeted in that way was very special. It wasn’t that long ago that Linda was spat at when she first started the program. And I feel both proud and humbled that we can go on the reservation and be treated like friends. As I look at the ANE logo I give thanks for her vision and how far the program has come in mending the broken circle.

Food Run Report - Navajo Mountain 8/25/11

2011-09-12T09:55:00.004-06:00

by John Aldrich

The early morning hours were refreshingly cool after the previous day's heat in Oljato. As a bonus there was a beautiful sky to greet us as we headed to breakfast at the Wetherill Inn in Kayenta.

The drive from Kayenta to Navajo Mountain takes roughly 1 1/2 hours. Our destination is one of the most remote places on the reservation, but it's also at a higher elevation which promises a cooler day.

It's an easy drive, now that the road is paved all the way to Navajo Mountain, making it almost a meditation as we pass through the rising terrain of juniper-pinon forest with views of red-rock canyons on either side and the ever-present mountain in front of us. The roadside wild flowers weren't quite as plentiful this year but were still splendid.

The food run takes place at the Navajo Mountain chapter house. Here it is with the mountain in the background and Carla Sydenham at the door ready to greet Elders as they arrive:

The outside crew gets right to work unloading the boxes and produce:

At Navajo Mountain a special gift provided by American Express is water. As the Rainbow Circle takes shape, cases of drinking water are added to each set of boxes:

Inside, as the Elders arrive, they are greeted by volunteers. This is a time we can spend visiting with Elders. Though the language barrier makes conversation difficult, the touch of hands is universal:

Once the food run program is underway, Mary Robertson Begay of Hardrock again serves as translator. Mary's help and support of ANE is invaluable:

The generosity of the Elders at Navajo Mountain was documented in a previous post. The tradition continued this time as well as Mary Ann Morgan receives a necklace from Bertha Shaw:

And C.J. Robb received this bolo tie from Jack Eltsosie:

Many other gifts were shared as well including this weaving from Fay Sombero:

Fay later stood and gave a spontaneous tribute to the volunteers who came on this food run. When later translated by Mary, we learned that Fay had expressed her great gratitude to the Program and to the support people whose kindness sometimes seemed to surpass that of the Elders' own families.

All the women Elders received a gift box from American Express containing fabric and other personal items:

The meal for this food run was prepared by these gracious ladies and featured hard-shelled tacos rather than the typical Navajo taco:

Gina and Mark Zimmerer were able to see their Elder, Emma Seaton. This photo also shows Emma's granddaughter with her infant who is in a traditional cradle board:

As the Elders depart after the meal these two veterans of World War II pause to chat:

One can only imagine the stories they could share. Bahe Ketchum, on the right, was also a Code Talker.

Ruby Burns serves as our coordinator at Navajo Mountain. She is the director of the Senior Center which puts her in a unique position to know which Elders should be in the Program.

This final shot looking back at Navajo Mountain shows the beautiful landscape as well as the drama in the sky that is created by scattered afternoon summer thundershowers.

If you would like to read about other recent food runs to Oljato and Navajo Mountain, here are links to blogs about the spring 2011 run and the fall 2010 run.

Food Run Report - Oljato 8/24/11

2011-09-10T16:01:00.000-06:00

by John Aldrich

The fall food run season got underway with successful visits to Oljato and Navajo Mountain August 24-25. These two runs occur quite a bit earlier than the rest of the food runs which won't take place until late September into mid-October. With the fall food runs we think more about the upcoming winter months and how they will affect the Elders. Giveaways and gift boxes are more oriented to the colder months ahead.

But the concept of colder months ahead was a difficult thing to reconcile with the reality of conditions at Oljato where we experienced temperatures hovering around 100 degrees. Although the food run takes place indoors at the Senior Center, the building is not air conditioned and hence it was just as warm inside as outside.

The day of the food run begins with a group meeting on the outdoor patio of our motel in Mexican Hat. This serves as an orientation to the events of the day, and volunteers receive their job assignments. Here's a portion of the group as we await the start of the meeting:

Our group consisted mostly of veteran volunteers, but we did have a number of new support people including two mother-daughter pairs. It always feels good to be able to introduce new people to ANE activities, especially food runs. After the meeting we caravaned to Oljato and paused for a group picture before proceeding to set things up for the food run:

There's actually a third mother-daughter pair, seen in the lower left. At the tender age of 2 1/2 Samantha Carey was on her third food run.

The initial division of labor is mainly between those working inside to greet Elders and set up for the giveaways:

And those working outside to unload the cargo of boxes and produce and to set up the Rainbow Circle:

The outside set up is quite a bit of work and requires strong backs. Over 100 boxes weighing over 35 pounds must be unloaded from volunteers' vehicles and placed in the Rainbow Circle. Then come the 20 pound sacks of flour, and then lighter boxes and the produce. Samantha shows that a three-pound bag of onions is just about right for her to carry. Pete Carey was in charge of all these logistics and did a fine job.

As in previous runs to Oljato, a generous grant from American Express provided for some special giveaways: a new shovel with each Rainbow Food Box set, and a blanket for each of the women Elders:

Once the program is underway inside, the Elders learn that they will be receiving a shovel while Samantha demonstrates its proper use:

During the program, Elders of various ages are honored for achieving their age. First time food run volunteer C.J. Robb adds to the festive atmosphere with this hat:

While Lucy Atene receives a box of Cracker Jacks for her "birthday":

Elders are often brought to the food runs by their children who may have their own offspring in tow. ANE honors these youngsters with a gift box or set. Here a preschooler seems quite pleased with his gift:

Hannah Pugh, one of our new volunteers, distributes giveaways:

At the conclusion of the giveaways, Yellowman Begay is ready to take his and his wife's items to their vehicle to clear the way for the meal:

At each food run the volunteer group usually contains at least one sponsor of an Elder at that run. Fientje Allis sponsors Jim and Jean Fatt. Jim is very ill with cancer, so Fientje's meeting with Jean was especially poignant:

After the conclusion of the food run we were on our own to find our way to Kayenta, our overnight location prior to the Navajo Mountain food run the following day.

The Sheep Dog Trials

2011-08-09T16:38:00.006-06:00

It's time again for this fascinating event which is held annually near Midway. ANE plays a major role here as one of the vendors. This blog from last year describes the event and the role played by ANE.

We are once again looking for volunteers who would be willing to work half-day shifts over the Labor Day weekend, September 2nd-5th. If you would be able to help or have questions, please contact Celeste Williams.

Here's a direct link to the ANE page on the Sheep Dog Trials web site.

Food Run Report - Teesto 5/12/11

2011-06-04T09:22:00.001-06:00

by John Aldrich

With the Teesto food run we complete the sequence of eleven runs for the spring season. The first one at Oljato back in late March seems like a distant memory at this point. We were blessed with unusually fine weather this year with Birdspings being the only run significantly affected by adverse conditions. But every food run I have ever attended has been a success regardless of whether it was a beautiful day or one with challenges like wind, rain, or snow.

The day was sunny and a bit on the cool side. There was enough wind to create a little bite but not enough to kick up the sand and dust. At Teesto we are hosted by Anita Jackson and her family. Anita's family has built a hogan-shaped shade structure to shelter the food run. Overhead are blue tarps to shield us from the sun and/or elements. This results in a challenge for photography since it results in a blue light environment while the background outside is a sunny yellow. You may notice this color discrepancy in some of the photos even though those taken under the tarps are corrected for the blue light.

Anita's family spends a great deal of time on preparations for the food run including the cooking. Here is part of the family working in the kitchen.

Outside, the Rainbow Circle was getting organized. John and Kay Percival of Farmington, UT, have been dedicated volunteers for a number of years. Both are hard workers, but they have an additional asset for our organization - a big pickup truck. Here is John with his load of food boxes for Teesto.

Also getting organized was Kate Stephens with the medical supplies.

The tarp committee, under Judy Keane's guidance, paused for a picture as they prepared for this portion of the program.

The next photo shows the finished tarp with the shade structure in the background. It featured a new improvement this year , a half-wall around the north side to provide a wind break.

John Burrow was surprised by a special gift from Sarah Ann Morris who had made this beautiful shirt for him.

The featured hairstyle for this final food run belongs to none other than our little friend Emma. Beverly Benally who, along with her husband Howard, drives the Penske truck from Salt Lake, did up her hair every morning in a traditional Navajo bun.

Here is Anita after being honored with her ANE Pendelton blanket.

Anita along with many of her family members and other Elders are amused by something during the food run program.

Leroy Arellano, a volunteer from Salt Lake, has been taking part in the final week of food runs for many years. Leroy is a talented magician and has an avid following among the children at each food run. As soon as we arrive they start asking "Where's Magic Man?". Here's a group of transfixed youngsters watching one of his feats.

The Rainbow Circle of food boxes along with the Penske truck stand out against the landscape of the beautiful Teesto area.

The clipboard that contains all the information about the boxes and their recipients is often the source of a bit of friendly ribbing among the volunteers on the box crew. The person holding the clipboard is deemed to have the ultimate authority over the final loading of the Elders' vehicles. But Ed Keane isn't above sharing this responsibility with one of the Elder's grandchildren.

The final photo shows the final function of the day, loading the Elders' vehicles. This completes the circle of food runs and the reason we came all this way.

As you can see, we are assisted by some of the young Navajos at Teesto who are eager to help. Bridging the circle of broken trust starts right here and extends to all our interactions throughout our weeks on the reservation. Helping the Elders is only part of our mission - since we all return home improved from our experiences.

Food Run Report - Big Mountain 5/11/11

2011-05-30T09:14:00.002-06:00

by John Aldrich

Big Mountain is the Big One. With over 80 Elders, this food run dwarfs the rest. Elders typically arrive with several family members so that makes a large crowd already. Then add 45 volunteers and other hangers-on and suddenly you have around 300 people. This event has been hosted by the Robertson family at Hardrock for many years, and their generosity and hard work in staging the run is greatly appreciated by ANE.

In recent years, the Penske truck with all the boxes has left Winslow well ahead of the rest of us. On our arrival at the Robertsons, the box crew was elated by this sight.

Howard Benally, who drove the truck, had rounded up enough local help to get it completely unloaded. Of course there was still plenty of work remaining to be done, but this got the day off to a great start.

And what could be a better next step than to pause for a cinnamon roll? Alice Robertson, a member of the host family, makes these for a living.

The following photograph shows the layout of the food run. The Elders sit in a large circle with the tarp in the center. At the top the volunteers are lined up to be introduced.

It was a cool day, so most of the Elders were bundled up in jackets and blankets. But there was little wind and the sky was dramatic. In other words, close to perfect.

Here are the volunteers lined up for introductions.

Mary Robertson-Begay, in addition to being one of the hosts, serves as translator.

Alex Robertson, our host, received the ANE Pendelton blanket.

During the giveaway portion of the program, new volunteer Keith Karren hands out ten pound bags of Blue Bird four. This is in addition to the 20 pound bags that Elders receive with their Rainbow Food Box sets.

A number of volunteers on this run were sponsors of Big Mountain Elders. Here are Oregon volunteers, Ron and Shelia Borden with their Elders, Donald and Lorraine Wesley, and their family.

Tandra Goodwin and Steve McGeeny of Tuscon visited with Harry Horseherder, Steve's Elder.

The tarp is shown here.

With the Elders sitting close by, many have already eyed special items they would like to claim. So when the signal is given to start, there is a mad scramble from the sidelines.

Following the program, giveaways, and meal, Elders and other local Navajos present their arts and crafts for sale. Given the scale of this food run, there are many choices.

Salt Lake volunteers Lynn Decker and Pauline Blanchard pose here with their Elder, Faye Begay, and her beautiful storm pattern rug.

Young Emma, whom we met in the Sanders blog, appears destined to be a serious shopper.

My featured hairstyle for this day belongs to Mae Tso.

While the ladies were shopping, the box crew was busy loading Elders' vehicles.

After loading Louise Helen Goh's truck Leroy Arellano bids her farewell.

Following the food run, the return drive to Winslow takes roughly 1 1/2 hours. We do not return in a convoy so we are free to spend as much time as we like along the way. It's a time to peacefully reflect on the beauty of the day and the blessings each of us received.

