Navajo Mountain

by John Aldrich

Navajo Mountain is not only a dominant geologic presence in the northern area of the Navajo Reservation  but also a sacred site to the Navajo people. Known as Naatsis'aan to the Dine', this landmark is readily identifiable due to its prominence on the skyline and its distinctive dome shape.

This is how it appeared at sunset on a recent night of camping on Cedar Mesa roughly 50 miles to the east. From appropriate vantage points across northern Arizona and southern Utah this same shape can be readily identified as it provides a sense of orientation to the landscape.

Although it's actually in Utah, one must drive many miles through Azizona before reentering Utah to get there. Because it is so remote , it was a refuge for a number of Navajo fleeing Kit Carson's troops during the Long Walk era in the 1860's.

Traveling around this part of the country, one can more easily feel at home when the unmistakeable shape of Naatsis'aan appears on the horizon.

A Beautiful Day For a Drive

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.

The Land Is Beautiful

by John Aldrich

The food runs to Oljato and Navajo Mountain are recently completed. Normally this blog would focus on the events of the journey, but for now I would like to reflect on the beauty of the Land we passed through. Oljato and Navajo Mountain are in some of the most beautiful parts of the reservation. Although each has a distinctly different character, there's no denying that these two areas have a corner on beauty. The Navajo people revere the Land, and on this food run it was very easy to see why.

Summer rains are common throughout Arizona and Utah. Monsoonal moisture wells up from the south producing sometimes prodigious thunderstorms, the male rain of Navajo lore. In the weeks prior to the recent food runs there had been considerable precipitation which laid the groundwork for the proliferation of plants and flowers that we witnessed. We actually had fair and sunny weather during our time on the Land, but the seeds were there and had been stimulated in the days preceding our arrival.

The first two photos were not taken on the Land but rather between Moab and Monticello, a route that most volunteers traveling from northern Utah would utilize. The yellow sunflowers seen here were evident everywhere during our travels.

At this time of the year the range would most often be turning brown from the relentless summer sun.

Later along the road to Navajo Mountain there was a profusion of other wildflowers.

This view looks north towards the mountain. To the right of the highway a scar is evident. This is the new water pipeline which should be completed in a year and will bring a reliable supply to a community which has been at the mercy of a very unreliable water source.

The disturbed areas along the sides of the highway were fertile ground for an astounding display of flowers.

Here are paintbrush of intense red set against a mass of white primrose.

And here are gaillardia against a background of yellow. Although we have this plant in our garden, it was the first I had seen it in the wild.

These weren't isolated patches of flowers. The display went on continuously for miles and included other plants not pictured.

Our time with the Elders was the primary reward of this journey, but these roadside displays certainly added greatly to the overall experience.

Dilkon 4-28-2010

by John Aldrich

It started last night. The Red Wind Yeis are out with a vengance. During the night they probed and searched for a weakness in the roof hoping they could lift it off its mooring. This morning it was merely breezy and still clear when we arrived in Dilkon. But the wind has steadily increased since then, and now, as I sit in the motel in Winslow, I can barely see what's across the street. The earth is reaching for the sky. Interstate 40 has been shut down since late morning so the town is full of truckers and travelers looking for refuge.

The food run at Dilkon is held currently at the LDS (Mormon) meeting house which is a nice modular structure.  The capacity of the building unfortunately wasn't designed with a group our size in mind so things were "cozy". But everything went very smoothly.

Before departing for Dilkon we posed for our group picture using the rental truck and motel sign for a backdrop. The group totals 30 and hails from Georgia, Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho, New Mexico, and Colorado in addition to Utah.

And that's as far as I got with yesterday's post:

I know I said that I would try to blog from the road with the intention of posting something about each day's food run. But I hadn't counted on the power to Winslow being interrupted by the wind. This end of town at least was without electricity from late afternoon until around 9:00 p.m. We had our group dinner at the nearby Chinese restaurant by candlelight following which the restaurant's sign departed for the Super 8 motel's parking lot across the road.

The wind continued to provide drama to our activities today, but I'll share more about that later. For now, let's return to the Dilkon food run.

Here is the LDS meeting house with the ANE van out front. As you can see, the sky is still clear, and the ground remains where it is supposed to be. What you can't see is that the wind is already starting to blow.

Now the food boxes and flour are in place as Don Bagley and Ron Borden look them over.

Now we jump to the conclusion of the food run where the food and other provisions are being loaded into the Elders' vehicles. You will note that the sky is no longer blue. In fact it looks suspiciously like the color of the earth.

Here Al Sanborn has done his best to maintain his composure and coiffure. Mother Nature has other ideas. I'm not posting any picture now from inside the food run, but just wanted to give an idea of what the day was like. Despite the wind, it was a fine and very successful food run. At the evening meal all the volunteers felt blessed by the experiences they had had that day.

I will end this post with three pictures taken on the return drive to Winslow:

Drive in Beauty is an allusion to a common Navajo aphorism, Walk in Beauty. This theme appears in many prayers and writings.

I will post later about the food runs at Leupp and Birdsprings but most likely not before we are back home a few days from now.

