The First Food Runs Of The Year

by John Aldrich

The food runs to Oljato and Navajo Mountain are the first to occur every spring. This year the dates were March 30 - April 1. These two food runs are the most recent to be added to the locations that ANE serves. We began going to Oljato in  2003, and this is the third year for Navajo Mountain. Both of these runs are in the Utah portion of the Reservation. A generous grant from the American Express corporation made it possible to start the food runs to Oljato. They wished for the proceeds of their grant to benefit people in Utah which made Oljato a logical choice. Oljato is near Monument Valley in one of the most beautiful portions of Navajoland. After the road was paved to Navajo Mountain a few years ago, it became possible to extend our efforts to this area as well. Navajo Mountain is also in Utah although one needs to drive many miles through Arizona before reentering Utah just south of the mountain.

Volunteers initially meet in Mexican Hat, Utah, where we stay at the San Juan Inn overlooking the San Juan River. The food run ceremony is held outdoors in a beautiful setting with the sounds of the river below and an occasional serenade by a canyon wren.

The Oljato food run takes place the following morning and is held at the new Senior Center. Elders and their families come from the surrounding areas to attend. There are currently 51 Elders served by ANE at this food run.

After arriving at the food run site it usually takes 1 to 1 1/2 hours to get everything set up for the event. The men work outside to unload the produce, flour, Rainbow food boxes, and the various giveaway boxes that the Elders will receive.

Before the general meeting starts there is usually time for volunteers to visit with the Elders.

Occasionally the local hosts arrange for some special entertainment for us. This year at Oljato we were treated to singing by a preschool group.

Spring in this region can see considerable variation in the weather. At Oljato we were blessed with mostly sunny skies and only occasional gusts of wind.  That evening in Kayenta the wind was howling in advance of a storm front that arrived during the night. We awoke to several inches of snow on our vehicles and needed to negotiate snowy and icy roads for the first twenty miles of our drive to Navajo Mountain.

Snow blowing off the roof of the chapter house covers Duncan Orr of Flagstaff. Duncan is instrumental in obtaining donations to provide drinking water for the Navajo Mountain Elders. The water supply there is particularly precarious as they are dependent on a single spring, and the delivery system from it occasionally breaks down.

Here volunteers are putting the finishing touches on the array of food, produce, and other giveaways that the Elders will receive.

Inside, other volunteers are greeting Elders as they arrive.

Now it's time for the actual event to begin. The group of volunteers is introduced to the Elders and their families as Mary Robertson-Begay translates for Linda.

A parting view of Navajo Mountain. Although the weather is always an unpredictable factor for the spring food runs, it never succeeds in dampening our spirit or spoiling the events.

Yarn Program

by John Aldrich

Although providing food is the most important thing the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program does to sustain our Elders, we help in a variety of other ways as well. The yarn program is one such way we support weavers in the Program and assist them in maintaining their traditional lifestyle.

Many of the Navajo Elders in our program are weavers, and many of these weavers depend on their weaving sales to sustain themselves and their families. We try to facilitate a market for as many of their rugs as possible. This happens through the annual rug show, other smaller shows, online rug sales, as well as direct sales to volunteers at food runs. But in addition to this we also provide wool and warp to our weavers so that they can continue to weave. We support more than seventy weavers on the reservation, and providing them yarn is an important way we help them to keep weaving.

A majority of present-day weavers use commercial yarn, and one of their favorites comes from the Brown Sheep Yarn Co. in Mitchell, Nebraska. Brown Sheep is willing to provide yarn to us at wholesale prices and we place two large orders with them each year prior to the food runs in the spring and fall. Each order involves over 1200 skeins of yarn in a variety of colors which are then combined into bundles of six skeins in a variety of color combinations. Each of these bundles provides enough wool to weave a rug approximately 2'x3' in size. These bundles are then given to weavers at each of the food runs.