Food Run Report - Sanders 5/10/11

2011-05-19T07:30:00.000-06:00

by John Aldrich

I've been home from the food runs for almost a week now and am starting to feel as though I'm getting on top of the roughly 3000 images I brought home. So it's time to pick up the blog thread at Sanders, the first in the final week of runs.

Sanders is located in an area of the reservation referred to as the New Lands. It's situated not far off Interstate 40 a bit west of Gallup. New Lands refers to the fact that many Navajos who were involved in the Navajo-Hopi land dispute in the 1980's ended up being relocated here. So many of these people are actually from the Big Mountain and Coal Mine Mesa areas of the reservation.

The group photo at Sanders is my favorite because it's the only one we take where an uncluttered view of the Land serves as the background.

As you can see, we were graced with another beautiful day - a bit cool but not windy.

Ella White was the moving force behind getting ANE to stage a food run in this area, and the run is held on her family's land utilizing a shade house for cover. On our arrival there is always a pot of coffee brewing on a fire outside, and this time, the fire also served for making fry bread.

Sanders is a relatively small food run, so it didn't take long for the box crew to get the Rainbow Food Boxes lined up. Here's a portion of them.

While this photo shows the box crew for the final week of food runs.

The medical committee was reconstituted this week by Lynn Clark, Cindy Devers, and Shelia Borden. Kate Stephens remains the constant.

Inside the shade house Mark Roginske has a chance to meet his new Elder, Sam Danny, while Howard Benally serves as translator.

The shade house is not a large structure which is no doubt why this is a relatively small food run. This view shows most of the interior. The "kitchen" is right behind me.

Ella is seen here receiving her ANE Pendelton blanket - once again donated by Wendy's parents.

In keeping with one of my sub-themes in these blogs, here's another hair style.

And while we're on the subject of attire, how about this for color coordination?

Every group of food run volunteers is unique in one way or another. Whenever younger people are part of the mix, they often become a focus of attention, both by the Elders as well as the other volunteers. This week we were blessed with the presence of two delightful sisters, Emma and Chloe Campbell-Kelsch.

They mixed readily and easily with the local Navajo children their age.

Here, Emma is amused by something during the program portion of the day.

The Sanders food run location is graced by one "facility" which stands out against the background of the Land.

During the final box loading Leroy Arellano, Steve McGeeny, and Luis Pi-Sunyer pause with Mary Badoni.

And Bessie Shepherd waits appreciatively as her boxes are loaded into her car.

Food Run Report - Pinon 5/7/11

2011-05-11T05:52:00.000-06:00

by John Aldrich

The Pinon food run is one of my favorites. After working at inside locations that are cramped and/or dark at Many Farms and Tsaile, we are finally outside in the fresh air and sun. It's also a small run which is nice. We are at Jane Benale's homeland which is actually much closer to Forest Lake than it is to Pinon. This is a very remote location on the flank of Black Mesa and on the edge of the Hopi reservation. The following photo shows the layout of the food run.

A walk around the area revealed several things of interest. Heating for the Benales involves both wood and coal thanks to their proximity to the Black Mesa coal mines. Here's a supply of both in back of the house.

During the severe winter of the previous year, local residents would sit in line for many hours at the coal mine to pick up their load.

The Benales also have a very old hogan nearby which is always fun to photograph.

The Rainbow Circle for the food boxes is laid out using a rope marked off with the location for each set. Fred Palmer secures the rope on the ground as Mac Lund rolls it out.

Here is the completed Rainbow Circle with the tarp in the foreground.

Jane Benale was honored with the ANE Pendelton blanket at this food run. The Elders seem very impressed when the creation of the blanket is described and enjoy seeing the name of their food run featured.

During each food run program the volunteers are introduced to the Elders. There are many expressions of surprise and gratitude when they learn that people have traveled from as far away as Florida and Vermont to meet and serve them.

At the conclusion of the run, when Elders have a chance to sell their rugs and jewelry, Janet and Dave Reffert purchased this nice Klagetoh pattern from Mary Bitsui

Lorraine Black is an occasional guest at Pinon. Lorraine belongs to a family of famous basket makers and sometimes brings a few of her masterpieces to sell.

This basket was purchased for roughly half what it would have cost at a trading post.

Malcolm Benale had just finished a book about the years of the Navajo-Hopi land dispute which severely affected thousands of Navajos on this area of the reservation. He autographed copies and sold all that he brought.

Food Run Report - Tsaile 5/6/11

2011-05-09T14:55:00.001-06:00

by John Aldrich

The wind is having its way with us again in Winslow, but reports for the remainder of the week look encouraging - in particular, the food run days have no wind warnings at present. The volunteers for this week's runs arrived yesterday providing a whole new set of names and faces to learn and remember.

But let's return to last week and have a look at the food run to Tsaile. This event is different from all the others in that it occurs in the evening. For many years we went to the elementary school but now use a building at Dine College. It's a spacious place, so it's easy to set up and move around.

The centerpiece of the campus at Dine College is an octagonal building encased in glass. It's quite striking from a distance and is seen here with some of our food run boxes in the foreground.

A division of labor is created at each food run to carry out the various tasks that must be completed. As noted in previous blogs, we serve a meal at each food run, and hence, have a food committee. For the food runs based out of Chinle, this job has been very capably handled by Laree White-Engle in recent years.

Here is Laree with her committee. From left to right are Linda Lux, Joanne Knoeble, Laree, Jan Parmenter, Janet Reffert, and Patti Palmer.

Each food run site provides a different set of challenges - the principle one at Tsaile being that there is no kitchen. As a result Laree plans on using electric cookers along with serving cold dishes like pasta salad. Despite whatever handicaps are presented the committee always comes through with a delicious meal. Elders and their families also bring food to supplement what we provide.

The tarp event was mentioned in the last blog about Many Farms. Elinda McKenna heads this group of ladies seen below, Cyndi Schwandt, Barbara Bull, Glenda Harwood, Margaret-Elaine Jinno, Elinda, and Alice Sikorsky.

Elinda makes a point of allowing the Elders who must rely on wheelchairs, canes, and walkers to have a head start in making their selections.

At Tsaile this year there was room to enroll one new Elder. Here Rodger Williams is helping her with the necessary paperwork.

Another important group is the medical committee. Here are Mary Ward, Barbara Tanner-Torres, and Kate Maxwell Stephens. Kate is driving the medical van to all of the current series of food runs.

The job of this committee is to assess the health needs of individual Elders. The Program provides a variety of home care products, and this group, mostly nurses, interviews the Elders to determine their needs. ANE does not provide or arrange for any medical care, but by helping with these supplies, eases the financial burden on the families.

In keeping with the previous blogs in this series, here is Frank Kedelty, coordinator at Tsaile, with his Pendelton blanket.

ANE encourages all of our Elders who are weavers to remain active at this art which lies at the heart of Navajo culture. There is a yarn giveaway at each food run, and here we see several of the Tsaile weavers with their yarn bundles.

During the portion of the program where Navajos can give to the Program if they wish, Randall Alan who helped manage the parking at the college facility, gave this gift to Mac Lund who was responsible for organizing all the unloading and loading of food and gift boxes.

Mac and his wife Sheri have been a part of ANE for years and have sponsored an Elder at Tsaile, Mary Chee. They were distressed to find that Mary had recently broken her arm. Mary helps support herself through her weaving, so we pray for a speedy recovery from this injury.

Finally, I was asked to take a picture of this lovely trio who, without any prior planning, ended up being very color-coordinated.

Food Run Report - Many Farms 5/5/11

2011-05-08T15:19:00.000-06:00

by John Aldrich

As I sit in my room back in Winslow at the Super 8 the wind has resumed its all-too-common pattern of blowing fiercely, but last week we were spared and had ideal weather for all three food runs. In fact, I even commented to Linda that the new volunteers will go home with the wrong impression of what it's like in the Chinle area. Don't misconstrue this as a complaint, though, we all appreciate days like this, and only wish there were more of them.

The day prior to the actual food run we make preparations such as purchasing produce at the local Basha's supermarket and fixing up the food run site at Elizabeth Clah's. She is the Elder who hosts this food run at her homeland just north of the town of Many Farms.

The first photo shows the action at Basha's where the onions and potatos are being loaded for transport to Elizabeth's.

The shade house at Elizabeth's is where the food run is held. Although it is an enclosed structure, there are many gaps in the siding that allow sand to blow in during the winter and early spring months. Therefore we normally need to move some sand out and prepare the surface. Rodger Williams is doing just that in the next photo.

When the group arrives the following day for the actual food run, we pause for our group portrait.

The unique thing about this particular food run to Many Farms was the presence of a video crew which will be producing a documentary about ANE to appear as part of a series called Turning Point on KBYU TV. The crew spent many hours prior to the food run following Linda on home visits to our Elders and interviewing her at Canyon de Chelly. The three members of the crew, Greg, Rich, and Phil, attended all events that were part of the run and integrated easily with the volunteers.

They had a clever idea to create a time lapse of the activity surrounding setting up the Rainbow Circle of food boxes. Here's Phil setting up his camera on the roof of the storage building.

While on the ground, Greg seems about to document the PortaPotties. I'm sure his interest was in other things, though.

Needless to say, we are all anxious to see the final result of this effort. The crew seemed very impressed and moved by what Linda has created at ANE and said they accumulated more footage for this project than any other they had been involved with.

Inside the shade house, part of the program was the presentation of another ANE Pendelton blanket, this time to Elizabeth.

The variety of Elders' hair styles intrigues me. Alta Begay's style isn't particularly unusual, but its striking whiteness caught my attention.

A popular part of a food run is the tarp event. Throughout the year, donated clothing is collected and sorted at the warehouse in Salt Lake City. At the food runs, items are spread out on a tarp where Elders have the opportunity to move about and pick whatever items they wish. There is keen interest in this activity - many Elders have already got their eye on things they would like - so it's best not to be standing in the way when the signal is given to go for the tarp.

Gift boxes are taken for children up through age 12 who attend the food run.

During the shopping for arts and crafts at the end of the run, Laree White-Engle acquired this young weaver's first rug.

Here is the Rainbow Circle of food boxes before the loading began.

Ella Yazzie appears quite elegant in her Pendelton coat as she stands beside her food boxes.

And finally, Zonnie Tsinijinnie got a special ride home with her sponsors, Allan and Jan Parmenter. They all had to fit into a small jeep, so some of the boxes ended up on the roof.

A Beautiful Day For a Drive

2011-05-06T14:02:00.002-06:00

by John Aldrich

After last week's food runs I spent a night in Flagstaff before returning the reservation. On Sunday May 1st I drove from Flagstaff to Chinle, mostly via roads within the reservation but did use Interstate 40 to get as far as Winslow. After the cold front that kicked up the winds at Birdsprings had moved on through, the weather was beautiful and the skies dramatic.

The portion of Interstate from Flagstaff to Winslow has a number of reminders of the kitschy days of historic route 66. There was quite a roadside stop at a location known as Twin Arrows. The namesake remains.

From Winslow I turned north to intercept Navajo Route 15. Roughly ten miles up the road is a pulloff to view the Little Painted Desert county park.

Not long after that I reached the junction with N 15 which continues on towards Dilkon. An old abandoned hogan sits near the highway on this stretch.

Not much further up the road a lone horse stands against a background of volcanic formations that are quite prevalent in this area.

Much further down the road, near the community of Greasewood, a red sandstone formation sits by itself with a cap of twisted lava.

Shortly after that I came upon the ruins of the old Sunrise Trading Post.

The final photo was taken between Ganado and Chinle along U.S. Highway 191. The view looks out over the Nazlini valley.

The badlands in this area are quite beautiful. The Chuska Mountains are in the background.

I hope this brief tour provides a glimpse of the beauty of Navajoland.

Food Run Report - Birdsprings 4/29/11

2011-05-04T19:47:00.001-06:00

by John Aldrich

Our final stop last week was Birdsprings, and that was where the wind caught up with us. This food run is normally held at the homeland of Sadie Curley with the Birdsprings Chapter House serving as the backup. Unfortunately, for the second spring in a row, this option had to be exercised. It's really a very nice facility, but it's not like being out on the Land.

The wind and dust forced a few accommodations amongst the outside crew. Boyd Mitchell came dressed as a gangsta' cowboy.

- while TomHogan was an impregnable fortress in this Walmart-inspired outfit.

Here's what it looked like outside the chapter house with the dust swirling and saplings bending.

