Food Run Report - Many Farms 5/5/11

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

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

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

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

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.