We also order Brown Sheep wool throughout the year to replenish the stock of yarn bundles which are sold as donations to sponsors who wish to give wool directly to specific weavers. These bundles come in a variety of popular color combinations  which can be seen here on our web site.

At the annual rug show attendees can purchase bundles of wool and then present them directly to a weaver at the show. Much of this wool comes from the Burnham Trading Post in Sanders, Arizona, where Bruce Burnham carries a line of yarn which is also very popular with Navajo weavers.

Shopping

by Roger Daly

Rainbow Food Box shopping...

Did you ever "run to the grocery store to pickup a couple of items?"

How about this shopping list?  

• 528 large Folgers Coffee - Classic Roast
• 1056 42 oz. oatmeal containers
• 2112 cans of vienna sausages
• 3468 large cans of fruit
• 1584 family sized cans of soup
• 1056 regular cans of pork & beans
• 528 large vegetable shortening
• 1056 (each) cans of corn, peas and carrots  

You will fill about 260 shopping carts.  Plan on about 30-40 minutes at the checkout counter and you will need a check for about $16,000.

To move the food to the ANE warehouse, rent a 45 foot Penske truck with a hydraulic tailgate.  Plan on two trips from the store to the warehouse.  Unloading the truck will require some strong backs to handle the nine (9+) tons of food.

Before returning the truck remember this "little shopping run" only filled one of the two Rainbow Boxes!

After your second shopping run you will have assembled almost twenty (20) tons of food items, at a cost of about $32,000.

Volunteers will pack the food into 528 Rainbow Box sets for delivery to eleven "Food Run" locations on the Navajo reservation.  At those locations ANE will add 20 lb. bags of Blue Bird flour plus potatoes and onions.  (Another volunteer will shop for these items.)

Back at the ANE warehouse we will begin planning for a "little run to the food store" in the fall! 

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.

The Vision of the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program

by John Aldrich

What is the purpose of the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program? Why does it exist? What sets it apart from other humanitarian organizations that exist to help the Navajo and other Native American tribes?

The Program got its start in the 1980's  during the turbulent years of the Hopi-Navajo land dispute which ultimately resulted in 10,000 Navajos being relocated from their traditional homelands. During those times there were many Elders facing severe hardships and deprivations. When Linda Myers became aware of this desperate situation it was food more than anything else that these people needed for their survival. With the assistance of Grace Smith Yellowhammer, Linda began to help.

As Linda's solo trips to the reservation with food and clothing gradually evolved over the years into the complex logistical endeavor of today's food runs, food has remained the core focus of how the Program assists the Elders. But in addition to the challenges of survival there were also challenges to the traditional lifestyle of the Elders, including dislocation and the ever-increasing influences of Anglo culture.

Linda's commitment from the outset was to provide what assistance she could for the basic survival of the Elders as well as to honor and respect their traditional culture and lifestyle. These are among of the principal values that differentiate ANE from other humanitarian organizations. We wish to honor and respect the Elders as they are and have no agenda to try to change them in any way. These are resilient people, and as long as they have their basic needs of food, heat, and shelter met, they will survive as they have for hundreds of years.

These core needs are met through the delivery of food through the food runs, and, particularly in winter time, the distribution of food certificates and checks for firewood. Food certificates are a particularly effective way of aiding families in the winter since they are simple to deliver and provide Elders with a resource to acquire whatever they might need at the moment.

Despite the urge to want to try to help in any way possible, the reality is that our Program has limited resources, and thus, we continue to remain committed to the core mission. We can't become substitutes for  the role of the family in caring for their Elders; we can't become their healthcare system; we can't provide the resources that are more appropriately derived from the Navajo Nation and Chapter Houses.

Another important way that we support traditional Elders is by facilitating a market for their weavings.  For many weavers this has been their sole means of supporting their families. Through the annual rug show at Deer Valley, smaller shows and markets, as well as online rug sales via our web site, ANE is able to offer a significant amount of income to our Elders who are weavers. This, in turn, provides them with additional resources for food, shelter, and transportation.