Hairdos were also subject to revision, as Cathy Pope found out.

- along with John del Campo

Inside the facility, however, all was well, and we had another very successful food run. Birdsprings is the smallest of the eleven food runs we conduct. This, along with the spaciousness of the building's interior, made it easy to move about and interact with the Elders. Even though we weren't at Sadie's, she and her family were still very much in control of the event.

Here is Sadie being honored with her Pendelton blanket.

Other highlights included Cathy Pope meeting her Elder, Louise Curley, along with Louise's daughters.

Don Bagley was honored by his Elder, Thomas Walker, with a beautiful bolo tie.

And here is the lineup of volunteers as the program progressed inside.

One of the special things about this food run is the food. In this case I'm referring to the meal served as part of the event rather than what is given to the Elders. Sadie's daughters Toni and Teri are inspired cooks and orchestrate a sumptuous meal for these food runs.

With the help of other family members, they cook for days and produce a meal mixing traditional Navajo foods with more mainstream dishes. If you enjoy eating and feel like trying a food run, Birdsprings might be the perfect place to start.

Other than loading the Elders' vehicles, the final activity for many volunteers is shopping. Elders and their families bring rugs, jewelry, and other crafts to each food run. Prices are typically very reasonable so everyone goes home happy.

Food Run Report - Leupp 4/28/11

2011-05-03T13:40:00.000-06:00

by John Aldrich

Beautiful weather graced our day at Leupp also. By contrast, when we left Winslow for Leupp a year ago we were stopped on the freeway west of town by high winds and blowing dust, finally making our escape by caravaning down the shoulder of the highway to our exit. So every day as beautiful as this is a blessing.

Here's the box crew pausing for a picture outside the senior center where we hold the food run.

If you should notice an unfamiliar face or two it's because we were joined this day by a crew from ARD, German Public Radio, who were making a documentary about ANE.

On the left is Christine Schacht, photographer, and in the center, Jan Tussing, the ARD bureau chief. Jan's father, Henning, was visiting the U.S. This trio easily made friends with the volunteers as they went about their business of interviewing ANE people and local Navajos.

The coordinator for Leupp is the incomparable Lola Bahe who is seen here receiving her Pendelton blanket. Lola officially retired last year from managing the senior center, but, fortunately for us, continues to sign short term contracts since no replacement for her has been found yet.

First-time food run volunteers, Tracey and Tom Hogan were able to meet their Elder, Susie Rusell, whom they have been sponsoring for several years.

The wizened face of Magdelena Tso provides quite a contrast to those of her beautiful granddaughters.

This view inside the senior center gives an idea of the space where we hold the food run at Leupp.

The carefully braided hair of Pleasant Curley was an interesting contrast to the traditional hair bun worn by most elderly Navajo women.

There was great gratitude expressed by the Leupp Elders and a number of volunteers received gifts. Woody Smith presented Linda with this necklace.

And Christine received a necklace from Victoria Begay.

As the final box loading takes place outside, Navajo Code Talker, George Willie, poses with his food boxes.

Food Run Report - Dilkon 4/27/11

2011-05-02T18:06:00.000-06:00

by John Aldrich

Last week saw the completion of the second of the four sets of food runs this spring. After leaving the snow and cold of northern Utah we were greeted by beautiful weather in Arizona, at least for the first few days. This year we have moved our lodging base to the Super 8 motel located next door to the "Winslow Hilton" that many remember so fondly.

One advantage of the new location is a large gravel-covered space adjacent to the motel which made it very convenient for staging our lineup without inconveniencing other motel guests.

Once lined up and smudged, we proceeded on to Dilkon, a forty mile drive from Winslow. In recent years the food run there has been hosted by an LDS ward. This is a comfortable space aside from its small size. Once all the volunteers, Elders, and their families are inside it's a bit of a challenge to move around.

The first order of business after we arrive is to get the group photo out of the way.

Then the "heavy lifters" go to work unloading the Penske truck. Here Charles Keen and Don Bagley are at work setting up the Rainbow Circle.

While inside, this group of lighter lifters helped Wendy organize the giveaways.

This photo provides a partial overview of how things looked inside once we were set up.

Through a generous gift by Wendy's parents, each food run coordinator is receiving one of the new ANE Pendelton blankets this spring. Here is Eunice Spencer with hers.

ANE is privileged to count five Navajo Code Talkers among its Elders. Samuel Tsosie attends the Dilkon run along with his wife Bessie. Tom and Tracey Hogan, new volunteers from Park City, felt honored to meet Sam, especially since Tom also served in the military.

John del Campo from Alfred, NY, has been volunteering and attending food runs for many years. He collects afghans from knitters in his area and brings them to present to the Elders. Here Florence Ekada receives hers.

At the conclusion of the run a big job awaits - making sure that the food boxes, produce, and other giveaways get loaded properly for each Elder.

And here's the brain trust that saw to it that it happened without a glitch.

Within the next few days I hope to provide a glimpse of what happened next at Leupp.

Amasani Program Activities - Spring 2011

2011-04-22T08:37:00.001-06:00

by April Wilsey
(Note: April is the coordinator for the Classroom Amasani Program the purpose of which is to facilitate the adoption of Navajo Elders by school classrooms and facilitate cultural exchange between the two.)

The Classroom Amasani Program connects teachers and their students with Navajo Elders and their families. It is our intention that both groups will be able to share their cultures and learn from each other.

When teachers decide to adopt an Elder for their classroom, a packet is sent to them including photo and bio of their Elder and other pictures showing the hogans and life on the reservation. Also included are a AAA map of the southwestern Indian country that includes the Navajo Reservation, information about their culture, and two CD’s with about 23 issues of the Amasani Bahane Newsletter. Each issue contains an article about Navajo life written by a Navajo. There are lesson plans that go with Navajo stories, mapping activities and much more that can be taught to the class.

Rodger Williams and April Wilsey have done four presentations at elementary schools beginning in February through April 1. They have taken rugs made by Navajo children, turquoise jewelry, a ceremonial basket, and video of the Adopt-A-Native Elder Program to share with the students. Recently Rodger added a Navajo Code Talker doll and information explaining how these very brave and patriotic Navajo soldiers created a code within a code to help win the war in Japan during WWII. Rodger also takes his drum and sings Navajo songs and teaches them how to count to 10.

The Classroom Amasani presentatons are for any schools signed up in the program and live within a 45 minute drive from Park City.

For more information about this program you can read last year's blog about Amasani, or visit the Amasani page of our web site. There is some free information you can download and print for your own use.

An Outpouring of Giving

2011-04-21T07:19:00.001-06:00

by John Aldrich

The Giveaway Circle is a central principal of the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program. This Native American tradition is explained in greater detail in this blog about the Program Vision. But briefly, we give of ourselves and our possessions, and we give our best, while we hold no expectation of anything in return. This thought underlies everything we do for the Elders in our program. However, despite the fact that these people have very little themselves, they are often moved to give in return.

During the program at each food run there is a point where Linda asks if anyone has anything they wish to donate to the Program. Some of the Elders or their families always come forward at this point and present things they have made, typically rugs and jewelry such as necklaces. Sometimes the gifts are specifically designated for people such as Linda or the Elder's sponsor, while most are given for the use of the Program. Many of these gifts, particularly the rugs, are used by ANE to honor individuals who have made special contributions to further the work of the Program.

This giving is a part of every food run, but at the recent Navajo Mountain food run there seemed to be an unusually great and spontaneous outpouring of gifts.

The first food run to Navajo Mountain took place in August of 2008 so this was only the sixth run to this location. (By comparison, food runs have been held at Big Mountain for 25 years.) Despite this short history, the people of this remote area have quickly embraced ANE and made the volunteers feel welcome.

When the time came for Elder donations, many stepped forward, and then they just seemed to keep coming. Many had gifts to be passed along to their sponsor, some had gifts for Linda, several had gifts for their sponsors who were present, and some had gifts for the volunteers who were present, and one had gifts for volunteers who helped make the food run possible but couldn't be present.

The following photos show a representative, although incomplete, picture of what happened.

The first to step forward was Elise Greymountain who presented this beautiful ceremonial basket.

Among the Elders at Navajo Mountain there are a number of basket weavers. This particular skill is prevalent along the northern reaches of the reservation where the Navajo people intermixed with Piutes who have a long history of basket making.

Two volunteers were sponsors of Elders at Navajo Mountain, and each received a special gift. Here is Gina Zimmerer with her Elder, Emma Seaton, who presented Gina with a beautiful necklace.

While Nancy Greenwood received this beautiful rug from her Elder, Nancy Greymountain.

Sponsors who weren't present at the food run were not forgotten. Several Elders asked that their gifts be passed along to their sponsors. Cherie Foster of Perth, Australia, adopted Jean Dejolie at the food run last August, and Jean brought this rug to be sent to Cherie.

In her right hand can be seen two necklaces, one of which she presented to me. This was both touching and surprising since, as the photographer, I figure I'm not always the most popular person in the room.

Betty Longsalt, a fine weaver, presented this rug to the Program.

The two new volunteers on this run, Marilyn Cowan and Suzanne Christiansen, were given necklaces by Elise Greymountain and Sylvia Clark.

While Faye Sombero sorts through necklaces that she presented to the other volunteers.

All of the volunteers were deeply moved by this outpouring of giving. For people who have so little to be so generous seems an embodiment of the Giveaway Circle.

Walk In Beauty - Spring 2011

2011-04-20T09:58:00.001-06:00

by Cindy Cook and Ray Coleman

It was a beautiful April day – just perfect for a drive to the reservation. As we prepared for our spring delivery of Walk In Beauty shoes, we smudged ourselves and the truck with sage and asked to be blessed with safe travels.

For a couple of weeks we had been collecting the shoes our volunteer buyers had purchased. Each pair had been selected and tagged for a specific child. The orders were re-checked and now the back of the truck was filled with 28 big blue IKEA bags overflowing with new shoes.

The sight of us visiting schools with bags full of shoes reminded at least one young child of Christmas. A 2nd grade boy from Pinon Elementary exclaimed, “Thank you Santa!” as he ran out of the room with his new shoes.

A small inventory of shoes that had built up was also loaded in the truck. This allowed us to meet emergency needs for 11 children who had transferred in to various schools after those schools had submitted their shoe orders.

We can’t begin to fully express our gratitude to those who support this program. The generosity of those who donate to Walk In Beauty permitted us to deliver over 300 pairs of shoes to children in need at our participating schools. In addition, funds were sufficient to add two more schools.

Stopping at Tsaile Public School to assess their interest in Walk In Beauty, we were surprised to find everyone outside. A fire alarm had gone off requiring a complete evacuation. They were waiting for engineers from Chinle to arrive to verify it was safe to reenter the building. We found the school’s Parent Coordinator, Josephine Yellow, in the parking lot where we told her about Walk In Beauty and signed Tsaile up to receive shoes in the fall. Chinle Boarding School will also be added to the fall delivery.

An objective of Walk In Beauty is to service school-aged children in areas of the reservation where ANE has food runs. Meeting this objective can be challenging as it requires us to criss-cross the entire reservation to make deliveries – which we try to accomplish in a one week period.

Further complicating the delivery process are weather and road conditions. Springtime often brings unsettled weather. Such was the case during this trip. We experienced wind and sand storms and a bit of snow.

In addition to delivering shoes, donations allow us to provide socks. While trying shoes on the children, some are embarrassed at the condition of their socks and ask us not to look. Others are uncomfortable because they have no socks to wear. It is heartening to tell them not to worry as we pull out a fresh pair of new socks to put on their feet.

We are grateful to those who volunteer their time to purchase and prepare the shoes. We may begin calling them our Hunting and Gathering team as they hunt from store to store for the correct sizes and colors of shoes at the best prices. They then gather them all together and spend a considerable amount of time cutting off tags, removing stuffing materials, lacing them up and tagging them. Our thanks to Janet Dalton, Anna Law, Jessie Bigelow, Jackie Boyd, Isabelle Kalantzes and Summer Campbell-Kelsch for purchasing shoes for the spring delivery.

Expressions of gratitude for the program are received in numerous ways. We saw it in the broad smiles of the children.

The basketball coach and Special Education teacher at Little Singer gave us t-shirts. One was their prized 2011 basketball championship t-shirt. This tiny school had taken the district championship for varsity and junior varsity for both boys and girls teams.