On The Road To Winslow

by John Aldrich

We are in Winslow, Arizona tonight. Tomorrow the food run to Dilkon will commence the second series of runs of the spring season. It's predicted to be very windy which means the Red Wind Yeis will be out trying to get sand in my camera.

It's also past my bedtime, but I had set this goal for myself that I would try blogging from the road - - - the first time that I have tried this. Today my idea was to try to record a few scenes along the road between Bluff, UT and Winslow so as to give the reader some idea of the beauty as well as cultural characteristics of the Navajo Reservation. Thus I present ten photos which were gathered as opportunity presented. Many other pictures were passed up due to traffic, lack of a place to pull over, or any number of other variables.

The northern boundary of the Utah portion of the reservation is formed primarily by the San Juan River. Water is sacred to the Navajo and this watery border helps provide a spiritual security to those living to its south.

 Traveling down U.S. Route 191 after crossing the river takes us through the Mexican Water area. Here are some beautiful rock formations along the way.
 

These few buildings constitute the "commercial hub" of Mexican Water. We are on a short stretch of busy Rt. 160 which traverses the northern portion of the reservation between Tuba City and Shiprock.

Many Christian denominations have established outposts in Navajoland. Here is a Lutheran mission in Rock Point as we continue south down Route 191.

Rodeo is one of the most popular sports on the reservation. This arena is situated in a front yard in Rock Point

Between Rock Point and Round Rock we cross Lukachukai Creek. It drains the mountains to the west and is quite full this spring following the hard winter.

Between Round Rock and Many Farms the highway passes through some beautiful badlands.

Just south of Many Farms is Elizabeth Clah's homeland.  This is the location of the Many Farms food run which will take place next week. Black Mesa is in the background.

 One must be ever-vigilant for livestock on the highway. Sheep cross the road here on Navajo Route 15 as we travel southwest from Ganado toward Greasewood Springs.

And finally a few horses cast a curious glance toward the camera.


We have a wonderful group of volunteers with us for this food run, and I hope to have more to report tomorrow after Dilkon. And I hope to do it prior to bedtime.

Better Roads - A Winter's Tale

by Mary Robertson-Begay

(Note: Mary is a resident of the Hardrock area of the reservation. She has been a key supporter of ANE for many years, and the Big Mountain food run is held at her family Homeland. Mary writes about a series of crippling snow storms that affected the reservation during  January 2010.)

My favorite time of the year is winter. I love the snow and enjoy watching it all fall softly to the ground. Well, I almost started to . . . almost got tired of it last month. January brought on snow, and more snow, and even some more. We were now up to three feet in some areas and higher in other areas. We had not seen this in Hardrock for a long time.

My husband, Harry, and I work at the Hardrock Chapter house. He is the Community Services Coordinator. (Talk to Harry and "Jack-of-all-trades" is redefined in your vocabulary). I rent an office space there for the Hardrock Council on Substance Abuse, Inc. - a tiny 501(c)(3) organization. For us, work is eight minutes away. We live about 1/2 mile off the pavement, so on most days it's smooth sailing.

We started to receive calls from community members on the second week of on/off again snow. Our Chapter President, Percy Deal, rounded us all up and declared an emergency in Hardrock, although that really did not mean anything because in order for us to receive aid from the county or state, the President of the Navajo Nation and Governor of Arizona need to declare an emergency. That did not come for several more days. In the meantime, the Chapter hired two citizens and their modified four-wheel trucks. Some staff members practically moved into their offices. These people began to operate a shelter without any food or sleeping areas. We had to go shopping for food for the shelter and obtained sleeping bags.

The two four-wheelers were on constant call to dig out people stranded on roads and pick some up from their homes that needed to get to a doctor right away. Patients were beginning to miss dialysis appointments because there was just no way for them to get to the hospitals. Many of the elders were running out of medication, food, and water. Not only was it the elderly, but also young families who were used to living on a weekly supply of food.

Finally we started to see help, first from the Hopi Resources Enforcement, and then the National Guard. I am sorry to say that the Navajo Nation did not step up until the very end, and that was only after begging and pleading with the Navajo Relocation Commission office in Window Rock. The National Guard brought their big trucks, and we were able to load up hay, food, and water for the people who lived the farthest away from the chapter. On a good dry day, an hour is how long it usually takes to go visiting. It took the National Guard, a big grader, and Harry as a guide, almost the whole day to reach the farthest home. The National Guard was able to help out for two only days  the first time. The second group came three days later and helped out for a day and a half.

In the meantime, we had to keep the fire going at home. We were constantly making snow piles to make way for our sheep and horses. The Chapter, where we bought hay, was low on their supplies because the vendors could not get the trailers in. Shoveling snow from our roofs was fun and scary if you've never done it. Our truck would sometimes freeze to the ground, and we would bring out hot water to defrost it before it would move again. The tire chains did not come off for weeks. Pretty soon the truck was parked at the pavement, and we would walk. The half mile felt more like five in our clunky snow boots and always carrying what we could from the store.