The Program assists Elders and their families to maintain a traditional way of life in other ways as well.  ANE, through the Ceremony Fund, provides funds to help families that need help with traditional healing ceremonies. We also help families who need financial support for funeral expenses when one of our Elders passes away.

Our mission statement refers to "mending the broken circle" of our relationship with Native Americans and the Land. This is another unique aspect of our Program. It is important to educate ourselves about Native American culture as well as bring the cultures in contact with one another. This happens extensively through the food runs and the annual rug show.

What does the Program mean to the Elders whom we serve? Linda receives many letters expressing the gratitude of the Elders and their families. For many, the assistance we provide, especially through the winter months, makes survival possible.

What we do for the Elders is based on the principal of the Native American Giveaway. We give our best and give it freely with no expectation of return. The Elders feel gratitude for these gifts, often expressing it through their shy smiles. Some give small gifts such as necklaces and jewelry in return. Many are too poor to be able to make such a gift. Their gift is to touch our hands and our hearts and to offer their prayers. That is enough.

 

The logo of the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program illustrates the key elements of our vision. The rainbow arc represents the Program under which  two cultures are reaching out to each other. With the power of prayers, represented by the eagle feather, the broken circle is mended.

Amasani Program

by April Wilsey

A facet of the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program that many people may be unaware of is the Amasani Program. Amasani means "grandmother" in Navajo.  This program involves both grandmothers and grandfathers.

The Classroom Amasani Program was created to increase awareness of the traditional life of the Navajo Elders and to build understanding through ongoing communication. The program provides educational materials for classroom use and opportunities for students to develop relationships with Navajo Elders, thus promoting a bridge between cultures and generations. An Elder may be adopted for one school year or continue with subsequent classes. 

This winter, Rodger Williams and I did classroom and school presentations about the Navajo Elders and the various programs that are in place to help them with food, firewood, yarn, and other items. Rodger was able to play his drum and sing some Navajo songs to the students, as well as tell Winter Stories to them. I brought Navajo rugs and jewelry to show the students. Also, a ceremonial basket and model of a hogan were on display.

Here Rodger is demonstrating the model hogan to students at the Community Montessori School in Salt Lake City. The roof is removable so students can see the interior layout of a traditional Navajo dwelling.

 

 Students listen attentively as Rodger plays his drum and sings.

To learn more about the Amasani Program visit the Amasani page of our web site. There you will find additional information as well as links to a variety of resources.

 

"A What?"

by Valorie Marshall

(Note: Close friends Joan Trabucco and Valorie Marshall attended their first food run in August of 2009 at Oljato and Navajo Mountain. Click here to read Joan's account of their experience.) 


"Want to go with me on a Navajo food run?" - - - "A what?"

And with that my friend Joan opened a door which we stepped through into one of the most rewarding experiences of our lives, the August 2009 Oljato-Navajo Mountain Food Run.

Places like Oljato, Navajo Mountain, Chinle, Mexican Hat, and Monument Valley seemed so far away from our California homes.

I had never heard of "Adopt-A-Native-Elder", but Joan had already adopted an Elder, Zettie Smith.

Joan's a git-er-done type. And because she is, and because she's a buddy with whom I share a love for Native Americans, we signed up for the Oljato food run.

In preparation for the food run Joan did all the legwork. She kept in close contact with Linda Myers, and although Joan never exactly said so, I think to assure us a spot on the run Joan volunteered us to do any job, transport any thing, climb any mountain, or ford any stream.

When she told me our food run assignment was to haul 86 bags of onions from California to Utah I was only mildly surprised. (Now we know that we could have picked them up in Chinle, but we weren't the seasoned food runners then that we are now.) And the onions made the trip in excellent condition anyway.