Kindergarten children from Sanders Elementary squealed with delight when their teacher said, “Remember when we measured you for shoes? Well, your shoes are here.”

At Canyon de Chelly Elementary we were greeted with a huge Welcome sign made by some of the students.

Other children express their feelings in thank-you notes. A 4th grade boy attending Little Singer wrote, “Thank you for buying me new shoes. I will wear them to school. I hope they don’t cost too much. Again, thank you.”

At Kayenta, a 2nd grade boy had the most pleased look on his face as he said, “These are awesome. My feet feel soooooo good.” My Mom wanted me to have new shoes. She’s going to be so surprised.”

What a blessing it is to be part of a program that puts shoes on the feet of our Elders' future.

Questions about Walk In Beauty? E-mail us at walkinbeauty@hotmail.com.

For more photos of the spring delivery visit our Picasa photo album.

Rainbow Food Box Packing 4/9/11

2011-04-18T11:41:00.002-06:00

by John Aldrich

Following the arrival of the food, the next big step in preparing for the food runs is packing the Rainbow Boxes. Boxes for Oljato and Navajo Mountain are packed earlier, but the remaining food for the other nine runs is boxed on two successive Saturdays. The first of these took place April 9th.

It takes a large crew to accomplish this job. That day we boxed 250 sets (500 boxes). In recent years we have been fortunate to have the Alta High School Soccer Team volunteer on one of the two Saturdays, so they were there that day contributing over 30 strapping young men to our workforce. Here's a photo of the team along with their coach.

Here's a view of the activity in the warehouse looking from the north end.

Regular volunteers Jerry and Louise Sedlevicius pass by Sheri Lund who was handing out the last items to be placed in the boxes.

Jan Snyder has taken Alta High student Alex under her wing to pack boxes.

A video production team is seen here interviewing Linda. They will be producing a video about the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program which should be airing later in the summer or fall on KBYU TV.

This view, from the south end of the warehouse, shows the circle of "shoppers" with their carts and boxes who move around the well-organized perimeter from which each box is filled in sequence with the prescribed food items.

Beverly Benally offers refreshments to passing shoppers.

As the boxes progress around the circle the last stop is for the labels. Sandy Sanders distributes these critical items that assure that each set of boxes will delivered to the intended Elders.

Another active place in the warehouse is the table where the assembled boxes are taped. Sarah Sifers makes it look easy through her years of experience.

Although by the time the following picture was taken some of the regular volunteers had departed, the remaining veterans posed for this shot.

The following is a two minute video of the action in the warehouse. The video production crew is seen at work as well as the energetic high school students.

If you click on "YouTube" at the lower right you can watch the video at a somewhat higher resolution on the YouTube site.

Oljato-Navajo Mountain Food Run Spring 2011

2011-04-11T09:38:00.001-06:00

by John Aldrich

Frequently the weather gods are held responsible for some degree of inconvenience at a food run - - - wind and dust, heat, or even snow, but this spring no fault could be laid at their feet. Although we were chased out of northern Utah by a storm, conditions on the reservation were near-ideal with pleasantly cool, sunny days and no wind to speak of. This was a food run of veterans - there were only two new volunteers. So it was a very comradely group from the outset.

As per the usual routine we met in Mexican Hat at the San Juan Inn on the patio overlooking the San Juan River. This is a beautiful way to start a food run especially with spring in the air, the cottonwoods leafing out, and the birds greeting us enthusiastically.

The river always provides a peaceful and symbolic background to this gathering.

The following day our little convoy made its way through Monument Valley to Oljato and the Senior Center there where we gathered for the group picture.

Then we split into teams to make preparations for the arrival of the Elders and the events to follow. Here's a group working inside to set out the Program giveaways.

A touching moment occurred when John Holiday arrived and presented Oscar Merz with this beautiful bolo tie of silver and turquoise. John is a Navajo medicine man and Elder of considerable local stature. Oscar is held in corresponding esteem by our organization.

As more Elders arrive they are offered beverages while they visit and wait for the program to begin. Here Nancy Greenwood offers tea and coffee.

To end the day at Oljato we must pitch in to help clean up the Senior Center. This team left the facility spotless.

After we leave Oljato the logistical base moves to Kayenta so that we can be closer to Navajo Mountain. The next day begins with a beautiful clear sunrise. Here's the ANE van at the Wetherill Inn.

Outside the Chapter House at Navajo Mountain the men line up the Rainbow Food Boxes, produce, flour, and gift boxes. At this particular food run there is also a gift of water. American Express makes a generous donation to help underwrite this food run and this special gift. Navajo Mountain has had to rely on an unreliable water source for many years. This gift honors the challenge these Elders face in meeting such a simple, basic need.

Here's the muscle power that created the Rainbow Circle.

There was an additional water-related gift this year. Mary Robertson explains that everyone will receive a collapsible water container. Mary drives over from Hardrock, several hours away, to serve as our interpreter at Navajo Mountain.

Giveaways are presented by both the Program and individual volunteers. Here's Fientje with an armful.

The final activity at every food run is loading the Elders' vehicles with everything in the Rainbow Circle. Here a pickup is being loaded by the highly efficient team of men.

The spring food run season is off to a fine start, and we eagerly await the upcoming runs.

The Food Has Arrived!

2011-03-07T11:38:00.000-07:00

by John Aldrich

Prior to the semiannual food runs, an enormous amount of work takes place at the warehouse in Salt Lake City to prepare all of the giveaways and food boxes. A major event in this sequence is the arrival of all the food needed to fill the Rainbow Food boxes. All the shopping and ordering that leads up to this delivery was featured in a blog last year while this blog focuses on the arrival of the food at the warehouse.

Friday March 7th was the culmination of all the work Roger Daly had put into arranging for the food through Walmart. After parting with over $27,000 ANE was the owner of roughly 35,000 pounds of food goods. Getting all this to the warehouse was facilitated by Boyd Mitchell who rented a Penske truck and drove the three round trips from Walmart to the warehouse.

Here are Roger and Boyd with one of the loads. The food is delivered on pallets that must be unloaded from the truck and moved into the warehouse.

Then the cases of food are unloaded from the pallets and placed in their designated places along the warehouse wall.

The following photo shows the combined muscle power that made this big job happen.

But this wasn't the only thing happening at the warehouse that day. Other volunteers were busy working on the various giveaways that are an important part of every food run.

Here Sue Powers and Cheryl Wehmanen are packing rolls of fabric that will be donated to Elders.

And here, Sue is collecting items that will be assembled into Grandma boxes.

While Robin Field-Williams is a blur of motion as she tapes together the boxes that will become Grandma Boxes.

Many more days like this one will be needed before we are ready for the spring food runs.

Solar Cooking on the Reservation

2011-03-05T09:44:00.002-07:00

by Mary Phillips , ANE Director of Development

It began with a question asked in Summit County, near Park City Utah. Someone on the 1% Tax Grant commission (they generously help fund ANE’s Annual Navajo Rug Show) asked, “You fund a lot of firewood for the Navajo Elders, and the cost has risen so much, so why don’t they use solar for heat? They certainly have a lot of sun.”

Good question, I thought. But looking on the web I found no affordable solar heating options.

A year later a board member from the Aqua Fund (they generously support ANE programs) asked, “Do you think Navajos on the reservation would adapt to solar cooking? Couldn’t this help them meet the rising cost of firewood?”

In Parade magazine I’d read about solar cookers used in refuge camps around the world. Some camps had no wood available. In others women were raped while gathering firewood. Children spent all day gathering enough twigs to cook a meal instead of attending school. Families suffered lung and eye problems from cooking on polluting indoor stoves. The article showed how solar cookers solved these problems. They worked just like my old Girl Scout fold up aluminum reflector oven, slow cooking a pot of food or baking a pan of bread by simply focusing the sun’s rays.

“I don’t know,” I told the Agua rep, “but Navajo people certainly have a huge history of adapting to survive. I think it’s worth looking into this. Even if they don’t solar cook for every meal it could provide emergency relief when they run out of wood and roads are closed for weeks due to weather so they can’t get it hauled in.”

Searching the web for info about solar cooking, I read that you could also heat up a rock in the cooker and take it indoors to provide emergency heat. Now I had three reasons to pursue introducing solar cooking on the reservation.

The Agua Fund put me in touch with an expert on solar cooking, Pat McCartle. She is on the board and volunteers with Solar Cooking International introducing solar cooking all over the world. I visited Pat’s home in Virginia.

In her back yard Pat showed me how three types of commercially available cookers work, proving how easy it is to use them and how durable they are. One type, the two piece foil covered cardboard CookIt folded flat for easy lightweight storage, perfect for an emergency kit or to take on horseback while herding sheep.

I worried that since none of the affordable cookers got hot enough to fry and boil (they crock pot slow cook and bake), Navajo families might not want to use them. They’d still need another cooking method to make fry bread and coffee or tea. Pat cautioned this would not be the only obstacle. She said, “It is difficult to get people to switch to solar from wood and coal until they are desperate. But,” she said, “it’s possible. I’ve seen it, over and over.” Then she generously stepped into our world of helping the Elders, “ I’ll help you demonstrate them on the reservation” she said, “if you can pay my travel expenses.”

But before I called the Agua Fund back to ask for funding, I talked to William Whitehair, a younger weaver with the ANE program who lives on the reservation. Would he consider using a solar cooker and report how it worked for him?

William had heard of solar cooking and was enthusiastic about trying it. He thought his brother would also be interested, as well as others, maybe not the Elders but younger ones. He said, “You have to go so far now to get wood, and the permits to cut wood are so much higher. And people who have to buy wood, the price is so high now.”

The Aqua Fund donated $5000 for our Spring Solar Cooking Demonstrations. We bought 20 cookers to leave with Navajos on the reservation. With the cooperation of Salt Lake City’s alternative energy program and with complimentary space donated by the city, we set up a solar demo at the Gallivan Center in downtown Salt Lake City. Another solar expert, Paul, the owner of what has become the reservation favorite, the Sun Oven box cooker, met us downtown and set up a display that included pictures of people using solar cookers. This came in handy as clouds prevented us from cooking. People who came by learned about solar cooking and the ANE program.

The first ANE solar food run demo occurred at Many Farms, Arizona, with 40 mph winds on sandy land that is barren for miles. Everyone who remained outside got a free dermabrasion. Pat braved more consecutive hours outside in the storm tending the cookers, while I went inside the shade house with the Elders and forty-four ANE food run volunteers.

Through a translator I told the Elders and their families that Pat and I were cooking chili and cornbread outside using just the sun, and if they wanted to learn about this kind of cooking, Pat could teach them. I told them that people far away gave us the money to bring Pat to them and buy cookers for them to take home and try out. They could have one for the price of giving me a report about what they cooked, how often they used it,
and if they had any problems using it.

Using wisdom Pat garnered from women in developing countries (rocks and string will secure cookers in wind) and wisdom from my daddy (keep a roll of duct tape handy) we didn't lose any cooker parts to the non-stop wind. We constantly wiped sand from the reflective surfaces to keep the food cooking. Despite these challenges we served delicious solar cooked chili and cornbread for lunch. Elders, their families, and ANE volunteers
were so impressed.

Pat and I used self-selection to decide who went home with the 20 demo cookers. While Elders engaged in activity inside the shade house, family members braved the conditions to examine the cookers and ask questions. On her way into the shade house one 90 year old Elder who speaks little English stopped in front of the cookers, visually taking in details. Pat pointed to the sun and said {phonetically} “Jo-oh-no-eh”, Navajo for sun. She lifted the lid to show the Elder the food cooking in the pot. The Elder stared at it. Then she raised her hand in the air above her head, pumped her arm several times, pointed across the row of cookers, and said with loud conviction, “Is good!”

Two families spent a lot of time going over the details of how to use the cookers. They selected cookers to take home. We gave them pot holders and a large can of chilli so they would not have to worry about using their own precious food for their solo attempt at solar cooking.

On Saturday, the final food run, we set up under clear morning skies with a light breeze, cooked food without incident, and found six enthusiastic families to try solar cooking. One Elder and her daughter stared at the cookers, pointing out details to each other and speaking in Navajo. The Elder didn’t speak much English. Her daughter translated that somewhere they’d seen that you could paint tin cans black and heat with them, and they
always wanted to know how to do that.