The psychologist who works with me explained that we are sun people and that only the sun would bring back our smiles and dampen our anxiety. Attitudes began to show at work, staff members became short tempered, and frustration flared. We cried because there was not any more we could do.

Community members became angry with us for no reason. The first Chapter meeting after all of this, the building was filled to capacity. We heard support from some of them, but others still felt we did not do enough.

Then I began to wonder - - - what happened to us? At what point in one's life does one start to think that someone else is responsible for them? My mother, rest her soul, taught us to be independent. Never look upon another person's table thinking that you should be fed, she would say. I remember her saying, "take care of the sheep, in turn, they will take care of you". I guess I was very fortunate to have someone who did not let me do things my way. All in all, would I do it again? Yeah, no doubt. We just need better roads. But then again I would not want thousands of unfamiliar people at my door asking for the way to the Grand Canyon, or the shortcut to - - - wherever.

A Visit To Rocky Ridge

by John Aldrich

The Hardrock/Big Mountain/Rocky Ridge area is one of the most remote in Navajoland. In the mid-1980's there was a great deal of turbulence in this region due to the Hopi-Navajo land dispute. The roots of this dispute rested in the perceived need to establish a firm boundary between the two tribes' lands. This was not a need as far as the people were concerned but was rather something forced upon them by politicians and businessmen. When the court finally handed down its ruling, the result was that thousands of Navajos were forced to leave the land that had been their homeland for generations. Only a handful of Hopi's were affected.

The founding of the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program occurred in this time frame as a result of Linda Myers' interest in helping these Elders who were faced with relocation. Many resisted and spent time in jail as a result. With the help of Grace Smith Yellowhammer, Linda was able to meet and begin bringing food, clothing and supplies to these people, and thus began the semiannual food runs.

Initially the food runs took place at May Shay's homeland at Big Mountain. May's land fell on the wrong side of the new boundary, but rather than move she elected to stay and lease her land from the Hopis. Now the food runs are held at the Robertson family homeland at Hardrock.

Recently we had occasion to travel to this area to deliver Christmas stockings to the Rocky Ridge School. This boarding school is run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and serves a population that is determined to stay on their land despite the hardships of living in such a remote area. The closest stores of any size are in Winslow, ninety miles to the south while picking up mail is a fifty mile round trip. Many have no running water and must haul their water from many miles away.

As one drives north from the Hopi villages on Second Mesa, an expansive landscape unfolds which has little to no evidence of human habitation. This is because Hopis traditionally dwell in pueblos and villages, and this is Hopi land.

The first indication that you have reached Navajo lands is this sign indicating a turn that will take you to the Hardrock Chapter facilities and beyond to Rocky Ridge and Big Mountain.

This view, looking west across Dinnebito Wash, shows the Rocky Ridge area. The water towers are located at the school. At this point the pavement ends, and travel north and south is on rough dirt roads which become impassable after storms.

The Rocky Ridge General Store carries a limited selection of food and supplies. A concession to modern times, videos are available.

A colorful sign near the store espouses the virtues of education.

Here is a typical Navajo home. Most Navajos live in family clusters with multiple dwellings for different branches of the family along with a shared hogan.

The school is seen here. The number of students attending this school has declined in recent years as many students are bused to schools further away.

Leaving Rocky Ridge we pass a flock of sheep. This is a common scene on the reservation, as livestock grazing, especially sheep, is a cornerstone of traditional Navajo life.

With a blizzard warning in effect the morning we left, we beat a hasty retreat back towards Salt Lake City.

Water

by John Aldrich

It has been said that water is the life blood of the West. Given this analogy, the arid high desert of the Southwest's Four Corners region, the location of the Navajo Reservation, is in dire need of a transfusion. This has been a particularly devastating summer for Navajo water sources, and wells in some areas such as Teesto and Bird Springs have completely dried up forcing people to haul water even further than normal.

Traditionally the Navajo have lived in dispersed clusters centered around family and clan connections. This rural type of living means that many of these people do not have running water at their homesites and must haul their water from central distribution points, often located at chapter houses which could be many miles away.

During the recent food runs to Oljato and Navajo Mountain I tried to obtain pictures of some of these water sources to illustrate the challenges Navajo face in meeting the need for the most basic commodity of life.

Shown here is the water source for the Oljato area, located not far from Gouldings. People may travel for many miles to fill their containers at this site before returning home. You can guess from the size of the hose that it would take considerable time to fill a container the size of the one shown.

Judge for yourself how long it might take before the person at the end of the line can actually start loading water.

The Navajo Mountain area is a particular case in point for water difficulties. Dependent on a single spring which periodically is disrupted, the residents of this community were without water for weeks last winter during a severe storm. During that time water trucks were unable to drive the remote road to the area to bring water.

The water source shown above is located behind the Navajo Mountain Chapter House. Note the plug in the end of the pipe.

This water source for stock is located just south of Navajo Mountain and is completely dry.

Another source of water for livestock further south is also dry.

Although wells and tanks may be empty and dry they still can provide a canvas for local artists to express their feelings such as this patriotic message near Inscription House.

A pipeline is being constructed to provide a more reliable source of water to Navajo Mountain, but it may be some time before it is completed.