Elders Come To Main Street

by John Aldrich

For years now, Linda has hosted a group of Elders from the Big Mountain area for the Fourth of July in Park City. The core group are three sisters, May Shay, Elsie Shay, and Katie Furcap. Along with them come two of Katie's daughters, Darlene and Lena. Darlene provides the transportation for everyone and also brings her daughters Patrina and Diana (but since the girls did the driving, perhaps it's the other way around). This year we were missing May who had to stay home to tend her sheep. Darlene's son Truman also wasn't able to make the journey.

Typically they come prior to the Fourth and participate in the Park City Farmer's Market (here's a blog about this event several years ago) just prior to the holiday and then enjoy Park City's parade. Because of a family illness, however, they were delayed in leaving this year and didn't arrive until late on the Fourth.

But another high point of their visits in recent years has been their presence on Main Street during the holiday. Doug Hollinger, who is an ANE board member, along with his wife Margie, own the Park City Clothing Company. They have been gracious to turn the front porch of their store into an emporium for this group, as well as ANE, to sell rugs and jewelry.

When we visited at mid-day yesterday there was a steady stream of people stopping by to look at the wares, and sales were in progress as well.

Doug paused for a moment for a picture with Lena and Elsie:

While Patrina, Katie, Diana, and Darlene pose separately:

We extend special congratulations to Patrina who just graduated from high school and will be furthering her education at Arizona State.

A special treat for Elsie was a visit from Kamryn who spent several months volunteering to help fix the home of Elsie and May in the 1996. This was in the heat of the land dispute when many people came to the reservation to help the Navajos who were faced with the prospect of relocation from their traditional homelands.

Diana is obviously a well-connected young woman but paused long enough from her internet activities to flash one of her beautiful smiles.

Big Mountain is in the high desert area of northern Arizona. This region has experienced an extra hot summer with no rain thus far. During the time of their visit to Park City this group has enjoyed the experience of rain every evening.

These are special people who you still have a chance to meet as they will be back on Doug and Margie's porch again today from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. If you can't make it to Park City today, they will all be back for the rug show at Deer Valley November 8th-10th.

And thanks to Darlene, I have a new Navajo phrase to use. If you ever find yourself in front of my camera and hear me say "dah diniilghaazh", it might just bring a smile to your face. Not necessarily because you understand what I'm saying, but because you'll be amused at my attempt to pronounce it.