Pat explained solar cooking uses the same principle as the cans used for solar heating. Using the cooker they wanted to save money on wood, which was costing up to $150 a load, way over their income, and it was tough to find people to deliver it to their very remote home. They chose a cooker that could take two pots, so they could cook an entire meal using solar. Their extended family, including school-aged children came over to look at their cooker as we took their picture with it. Pat explained details to the family and told the children how they could go online and find plans to easily and cheaply make their own CookIts.

William Whitehair came to this food run. William went to college but came back to the reservation to weave and care for his aging mother. He tends sheep and grows corn. He has a laptop and website where he sells his rugs. An ANE volunteer helped set him up with these resources, which he uses to great advantage.

At the food run William selected a Sun Oven to try. The metal reflectors for this cooker fold flat across a durable plastic cooking box, they snap down securely, and the box has a carry handle so it is very portable. While talking to Pat and exploring the parabolic prototype that gets hot enough to boil and fry, William asked if he could possibly make a parabolic cooker from old TV dishes found all around the reservation. Pat pointed him to some Internet information sites.

William took his solar cooker home Saturday and emailed me 11:30 pm Sunday night:

“Hi Mary, I hope you had a wonderful Mothers Day. I want to tell you that I used the solar oven today. I butchered a sheep today for a dinner that we had here at home. I cooked the sheep head in the solar oven. It worked great. Im very pleased with it. Thank you. I'll write it down on the paper that you gave me.
Take care, William.”

At the November Rug Show I asked Craig, an amazing tech talented ANE volunteer, to help me video William’s resounding enthusiasm for his solar cooker. You can watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIDCVzk9Xn0. Many thanks to William for allowing me to film him.

Getting feedback from the reservation is always challenging, but so far we have reports from about 1/3 of the demonstrators. With the exception of one, all are using the cookers and enthusiastic about their ease of use and their durability. None see the fact that they don’t fry as an obstacle. Everyone said, “Frying isn’t healthy!” Many said they are glad to have the solar cooker on hand in case they run out of fuel. It makes them feel more secure.

They are not using the cookers as much in winter as they do in summer. Many have always cooked outside in the summer to avoid heating up their homes that bake under summer’s sun with no shade from trees or awnings. So cooking outdoors in summer is not an adaptation, they’ve been doing this all their lives.

As a result of this demo Pat and I listed changes that would improve currently available commercial solar cookers. Pat reported this list to Solar Cooking International. It includes: cookers need to get hot enough to boil and fry, they need to accommodate larger pots and more than one pot of food to be useful to large families, they need to be designed to readily cook in high wind, they need a mechanical or solar powered mechanism that turns them once an hour to keep them sun focused instead of relying upon a person to turn them, the reflective surfaces need to be made of more durable material that doesn’t scratch as easily (like the material used in rooftop solar panels), and solar cookers need to be cheaper.

With approval from the Aqua Fund, remaining demo funds are buying cookers for families who want another cooker so they can cook enough for their large families. We are also using remaining Aqua Fund resources to send a parabolic cooker to William, so he can test a parabolic cooker that boils and fries. This cooker was used a couple of times by a family in Phoenix who want to donate it but lost the shipping box to safely mail it to the reservation. Nathan, at http://www.solarcooker-at-cantinawest.com/, sells this type of parabolic cooker and offers pictures and details about their use. This cooker can support a big enough pot to make it a practical for family use. People often use this cooker to keep a pot of water boiling so they can make tea and coffee throughout the day.

The spot on questions asked by Summit County and Agua Fund remain, as we continue to follow up on results from our little solar cooking demonstration. This winter firewood too often cost $150 a load, more than most incomes can bear. Will we ever figure out how to cheaply harness that blazing reservation sun for heating, and will we ever figure out how to help people switch from using traditional wood and coal and now propane, to cooking with the renewable free abundant energy of the sun?

I send many thanks to the Summit County Commission for their question that got me thinking seriously about using solar on the reservation. Thanks beyond words to the Aqua Fund for asking the question and generously funding this demo.

Deep gratitude goes out to Pat who could not have been more perfect for this work in this place with these people. One way all of you can thank Pat is to buy her book Farishna coming out in June 2011, the breakout novel of 2010 selected by Amazon for publication, a story born of her adventures in Afghanistan in the Foreign Service, where she introduced solar cooking to Afghani women.

If you are interested in learning more about solar cooking, visit these sites: http://www.solarcooker-at-cantinawest.com/, and http://solarcookers.org/.

Quilting For The Elders

2011-02-14T12:07:00.001-07:00

At the annual rug show last November, quilts played an important role, all be it one that was mostly behind the scenes. Masuda Medcalf helped organized the effort to make over forty quilts that were presented to Elders and weavers at the Thursday afternoon "quilt party".

An avid quilter, Masuda, frequents a local quilting shop known as Elaine's Quilt Block, The owner, Marilyn Cowan, became aware of this project and suggested that making quilts for our Elders could be the focus of her shop's charitable project for 2011. Every year Marilyn chooses a charity and makes the materials needed to produce a full-sized quilt available at no charge to quilters who are willing to make a quilt to be donated to the selected charity.

The following flyer was produced by Marilyn to provide quilters with specific details:

Below is the display at Elaine's featuring the project:

To date over 30 quilters have volunteered their time for this charitable effort and many have already returned their quilts. Although the process of picking up a kit and delivering the finished quilt is easiest for local quilters, Marilyn is willing to provide kits to out-of-town quilters as long as they pay the shipping costs.

Recently Linda had a chance to join with Marilyn for lunch and then tour the quilt shop. To their mutual surprise, it turns out that they were neighbors and friends during their junior high school years here in Salt Lake. They had lost track of one another so this became a happy reunion.

The last photo shows Linda and Marilyn holding one of the first quilts to be returned.

Marilyn says that quilters are generous by nature and that participating in a project like this is stimulating to their creativity.

If you would like to participate or have further questions, visit Elaine's Quilt Block web site for contact information.

Winter Stories Night 2011

2011-02-05T09:57:00.002-07:00

by John Aldrich

We were treated to another immersion into Navajo culture during the annual Winter Stories night on January 30th. Organized by Rodger Williams, this popular evening at the warehouse is well-attended by both ANE volunteers as well as local Navajos who come to share in this winter tradition.

To add to the ambiance of the occasion, Rodger encouraged everyone to think of the warehouse as a "large hogan" for the evening. Attendees also brought a variety of food offerings to share with others.

The program featured a variety of talents including story telling, singing, and drumming. Below is Harry James, who provides the popular Pow Wow event at the annual rug show.

Lacee Harris, a local Ute, is an animated and entertaining story teller. In past years he has usually shared tales of Ma' ii (coyote), the perennial trickster. This time, however, he related a story about Mouse which contained many lessons about life.

Eileen Quintana, along with her daughter Tinisha, took part in several presentations. Here is Tinisha demonstrating a string game, another traditional Navajo winter pastime. In this photo she has created cat's whiskers.

Eileen and Tinisha performed together in this back-and-forth song celebrating the connection between mother and daughter.

One of the highlights of the evening were several performances by the Cliff Eagle Singers, a drum group led by Emerson Bill. To conclude, here's a video clip of the group performing a ribbon dance song.

Upcoming Special Events

2011-01-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

by John Aldrich

Two special events will take place at the ANE warehouse within the next several weeks, and all are invited to attend.

The first is the annual Winter Stories Night on January 30th. This event, organized by Rodger Williams, has been a popular occasion in recent years and honors the Navajo tradition of sharing stories among family and friends during the winter season.

Prior to last year's event, Rodger wrote a blog about the importance of these stories in Navajo culture.

This year Winter Stories Night will take place at the warehouse on January 30th at 5:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

The second event will be a special evening devoted to volunteers sharing stories about food run experiences.

The event flyer explains the details, but if you have additional questions, feel free to call Linda or call the warehouse at 801-474-0535.

Linda's Vision

2011-01-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

by Linda Myers

(note: Linda wrote this piece for the recent ANE newsletter. As we start a new year it serves as a reminder of the power of Linda's vision and the strength of her purpose to help the Elders.)

Twenty-five years ago my life changed after watching a documentary called Broken Rainbow and listening to a young Navajo woman speak about the plight of her people. I didn't know what to do - but I knew I had to do something.

When I traveled to the land with Grace Smith Yellowhammer, she said something to me that I still remember. "The people are so despondent and helpless. They're giving up caring. They need someone to care about them, even a hairbrush or a jacket, something that would make them feel good about themselves." As I looked at the condition of their homes and the simple lives, I knew I had a voice and somehow I would find a way to share with others about their simple needs.

As I look back, I think of so many people who offered help to me. When I would get home from work at night I would sort through donations and pack food in any boxes I could find. We have come a long way since those days, and even though times are challenging for us now, they haven't changed very much on the land for the Elders over the last twenty-five years.

Many of the original Elders twenty-five years ago relocated and were given new homes. Many more were displaced and left the homes and returned back to their homelands.

Poverty on the reservation is hard to rise out of - education is the greatest way out and presents many challenges to students because of lack of funds and support. My goal with the old ones is still the same - to help them live out their lives in their traditional ways.

Food is the greatest gift I know -firewood has helped relieve their greatest worry of freezing to death. Drinking water in many areas is only safe by buying bottled water. The Elders have taught me a lot about survival. To sell their rugs for them is to touch each of them daily, to feel their hands in the rugs, to know even in their old age they will weave to eat and feed their families. They have shown me how giving and generous they are with so little.

Their strength has kept me going many times when I am tired and overwhelmed. I have experienced a different kind of love not in words but in the gentle touch of holding their hands and feeling their prayers. They have blessed me and all the volunteers who help them.

With five hundred Elders we assist now, it isn't often I visit each of their homes. We send letters to them from the program letting them know we are thinking of them and, through donations, include Food Certificates or Firewood Checks, and boxes of yarn to weave their rugs with.

When I visit their homes, I often see the letters taped to the wall that show the pictures of the volunteers or the families that sponsor them. I look forward to the New Year and to the blessings it will bring. We have struggled to keep many things going as simply as we can, to help the money donate to go to the Elders directly.

I have so much gratitude for all the volunteers and supporters who come into my life daily with working hands to give their time, such a precious gift, and to all of you who adopt Elders and generously give to help them.

We send you our Heartfelt Blessings.

A Bond

2011-01-09T14:52:00.000-07:00

by John Aldrich

A close bond is created when a sponsor adopts an Elder. Heartfelt feelings flow in both directions. The extent to which an Elder is able to express those feelings is frequently limited by their ability to communicate. As many Elders do not speak or write English they find themselves dependent on other family members, often grandchildren, to create those words for them. Some Elders are more fortunate than others in having someone willing to take on this task.

On the March 2009 food run to Navajo Mountain the stars crossed for Emma Seaton, an Elder newly enrolled in the Program, and Gina Zimmerer, a volunteer on her first food run. After adopting Emma, Gina returned to Navajo Mountain in August where the following picture was taken.

Gina had made a quilt to present to Emma. Here are their hands resting on it. A bond was created.

During the recent holiday season, Gina was thrilled and surprised to receive a gift from Emma - - - a hand woven rug.

Along with the rug was the following note created on Emma's behalf by her granddaughter.

This exchange embodies the spirit of the Program!

Spring Food Run Dates Posted

2011-01-07T14:49:00.000-07:00

Following in the same general time frames as in recent years, the dates for the spring food runs are as follows:

March 29-31: Oljato-Navajo Mountain food run.
April 26-29: Dilkon-Leupp-Birdsprings food run.
May 3-7: Many Farms-Tsaile-Pinon food run.
May 8-12: Sanders-Big Mountain-Teesto food run.

For further information and specifics about these food runs please see the pertinent section of the Volunteer Activities Page of our web site.

Rug Show 2010

2010-12-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

by John Aldrich

This year's rug show was held from November 12th to November 14th and was again a heart-warming success. Twenty-eight Elders and weavers, along with their families, traveled from the reservation to Deer Valley in Park City for the event. As always, the show proceeds were all returned to the reservation to help see the families through the upcoming winter.