We gave ourselves a couple of extra days before we were to meet Linda and the other volunteers in Mexican Hat. We stayed the first night in Kingman, AZ, enroute to Chinle.

A word of caution: beware of depending on a GPS for navigation. There were many, many, many routes to our various destinations, and the GPS seemed to favor the longest routes and dirt roads. But Joan had also taken advantage of AAA's travel planners who provided foolproof Trip-Tiks with clearly marked routes to our main destination and home again.

Our GPS did guide us into some incredible country. An example is Indian Rt. 23/7 on the way to Chinle from Kingman. The Chinle Holiday Inn IS waiting at the end of that route - - - it was just that our GPS was much more certain of that than we were, but it was a beautiful journey off the beaten path.

Basha's is the only grocery store in Chinle, and they close at 7 p.m. SHARP. There's also a Wells Fargo in Chinle and, and one in Kayenta. In Chinle livestock roam free on the highways so be mindful because they seem to be everywhere, especially in the evening when they're making their way home.

Joan had a surprise for me in Chinle. She had booked a private tour of Canyon del Muerto. Our personal guide was a Navajo storyteller, and he told us much about Navajo history and life in the canyon. From our very first hours on The Land we knew our lives were being touched by something precious and good.

From Chinle we traveled to Mexican Hat, UT, a tiny little settlement. Don't expect to buy groceries there, only staples. We checked in early at the San Juan Inn where we met up with the other food run volunteers. Like nervous schoolgirls we were dressed early for our first meeting, which is a good thing because we learned that if a meeting is called for 4:00 p.m., that pretty much means 3:45. If you're told you'll leave the parking lot at 8:00 a.m., be ready to roll at 7:45, and so on. We caught on real fast.

A ceremony was conducted outside the first evening. As we entered a private grassy area, one by one we were smudged, sat in a circle on the ground, and everyone told a story and brought a special item to be blessed. In those moments, during that sharing, the stage was set, my nervousness dropped away, a peacefulness settled in. While Linda spoke and we shared our stories, I sensed that whatever the next few days would bring I was exactly where I was intended to be, with exactly the people I was intended to be with.

The weather for the August food run was quite warm, but not too uncomfortable. Definitely carry a good supply of drinking water.

We delivered Rainbow Boxes, clothing, and wool for the weavers to the Oljato Senior Center and to the Chapter House at Navajo Mountain. We had Navajo interpreters with us because many of the Elders speak only Navajo.

We were given "thank you" gifts made by the Elders. Mine was a necklace. When I wear it, people admire it. When I tell them it was a gift that came from a food run to the Navajo reservation, most say the same thing I had originally said - - - "A What?" - - - so I tell them where they can find out all about the food runs and ANE, and then I tell them my story.

There were Navajo blankets and hand-tooled jewelry and trinkets available for us to buy. I bought a Navajo rug from Emma Valentine, woven from her own wool and dyed with herbs and vegetables. One of the interpreters told me that Emma will use the money to pay for food this winter for her animals.

At Oljato, Joan got to meet Zettie. That was the very, very, best surprise.

Zettie is in her 80's.  She had walked to the meeting place that morning. We learned that Zettie is a medicine woman. Because of what we'd read, and out of respect for the Navajo culture, we weren't sure we were supposed to touch her, but Zettie took Joan's hands and held them for the longest time, and gave us warm hugs. There could be no doubt that Zettie know exactly who Joan was.

In all honesty we'd talked about that and wondered how many of Joan's letters Zettie had received. Does she receive the packages Joan sends throughout the year? Any doubts, the miles, the difference in cultures, the language barrier were all erased. This is what Joan had come here for. She got to hold her Elder, look into her eyes, laugh with her. Some of Zettie's family told us they read Joan's letters to Zettie, and that, yes, Zettie has gotten everything Joan sent.

Joan and I hope to be part of another food run someday. In the meantime, almost every day I think of our trip, the Elders we met, and our group of volunteers. We were blessed.