A Place of Suffering

by John Aldrich

Hwe'eldi, a place of suffering, holds a special meaning for the Navajo people. Although I can not speak on a personal level to what this special meaning might be, I have heard several Navajos relate what those terrible years meant to their forefathers and how this deplorable chapter in our history has impacted the psyche of subsequent generations of Dine'.

Most of us who have had exposure to Dine' history and culture are aware of the Long Walk, the period from 1863 to 1868 when the Navajo people were rounded up and forced to march roughly 400 miles, on foot and in winter, to a wretched site in eastern New Mexico, called the Bosque Redondo, which had been set aside for them. The surrender of the people to this fate was more or less inevitable following the scorched-earth campaign that Kit Carson waged across the Dine' homeland. Seven to eight thousand men, women, and children participated in this journey with several thousand dying en route or during the years of incarceration.

On a recent trip to visit friends in Albuquerque, I wanted to take the opportunity to see this site for myself. One of the surprises for me was the realization that Fort Sumner was quite a bit further east than I had imagined. We set out from Albuquerque on a grey, gloomy day that seemed fit for such a journey.  The trip of 150 miles via modern roads took three hours and frankly seemed relatively interminable. That alone provided ground for reflection on what it must have been like for the people forced to do it on foot over many weeks, and heading to a destination altogether unknown to them.

This map shows the location of the Bosque Redondo reservation, the outlined square in the lower right, and reveals what was another surprise to me - the size of the place. It was forty square miles. Click on the map for a larger image with more detail.

The next map shows the travel route of the Navajos.

There was some variation in the routes taken by different groups, especially after passing through the area of present day Albuquerque. Fort Canby was an earlier name for Fort Defiance.

Fort Sumner today is a sleepy rural ranching and farming community showing the signs of decline that are typical of such places. If it weren't for the railroad passing through town, it might even seem disconnected from the modern world. The citizens of Fort Sumner bank on the notoriety of Billy The Kid to bring in visitors more than the old fort and its history. Billy was killed at Fort Sumner and is buried nearby.

Bosque Redondo and the site of the original fort are several miles south. Although the Pecos River is nearby and supports a number of cottonwood trees, the area is flat and otherwise desolate except for places that have received some irrigation. The promise of the U.S. Army to the Navajos was that their new home would offer great opportunities for farming and that they would enjoy a new era of self-sufficiency. Instead, the soil was alkaline, and the river water of poor quality, so efforts to farm were mostly unsuccessful, and the people were forced to rely on rations supplied by the army. The army, in turn, had underestimated the population that would ultimately arrive there, so there were widespread shortages of food, clothing, shelter, and other basic supplies. Although the army should have provided security, plains Indians were able to raid the Navajo settlement, further adding to the privations.

In 2005, after years of neglecting this part of their local history, the Bosque Redondo Memorial was dedicated as a New Mexico state monument and is housed in a building incorporating a rather striking tepee element which was designed by Navajo architect David Sloan of Albuquerque.

On the day of our visit we arrived to an empty parking lot and departed leaving it just as we found it. A congenial woman who was volunteering at the small gift shop was a life-long resident of Fort Sumner and observed that when she was growing up there was no mention of the importance of this location to the Navajo people and the area  of the Bosque had been used for recreation. There was awareness of the military history, and an effort had been made to restore some of the walls of the old fort.

But since the establishment of the Bosque Redondo Memorial, the real history of the place is now taught in the schools. The park ranger indicated that many Navajos now visit the site, but that many others are reluctant to do so because of the strong negative feelings the place has for Dine' people. Some who come bring rocks, stones, and other items from their homeland in Dinetah to honor the ancestors who may have survived or perished in the experience.

Between this spot of prayer and offerings and the memorial building in the background is the site where the treaty of 1868 was signed which released the Dine' people to return to their homeland.

The nearby Pecos River, quite unattractive in its muddy, silty and sluggish flow, perhaps gives some inkling of why this experiment in relocation was doomed from the outset.

The trunk of this large cottonwood tree is preserved near the memorial in honor of the Navajo people that would have planted it during their incarceration.

Cottonwood trees generally have a life expectancy of 70 years. This tree lived 141 years and seems to be a testament to the strength and resolve of the people who planted it.

The Hubble Trading Post

by John Aldrich

For those interested in the Trading Post era of Navajo History or just  Western Americana in general, a visit to the Hubble Trading Post in Ganado, Arizona is a must.

John Lorenzo Hubble established a trading post here in 1878, only ten years after the Long Walk period  ended. He purchased 160 acres for roughly $37. At that point Ganado was not yet part of the reservation so his purchase was from the U.S. Government, and the site remains an in-holding within the current reservation.

He quickly established a successful business by learning Navajo and maintaining scrupulously honest and fair trading practices. Ultimately he created a trading empire by buying or establishing a number of other trading posts. The Hubble Trading Post was turned over to the National Park Service in 1965 but remains an active business trading with the local Navajo. It is the oldest continuously operating business in northern Arizona.

In addition to the trading post itself,  a highlight of a visit is a tour of the Hubble home next door. Hubble was active in politics as well as the arts and hosted many luminaries of his era including Teddy Roosevelt and the painter Maynard Dixon. The home has not changed since the last Hubble descendant moved out in 1967.

The walls remain covered with the original art he collected. He often accepted pieces of art in lieu of payment for services. The ceiling between the beams is filled with an extensive collection of Native American baskets from throughout the Southwest.

This is one of the two Maynard Dixon paintings in the collection.

This is Tina Lowe, a Navajo woman who was our tour guide. She was very knowledgeable, and much of the information that I am passing on here was gleaned from her discourse during the tour. In addition to working for the Park Service, Tina is a grandmother and weaver. She also was aware of the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program and had been to Salt Lake City to volunteer during the Olympics.

This exterior view shows problems with the adobe walls. Tina explained that their adobe expert had left and that currently they had no one to perform the repairs that are needed on a nearly annual basis.

A wall hanging in the kitchen displays a variety of corn.

The museum aspect of the site isn't limited to the trading post and home. The grounds are full of tools and farming implements. There is a large barn as well with many artifacts from the Hubble era.

The stone hogan on the left was used for ceremonial purposes in Hubble's time and is now used as a guest house for an artist-in-residence program. At the top of the hill in the background John Lorenzo Hubble and his wife are buried.

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.