Although the public portion of the show starts Friday evening and extends through Sunday, there is actually much more that happens at the event. Planning, of course, extends throughout the year, but the real activities begin on Wednesday when many volunteers gather at the Snow Park Lodge to set up the show. It seems like a daunting task at first, but with many seasoned veterans on hand, the transformation takes place in roughly five hours. The following photo shows Becky Harris with the group that helped set up the central table with displays of jewelry, dolls, and other craft items.

The Navajo families begin arriving Wednesday afternoon and are escorted to condos that have been donated for their use during the event. Each condo has been stocked with food for the next five days, and on Wednesday evening a welcoming dinner is held. This year a local Navajo family offered to cater this meal which made it an even more special event.

On Thursday and Friday school children are invited to come to the show to witness demonstrations of Navajo culture. Coordinating this with the schools, teachers, children and their parents is a big job and was handled capably this year by Masuda Medcalf who is seen below with the first round of students on Thursday morning.

While at the show the children get to see demonstrations of weaving, yarn preparation, corn grinding, and hear about other aspects of Navajo culture; they also listen to singing and story telling. At the end they also get a taste of traditional fry bread. In the next photo students watch attentively as Elders weave.

Thursday afternoon, after the final school program, entertainment is provided in the form of a "game". This year the theme was quilts. Over forty hand-made quilts were made by volunteers and then presented while being "modeled" by volunteers. Elders and weavers could then choose by quilt or model.

Thursday evening a dinner is held at the Grub Steak Restaurant in Park City with the food donated by the restaurant. This event provides an opportunity to honor various people who have worked on the show or who have otherwise made significant contributions to the Program during the year. Program co-founder, Grace Smith Yellowhammer, received one of the new Pendleton ANE limited edition blankets.

Friday night is the official opening of the show to the public. This is a fund raiser for the Program and includes an auction which was again very successful as well as entertaining.

Over the course of the following two days a variety of events take place in addition to the selling of rugs and crafts. Saturday morning is the time to crown the new Shi Yazhi princess. This year the honor fell to Sariah Williams.

On both Saturday and Sunday weaving demonstrations are conducted during which each weaver has a chance to describe their rugs and what weaving means to them. Here Julius Chavez, a fine local male weaver, describes the great cultural significance of the weavers' tools.

Saturday afternoon is the time for the popular Navajo Grandma Idol contest. Loosely based on the American Idol model, the participants are given a theme and have only a few minutes to come up with a related song. This year the theme was herding sheep and the winner, Carol Blackhorse, was the oldest Elder at the show. At 96, Carol is still going strong, and her family has a challenge keeping her off her horse.

The top three finishers, determined by audience response, received special prizes, but all participants received stuffed sheep in appreciation for their efforts.

The annual veterans ceremony is held on Sunday morning. During this moving event, all veterans in the audience are individually honored. We often have a Navajo Code Talker as guest speaker, but this year we actually had two. This is very unusual as there aren't many of these heroes left.

The final event of the show is the popular Pow Wow featuring singing and a variety of dancing. A crowd favorite every year is the hoop dancer.

This has been just a quick overview of the event. If you are interested in seeing additional photos you are invited to view a slide show of pictures from the event.

But nothing can take the place of actually being there, so we hope to see you all next year.

Walk In Beauty

2010-12-03T15:41:00.001-07:00

by Cindy Cook

(Note: This year Cindy and Ray Coleman took over the Walk In Beauty Program from its founder, Wendy Sanborn, who is now fully absorbed with her duties as ANE's assistant director.)

“Do my new shoes have stars on them? Do my new shoes have hearts on them?” When the answer was yes, the little girl said with enthusiastic joy, “My new shoes have stars and hearts on them!!”

We were delivering an order of Walk In Beauty shoes to Mexican Hat Elementary when the little girl made her way in to the room in leg braces and with the assistance of crutches. It wasn’t until we saw her holding her new shoes within about an inch of her face and feeling them with her fingertips that we realized she was also severely visually impaired. Once the shoes were on her feet, we watched while, supported by her crutches, she bounced up and down on her toes to “try out” her new shoes. Her teacher later told us she came back to the classroom, held out one foot and exclaimed, “Look at my new shoes!”

This past October we delivered nearly 300 pairs of new shoes to young children in 11 different schools on the Navajo reservation. Based on funding, we determine how many pairs of shoes each school will receive. We then work with coordinators at each school who identify the children most in need of new shoes. Our coordinators measure each child’s feet and ask them what color they prefer. The orders are then sent to us to fill.

Our school coordinators are an inspiring group. Each has taken on this role in addition to the assignment they already hold at the school. They are nurses, reading interventionists, office staff, and teachers. They have a deep love for the children and an intense desire to help make each child’s educational experience more meaningful.

Dilkon Community School was added to our delivery this fall. Our coordinator there told us of her primary role working with displaced and homeless children. Her words gave us an even greater appreciation of how meaningful and important something as simple as a pair of shoes can be to a young child in need. While at Dilkon, one boy saw his younger brother’s name on a pair of shoes. He ran and got his brother and helped him lace up his new shoes. Both had huge smiles on their faces.

Each pair of shoes we deliver is purchased for a specific child. After receiving the orders from the schools, our volunteer buyers go shopping. Once they’ve filled the orders, they remove packing material, lace and tie the shoes together, and tag the shoes with the child’s name and school. Janet Dalton, Robin Field-Williams, Anna Law, and Jessie Bigelow all gave graciously of their time to make certain each child had their preferred color in their correct size for the fall delivery.

Shoe buying is a great opportunity to educate others about Walk In Beauty and ANE. While pushing a cart overflowing with shoes through check-out a clerk asked, “Are you a school teacher?” Customers in line will often ask why we’re buying so many shoes. One lady even asked if a buyer was a polygamist.

Delivery of the shoes is done in a way that honors the children. We don’t simply drop them off. Instead, we take time to try each pair of shoes on the children to ensure they fit properly. And, if for some reason they don’t, we take another measurement and buy and ship the child a pair of shoes as soon as we return home.

During one fitting a young boy asked, “Are these running shoes?” We said we didn’t know and asked, “Do they look like running shoes?” “Yes,” he said. “Well then, they must be running shoes.” He started running all over the class room. He came back and said, “My shoes run so fast!” He was running as he left.

After putting on his shoes, another boy asked, “Can I keep these shoes?” We asked him to stand up and let us make sure they fit. We said we thought they fit and asked if he thought they fit. He said they, “…fit real good.” So we told him he could keep them. He was quiet for a moment and then looked up and said, “My mom is gonna be so happy she doesn’t have to buy me shoes.”

Making Walk In Beauty shoe deliveries is both heart warming and heart wrenching. It is difficult to see the shoes the children have been wearing. Some have pushed down the back of their shoes so they can slip on a pair that is far too small for their feet. Others wear an older sibling’s larger shoes that don’t allow them to run and are a potential tripping hazard.

A little boy came in with glasses held together by wire on his down turned face. He seemed very timid when asked to try on his shoes. He didn’t have on socks and his little feet were extremely dirty. We put a clean pair of socks on him and then helped him with his shoes. Once they were on his feet, he asked, “How much did these shoes cost?” We said we didn’t know and asked how much he thought they cost. He said, “Fifty dollars.” Then he said, “My mom will be so proud.” As he was headed back to class, he said, “My new shoes feel so much better.”

The shoes we buy don’t cost “fifty dollars.” On average, they cost $20 per pair. We buy from the same stores where other kids at the schools typically buy from. We do this so the kids’ new shoes won’t be singled out as too cheap or too fancy by their peers.

It is difficult to consider going through the day with improper fitting shoes or shoes so worn through you can’t keep out the dirt, rain or snow. Even more difficult is the realization that $20 is all it takes to put a quality pair of shoes on a child and significantly alter their educational experience.

We have memories of the expectant looks on the children’s faces when we arrived and their joyous smiles when they received their new shoes. We feel so fortunate to be a part of helping children on the Navajo Reservation Walk In Beauty.

If you would like to learn more or make a donation to this program please visit the Walk In Beauty page of our web site.

Cherie's Food Run Memories

2010-11-25T11:26:00.002-07:00

by Cherie Foster

(note: Cherie, from Perth, Western Australia, attended her first food run August 24th-26th, 2010 at Oljato and Navajo Mountain. See her previous blog for reflections on her overall experience coming to Utah and working with ANE.)

I left Salt Lake City for the Oljato-Navajo Mountain fall food run with a deeply saddened heart due to the passing of someone very dear to me three days prior. If it wasn’t for this person I wouldn’t have had the strength, courage and perseverance to end up at a food run in another country. It is no coincidence that this special one, who influenced my life so remarkably, had Native American ancestry. Such is the beauty, majesty and magic of the Native American culture, miracles occurring always around us as a whisper to our souls, if we listen with peace and love in our hearts. On the journey of life people appear and change our lives, often dramatically. This beautiful soul has done this for me, and his memory will always have a special place in my extremely grateful heart.

It took about seven hours drive south of Salt Lake City to arrive at our overnight destination of Mexican Hat. The volunteers, who drive their own cars, meet with food run coordinators Linda and Wendy once everyone is checked in . We all gathered under a large shady tree, a welcome respite from the heat, overlooking the expansive river gorge. On the other side of the gorge, the Navajo Reservation begins.

After Linda breathed a sigh of relief that all drivers, cars and supplies had arrived safely, we prepared for the ceremony. Women were to wear their long skirts, which they had brought to wear on the food runs. The Navajo women traditionally wear long skirts, so to respect their culture, this is what the volunteer women wear. The men wear long pants or jeans for the same reason.

As we lined up to be smudged by Beverly, a long serving volunteer, a hummingbird hovered over our heads then darted off. I had not experienced one that close, and it was a little intimidating, yet exhilarating! I knew a little of a hummingbird presence meaning 'magic of a joyful heart' in Lakota tradition, and the sighting was confirmation of what I already felt amongst the group.

As we entered the ceremony area, we were to place any items to be blessed on the edge of the skin in the centre. I had recently been gifted four fetishes by another dear friend, Cheryl, so I placed these there. She had given me a horse, turtle, horny toad and a bear, some of which were to appear symbolically later in my journey to teach me lessons.

The theme for the 2010 fall food runs was Harvest God. We were all asked to contribute our own story about a seed we had planted which could be an idea, a project, an activity, or a practice. There were tears from many in the circle as their stories were told. It felt healing, even in the company of strangers, for as Jay Tavare had told me ’The hearts of everyone have a bond’, and that is especially evident in the ceremony at the commencement of a food run. The ceremony went for about two hours in the picturesque gardens of the hotel, watched over by two mourning doves.

Dawn the next morning brought forth a glorious full moon, perfect for photographs with the surrounding rock formations. We all assembled for breakfast in the hotel restaurant, anticipation and excitement in the air, especially for those of us attending our first food run. We drove out in convey, in specific order, to enable cars loaded with boxes and supplies for the first food run drop off at Oljato, to be in front. As soon as we crossed the bridge we were on the Reservation and stopped to have the cars smudged again by Beverly.

It was at that moment, waiting to see the smoke from the blessing, that I saw the boxes loaded in the car in front with numbers (indicating particular Elders) with one in my hand writing, I realized that I was about to see the conclusion of the learning I'd done during the three previous weeks at the ANE offices. I'd seen the orders come in on the computer, in the mail, even taken some over the phone, and now was about to experience the final destination of all the work that goes into providing the Navajo Elders with nourishment for their physical, mental, spiritual and emotional well being.

Driving to Oljato through Monument Valley was spectacular. The colours of the rock formations are exquisite. Photographs do not give the full scope of this expansive beauty. I think it took around thirty minutes to drive to Oljato. I was enjoying the scenery too much to notice the time! I saw many different crows along the way. I saw dogs guarding and guiding a flock of sheep, which we had to slowly navigate through. Seeing donkeys and horses roaming freely without fencing was wonderful.

We arrived at the Oljato Chapter house, and there were Elders already inside waiting! There was a sign stating only those with invitations only are to attend, as others who aren't in the program do show up sometimes. They are provided with lunch that everyone receives but there are protocols that must be adhered to before an Elder can be accepted in the ANE program.

The cars were unloaded by the men. They do a fantastic job working in the heat. Food, medical, Grandma, Grandpa, and Children’s boxes, Bluebird flour, and some fresh produce such as potatoes and onions are all stacked in cars and vans. Boxes are stacked in numerical order to be marked off with the checking of the name tag that the Elders are given and must be wearing to ensure everything is authenticated.

Inside, the women unpacked giveaways and put them on display. Once that was done introductions were done by Bessie, the Navajo translator. It was fantastic to hear her talk. I was introduced as being a volunteer from Australia, and they all seemed shocked! Food certificates from sponsors were given out. A couple of games were played with Linda calling upon Elders. It was hilarious. They seemed to enjoy themselves. It is like a party for them. After all the formalities were done the Elders were given a large plastic bag with which to receive gifts. Volunteers took giveaways which the program had bought such as shampoo, cookies, socks, bandannas, warm jackets, kitchen and laundry items and many other gifts. Then the volunteers served lunch. After lunch there were items for sale such as jewelry and rugs. I bought a few pieces from different sellers and was gifted a cedar bead necklace from a woman I had purchased from. I was touched by her generosity. While the volunteers shopped and cleaned up, Linda and Wendy had purchased items they could sell for the Elders. Meanwhile outside, the men were loading boxes into cars.

During the morning I had listened to the Elders greeting each other and talking amongst themselves and sometimes with a sponsor and translator. It is a wonderful experience to see the connection and to listen to the beautiful language. I was thrilled to absorb those moments and tell myself that I really was there, the place I’d been dreaming of being for a couple of years.

In the afternoon we headed to our next overnight destination at Kayenta. Mostly people headed to the Holiday Inn for dinner, but I was excited to have an authentic Navajo taco at the Golden Sands cafe behind our hotel! Locals were everywhere, which made it feel even more special. Fientje, whom I had driven with, has done the food run and many others before, so she knows where to go and has extensive knowledge, which I was eager to listen to. We had a wonderful dinner.

Next morning we headed to our final destination of Navajo Mountain. As I breakfasted outside, enjoying the beauty of sunrise, I again saw a crow fly back and forth. I hadn't seen any since arriving in Salt Lake City, three weeks ago, so was thrilled to have seen so many on the Reservation. We headed to a car park of a shopping centre, where the cars were again smudged by Beverly, which was different to yesterdays scenic smudging! It took longer to reach Navajo Mountain and a different landscape, yet still beautiful.

We arrived and set up as the previous day; those of us on our first food run, now knew the routine.
While waiting for some of the Elders to arrive I greeted some Elders and tried to do my best with the Dine greeting of 'ya at eeh', but I'm not sure how it sounded with an Australian accent!

An Elder woman I met who was accepted to the program on this day started talking to myself and John the photographer ,and when John went to take pictures, we kept talking. She then pulled out two lovely necklaces she had made and said she would like to gift me one and I was to choose. I was surprised and overwhelmed by her kindness! I checked about protocol of being able to accept it or if it was for the program. She had told me before bringing out the necklace that her fingers were getting difficult to work, and this also affected her weaving. The translator this time was Mary who I had met previously in Salt Lake City. She knows of my Elders at Big Mountain, so it was nice to see her again. After I'd been introduced again to the Elders after the formalities, one of the Elders Morris, presented me with a beautiful cedar bead necklace. I couldn't believe it! These people who have so little are extremely generous.

The people of Navajo Mountain had a different energy from the Oljato group of Elders. I asked other volunteers if this was typical of other food run destinations. Apparently it is. Each place has a different feel and of course it is in part due to the individuals and their personalities.

At the end of the day when we did our closing Ceremony circle, one of the Elder women, she was a tiny woman, around the height of a child, came and started talking nonstop in Navajo. She was precious and adorable, even if we could not understand a word of what she said! When we finally located her relative, I asked her age and was astounded when he said eighty nine and she was his mother!

I left Navajo Mountain and the Reservation with renewed vigour of what you can bring to the world and what it can bring to you. Interaction in the world with the gift of giving, helps heal the giver and the recipient.

Fientje, my dear friend and driver, and I reflected on the food run as we drove off the Reservation. She asked me what I was feeling, and I responded that I felt tranquil, serene, and peaceful. Really, the feeling cannot adequately be put into words. She said every time she attends a food run she comes away with this feeling. You need to experience it for yourself. Go on a food run with an open heart, and you will be fulfilled beyond measure. Only you with your individual circumstances and where you are on the journey of your life, can obtain from this extraordinary interaction.

Cherie's Memories

2010-11-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

by Cherie Foster

(Note: Cherie, from Perth, Western Australia, came to Salt Lake City August 1st, 2010 and stayed until September 6th. Her story shows how deeply the Program can affect people at a personal level. Those of us who had the privilege of meeting her were inspired by her commitment as well as her adventurous spirit.)

I found Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program towards the end of 2008 on a website of actor Jay Tavare. I was looking to see what other work he had done and find out more about him, as I’d seen him in the television production called Into the West. Jay had written about his association with ANE, which prompted me to investigate why this organization meant so much to him. I perused the ANE website and was impressed with the program and how they helped the Navajo Elders. I had visited the area nineteen years prior, and the Native American culture had fascinated me, not for any particularly explanatory reason. I enjoyed reading about their culture and the different nations. Along with that reading, came the sadness of the hardships and unfortunate circumstances which these first people of the continent that is now America, have had to deal with. The ANE program appeared to be helping substantially to assist the Elders, not just with supplies, but also with human to human contact which included sincere empathy. This was an organization I decided to become involved with as being able to see where donations were dispersed is important to me. In 2010 I was finally able to adopt an Elder and ended up receiving two, a husband and wife. I was thrilled to have an adopted Grandpa and Grandma! When the opportunity arose to travel to the USA in 2010, I was hesitant. Traveling by myself was not my ideal situation. To experience the world, I knew I must more deeply pursue the courage, strength and fortitude that I had discovered in myself a few months previously, thanks to an inspiring Native American of Apache ancestry who had given me inspiration to hope and dream for my future. Thankfully, when organizing the journey, I could not see my traveling to the USA was about to give me challenges that exceeded anything I had encountered before (including a devastating loss about to occur) or I wouldn’t have gone. Such is the mystery of life, sometimes leading down a road seemingly unable to be traversed for the huge boulders strewn in the direction one is going. Gradually the boulders become stones and pebbles as experience and lessons are discovered that are sometimes beneficial beyond recognition at the time of intense emotion and useless had they been revealed before the traveler was ready to listen and learn.

I embarked on my travel to Salt Lake City, Utah, with trepidation, as I knew no one. I had briefly corresponded with Joyce at ANE via the internet, asking advice about accommodations and supermarkets near to the warehouse where I would be volunteering. Joyce has been extremely helpful and enthusiastic, so at least I had one contact. Still it was daunting to be going there alone. I don’t think Americans understand that for foreigners, the USA is like another planet. Even though we all speak English, there are a lot of differences such as driving on the opposite side of the road, tipping, spelling English words differently, the date written differently, zip codes instead of post codes, and trying to understand accents can be difficult too. As I’m sure my Australian accent was challenging for some Americans!

Thankfully I had a friend in California, my dear Laura, whose gentle guidance ensured that I pursued and followed through with my desire to visit ANE. Laura’s persistence in being everything I could need in a friend was priceless on my journey before leaving home and while in the USA. Her constant reassurance and calm assertive attention assisted me in following my dream to visit ANE and its people. Laura’s tremendous gift of wisdom, of which I have been a recipient many times over, has been greatly influenced by her Native American Sioux ancestry. The Lakota culture is beautiful and powerful, of which I am always astounded and grateful that I have had the opportunity of receiving the wisdom that comes my way. When I faced my most difficult challenge just before the important food run, Laura was there as always, guiding me forward, encouraging and empathetic. The perfect example of the definition of friendship that I have been blessed to have in my life started with Laura and as I was about to find out, was about to continue with blessings from new friends coming into my life in Utah.

I arrived in Utah the day before I was to start work at the ANE office/warehouse in Salt Lake City. My first sunset in Utah was spectacular, even viewed from a hotel room overlooking a highway! The first day of work I walked from my hotel to the office on Gregson Ave, which ended up being a not so good idea as it was extremely hot. Joyce had tried to warn me, but I needed to find out for myself. Joyce offered to pick me up every day and drop me off at home as it was on her way to work, so I gratefully accepted! My first day at the office was fascinating. As Joyce showed me around I noticed a colour photograph of my Elders on the notice board! I was thrilled to see the picture from the newsletter in colour. There are wonderful photographs on the walls around the office of volunteers, Elders, and the events of ANE. Also there are many photo albums, which I was finally able to peruse a couple of weeks later. Joyce began to show me straight away what her daily work consisted of. The orders were coming in over the phone and internet for the fall food runs and had to be processed, which was time consuming. I couldn’t have chosen a more perfect time to learn how ANE operated. Actually that wasn’t my intention when I decided to go to ANE to volunteer. I thought I would be in the warehouse working, even on non volunteer days. Joyce had other ideas and once I started, I realized why. The administrative work was out of control! There was so much to do, which was wonderful for me to learn and great for Joyce that she had assistance. Of course she could handle it all herself, but it isn't good to be going at such a frantic pace every day. Joyce had been training volunteers to help her in the office, so I would be working with them in the following weeks. Gina was extremely helpful to me when Joyce was busy. Her smile lights up a room, as does her generous heart. As I was about to find out Joyce was a wealth of knowledge and was kind enough to share it with me in enabling me to learn how the ANE administration operated. Joyce also has a hidden talent. If you ever need a shoulder to cry on, she is able to assist. Her instincts and empathy are a precious gift.

I was nervous and excited about meeting everyone, especially Linda. Her writings in the newsletter frequently had me teary, so I expected that meeting her in person would be an interesting experience. As it happened she was there the second day, as it was Tuesday volunteer day at the warehouse. Linda gave me an embrace as soon as she met me, which took me by surprise as we did not know each other. It was that moment that gave me insight into why this organization was successful.

Everyone started to appear as volunteer hours started, and I had my first introductions. Joyce was fabulous in letting me know who everyone was. I recognized people from their pictures that had been in the newsletters and on the ANE blog website. I met Wendy, Beverly, Gina, Oscar, Cheryl, Elinda, Art, Sandy, Dean, Roger, Ed, Nancy, Sheila, Fientje, and Janet. I left Joyce and headed out back to the warehouse where I was able to help with backpacks for the children. We the volunteers were loading them with school supplies. I was excited to be experiencing what I had seen volunteers do in pictures! Three hours goes quickly and then it was time for everyone to leave. I asked Beverly questions about weaving as I am fascinated as to how it is done. Beverly was patient with my questions and I learnt much from her. When it was quiet again I resumed helping Joyce in the office. The view out the window is spectacular with the huge mountains looming in the distance. After work Joyce took me around Salt Lake City. We drove around with Joyce familiarizing me with the layout of the streets and landmarks. She drove up the top of a mountain where I could overlook the valley and was able to see the entire city. Such a spectacular place and difficult to imagine the roads were on would be covered in snow in a few months! Joyce was my Salt Lake City tour guide and the time I was there we had many days of fun driving around after work having dinner, shopping, talking, laughing and learning about each other. Joyce is amazing and has so much knowledge! We settled into a daily work routine which really consisted of me asking lots of questions about how to do everything Joyce gave me.

Friday of my first week I met further volunteers Sandy, Boyd, Rodger, John, Eileen, Shirley, Mary Anne, Masuda, Betsy and Katie. Friday’s activity was quilting, as quilts were being made for the Grandmas to be presented to them at the rug show in November. There is always something to do at the warehouse. The enthusiasm of the volunteers astounded me. They are willing to give up time as well as use their own money and contacts to help the Elders. No challenge is too great for them.

One of the volunteers, my new friend Cheryl took me mountain climbing and wildflower viewing on my first Saturday in Utah. The wildflowers were spectacular. Talking to Cheryl I realized why I’d been feeling so tired the first week. Seems the elevation was affecting me. Apparently it takes a while to adjust. I didn’t realize until I left Utah just how affected my health had been by the elevation. I now know I function best at sea level! Cheryl was a fantastic tour guide over many days during my stay in Salt Lake City and took me to a favourite restaurant of her family, where I had the best Mexican I’d ever tasted! She also got me addicted to a Mexican drink called Jarrito and Tony Hillerman books. Cheryl is also responsible for me falling in love. With Harvey her adorable dog!

My second week I was privileged to stay with Linda and Rodger where I was able to work at the ANE Park City office , the farmer’s market, and attend an ANE rug show meeting. I was fascinated to learn about Linda and Rodger’s journey through life, which had brought them to the place they now are. They were generous, kind and thoughtful to me and I will always remember their wonderful hospitality. I like to walk, so spending time walking with Linda was special to me. Her experience and words of wisdom also helped me on my journey. Park City is beautiful and Linda showed me around and what she does, such as picking up the mail, depositing donations at the bank etc. I was pleased to see where the Sundance festival is held and learnt that she had met Robert Redford. Learning different aspects of how ANE administration works at the Park City office was interesting. Much work goes into process of ANE functioning and I hadn’t thought about that until I saw it for myself and was involved in some of it. I was able to have a glimpse of the roles of people at ANE and it was great to see how the Elders are benefiting from time and effort. I was also able to spend more time with Wendy and getting to know how busy her schedule is. ANE and especially Linda are gifted to have her input, knowledge and sweet disposition.

The ANE stall at the farmer’s market was fun. The wind likes the market too, frequently increasing wind speeds unexpectedly to catch people off guard and then laughing at their reactions! Lots of people like the Navajo handmade crafts for sale, especially the jewellry. I was able to purchase a beautiful silver and black bracelet named The Storyteller, which has pictures engraved of Navajo life and the scenery, which now reminds me of my time visiting the Reservation while on the food run. I experienced the unique taste of a Navajo taco while at the farmer’s market. Delicious! Also I had a scrumptious mixed berry ice cream which was a refreshing respite from the heat.

Another volunteer Masuda, also now one of my new friends, was generous with her time, taking me out to eat in various locations in Salt Lake City and Park City and to do quilting with Betsy and Katie. Masuda took me to the location of the rug show at Snow Park Lodge so I was able to identify what I’d seen in newsletters and pictures. Now since I’m familiar with the location it will mean more when I see the rug show pictures. We had a marvelous brunch in Park City, some of the best food I’ve ever tasted and drawing on the tablecloth was something I’d never done before! Sometimes experiences shared cannot be put into words and sometimes no words need be spoken. Such is this unexpected friendship, which surprised me and came to me exactly when I needed it most.

John and Virginia were also wonderful to me. Long time volunteers, they are much involved with ANE. John’s photographs have been influential in my wish to get to ANE and experience it for myself as he manages to capture the essence of the program. It is a gift to be able to do that with words and pictures. So, thanks to John, someone in a land far away was able to grasp the essential meaning of Adopt-A-Native-Elder program. Virginia, with her sparkling, vibrant eyes took me to her home, so I was able to add to my experience of seeing how Utahns live! The three of us had a wonderful day talking and touring exquisite gardens in the city. I shall always remember the most delicious authentic Lebanese I’ve ever had.

Beverly, a long time volunteer at ANE was gracious in giving me rides to ANE events. She told me about her ancestry, of which I was fascinated. Her laugh makes me smile even now remembering the sound. Beverly is always busy, yet maintains calm and I’ll always have a visual memory of her working, surrounded by the wonderful rainbow colours of yarn.

I drove with another new friend Fientje on the food run. When I say drive, I didn’t drive at all, only as a passenger. There was no way I was attempted to drive on the opposite side of the road. It was scary enough being a passenger and not because Fientje’s driving was bad! We had a fantastic time on the food run, talking, laughing, crying, and for me, learning from her. Upon our return Fientje invited me to stay at her cabin north of Salt Lake City. I saw wild moose for the first time and wild deer. I hand fed a doe and was able to touch her mouth and tongue. It was a magical moment for me as my name means ‘dear one’ in French. While cruising around searching for wildlife I was astounded (and nearly fell off my seat) to see a road sign named ‘Apache Way’. An astonishing sight for me personally as it was a remarkable Apache, who had been influential in me traveling from the other side of the world to arrive to that moment in time in front of the road sign. Life sure is strange. I had gotten well into being homesick by this time and miraculously Fientje had Vegemite at the cabin. Most people don’t like the taste of vegemite. It is an Australian acquired taste, children grow up with it in sandwiches for school, and I was pleased to see my old friend and the best toast I’d had since leaving home! Fientje also introduced me to the namesake of the city where I stayed for five weeks. The Great Salt Lake was a vision of the like which I had not seen before. Fientje’s generosity is endless.

On my last weekend I spent a day at the sheepdog trials at Soldier Hollow where ANE had a tent with volunteers working, displaying rugs, jewelry, etc for purchase. Some Navajo weavers were there, giving weaving demonstrations, which was fascinating for me to see, as I have purchased a few rugs and while there, realized that I’m not the only one with that addiction!

Everyone I spent time with associated with ANE, when we were not working, told me about their connection with the program, how they had become involved, what they do to assist. It became apparent to me that helping the Elders and their families has become an integral part of their lives, like another family member. For such is their dedication and heartfelt compassion, respect and love for the Navajo that this is now normal and they do what needs to be done to help these unique people in the best ways possible to keep their traditions alive.

I’m grateful to Linda for allowing me to participate in the daily processes of the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program. I’m grateful to Joyce for her patience in allowing me to learn and teaching me how ANE functions. I’m grateful for everyone for their assistance and patience in showing me what to do in the warehouse and help on the food run. Lastly, I’m grateful for the friendships I have been blessed to make, for without friends the journey would not have been as magnificent as it was. It was a pleasure to make the acquaintance of hearts and souls at Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program.

Thank you!

Jay Tavare and The Warming Hearts Firewood Program

2010-11-01T12:52:00.001-06:00

Introduction by Margaret Johnson Doran

As celebrity spokesperson for the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program, Jay Tavare has become so familiar to patrons, volunteers and staff at the Annual Navajo Rug Show and Sale, that it's easy to forget the rest of the world knows him for something else entirely. And it's no wonder; Jay is a master at putting people at ease and making sure everyone enjoys the moment.

When conversation eventually does turn to the topic of Jay's career, it's inevitable that somebody remarks, “I didn't realize that was YOU in all those movies!” But it's true. Since 1994 Jay Tavare's name has been consistently associated with some of the the highest quality productions to come out of Hollywood.

Oscar winning films like The Missing, Cold Mountain, and Adaptation, for instance, all have something in common aside from the gold statues - -Jay Tavare in a starring role! Renowned Hollywood directors Ron Howard (The Missing), Steven Spielberg (Into the West), Anthony Minghella (Cold Mountain), Spike Jonze (Adaptation) and Marcus Nispel (Pathfinder) all know Jay Tavare as a remarkably determined and professional actor possessing uncommon versatility and undeniable talent. Steven Spielberg has more than a passing acquaintance with Jay, too, having hand picked him for his lead role in the Emmy winning mini-series, Into the West.

As an actor, Jay has played many nationalities—Cuban, Arab, Spanish, French/Spanish, Chiricahua Apache, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Seminole, Lakota and Wampanoag—giving each one complete dedication to authenticity. In real life though, it is the American Indian community that holds Jay's attention when it comes to activism and philanthropy. Those around Jay know that his hope is that whatever acclaim he achieves can be used for the greater purposes of supporting the Native community, fostering intercultural understanding and naturally, for raising funds for those in need.

Jay and “Warming Hearts” by Masuda Medcalf

In May 2010, as Jay and I discussed his involvement in the 21st annual Navajo Rug Show and Sale, “Weaving World Peace,” he told me that he wanted to do more this year; he wanted to make a real difference and help the Navajo Elders in some significant way. He mentioned Wendy Sanborn’s Walk in Beauty Program and how impressed he was that the program has benefited Navajo school children. He said he wanted to come up with a similar worthy program for the Elders.

I conveyed Jay’s thoughts to ANE's director, Linda Myers, who promptly observed that the Elders needed firewood, and although ANE has had corporate donors who have given funds towards firewood, and ANE also receives donations for firewood through Internet sales and ornament sales at the Rug Show, we have never had a booth at the Rug Show specifically for firewood. Linda also mentioned how difficult the 2009-2010 winter had been for the Elders due to the big snowstorms that made roads impassable.

When I told Jay about the need for firewood, he immediately embraced the idea. Next, Margaret Doran, one of Jay’s chief supporters, and I talked about how to promote the program with Jay’s supporters on his Internet sites. We realized we needed a good name for the program. Margaret blurted out “Warming Hearts”; Linda and Wendy liked it and we were on our way. I contacted another of Jay’s supporters, our beloved Rosita Van den Burg of Holland, who promptly agreed to create a logo for the Warming Hearts Firewood Program. Our own Joyce Trapman took Rosita’s drawing and created a line drawing from it so that we could use it as a poster for the upcoming Rug Show.

To get the word out about Warming Hearts, we drafted a note and a donation form for Jay to post on his websites asking his supporters to help raise money to keep the Elders warm this Winter. Jay has and his supporters are continually re-posting the information on his sites, and we have seen many donations come into our offices. Several of us also came up with unique fundraising ideas. Rosita pledged to Warming Hearts all funds from sales of her work creating logos for businesses. Rosita alone has raised over $800.00. On September 11, 2010, I brought my love for Zumba (floor aerobics with Latin and International music) together with my love for ANE, and held a Zumbathon with the help of other Zumba Instructors and ANE volunteers. Several businesses in town helped sponsor the event with water, fruits, snacks and door prizes, including Smith’s, Dan’s, Ream’s, Café Rio, Sizzlers, the College of Massage Therapy, and Avon. We raised $500 that day for Warming Hearts and had a great time.

Recently, Marsha Madsen, another of Jay’s supporters came up with an idea to help sell cookie dough through an online service and then to notify all who wish to purchase cookie dough that they can choose to donate a portion of the company's profit to Warming Hearts. Marsha will soon post information about the cookie dough website.

On his part, Jay has been on a media blitz. He has had over ten radio interviews, each time talking about ANE and his focus this year, the Warming Hearts program. Each interview has been in depth, sometimes running a full hour. Below is a list of the interviews and an archives link if you want to listen to any of them.

September 16, 2010
* "CAN THE PARAMEDICS PLEASE COME TO THE SET?" : Ethan Dettenmaier with JAY TAVARE

* The Sheena Metal Experience with JAY TAVARE

October 1, 2009
* A CONVERSATION WITH JAY TAVARE: Neyom Friday with JAY TAVARE

October 19, 2010
* The Mother Love Show with JAY TAVARE (second hour)

October 25, 2010
* Voices of the Hoop - Kelli Healing Doe Bennet with JAY TAVARE

October 27, 2010
* Sheena Metal with JAY TAVARE
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J a y a n d G u e s t I n t e r v i e w s
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September 30, 2010
* BENNY AND THE JETS! : Ethan Dettenmaier with JAY TAVARE and BENNY The JET

September 23, 2010
* "GOOD MORNING TOMMY LEE JONES!" : Ethan Dettenmaier with JAY TAVARE and ROD RONDEAUX

* Sheena Metal Experience with JAY TAVARE and ROD RONDEAUX

October 1, 2010
* The Sheena Metal Experience with JAY TAVARE and AROS CRYSTOS

This last week, my brother-in-law, Al Malmberg, a Fox News Radio Host based out of Fort Collins, CO, interviewed Jay for half an hour. Jay and Al had a famous time together talking about ANE, Warming Hearts, and the upcoming Rug Show. They even recognized Becky Harris and Marjorie and Norm Schneider, who are Ft. Collins residents and ANE volunteers. After the interview, both Jay and Al called to say what a great interview it was and told me of their plans to do it every year. Al also mentioned that Jay is an excellent spokesperson for ANE; that he truly believes in the program and sells it to his listeners. The interview aired Sunday, October 31, 2010.

On October 8, 2010, Jay and L.A. Talk Radio Host Ethan Dettenmaier (right, below) hosted a red carpet event for celebrities at the Combat Radio - Combat For a Cause, held at the John Lovitz Comedy Club - Universal City Walk in Los Angeles, CA.

The cause was the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program and Warming Hearts. Joyce Trapman and I helped prepare ANE and Warming Hearts flyers and envelopes for 8,000 guests. Boyd Mitchell prepared and donated posters, banners, and photos so that Jay and Ethan could present our cause to all who attended the party. We are beginning to see the donations coming in the mail now.

(Find out more about Jay's work and upcoming projects at www.JayTavare.com and Facebook – Actor, Writer, Jay Tavare and www.SacredPowerMovie.com)