Recent Food Runs

by Elizabeth Rose

(Note: Liz is an ANE volunteer from Surprise, Arizona, who has been attending the food runs to Sanders, Big Mountain, and Teesto for a number of years. She is a professional travel writer and has written more extensively about her experiences in her own blog which is referenced by the links.  The photos in this blog are from previous food runs while Liz's own images are seen on her blog site.)

I am one of many Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program volunteers. While I haven't adopted an Elder, haven't been to the Salt Lake City warehouse, or had the pleasure of volunteering at the annual Park City rug show, I'm a consistent volunteer and supporter of the program. I work the food runs.

While on the Sanders-Teesto-Big Mountain food run this fall I blogged my experiences. I've been participating in this food run for over three years now and thoroughly enjoy the experience.  I'm a travel writer and this fits right in with what I do for a living. Voluntourism is fast becoming a meaningful way to travel. Travel, learn, enjoy, and do some good while you're at it!

On the fall food run, we were blessed with amazing weather. It was warm, yet crisp enough in the mornings to remind us that winter is right around the corner.  We knew that the Elders had had a very tough winter and we wanted to provide all we could to help them in the upcoming cold season.

On my blog, Travel Writer Rants and Raves, you can follow my experiences day by day. Here are some excerpts from the fall food run entries:

Day 1: We gathered in Winslow, Arizona at the Lodge Motel. It was wonderful to see old friends and meet new volunteers. It is always a good feeling to know that new people continue to join the group and that the program can grow. More on Day 1 in Winslow.

Day 2: The first day began at dawn. Volunteers gathered at the edge of the lake just outside Winslow to greet the dawn just as the Navajo elders do. It is a quiet time. You can hear the beavers swimming in the lake. Often a heron will take flight. As the sun rises the group reflects on why they are there and takes in the spiritual nature of the dawn.

We then gathered at the Flying J and had a breakfast meeting at Denny's where we went over the "rules of the road" for the upcoming food run and talked about how we would load our vehicles with onions and potatoes at Wal Mart. Several of the more experienced volunteers were trying their best to avoid having the onions placed in their vehicles. More on Day 2 and the Evening Ceremony.

Day 3: We had our usual breakfast meeting at Flying J at 6:30am. It was crisp out at that point. As I drove to the restaurant, the pink of the sunrise was absolutely beautiful. We had our meeting, and were reminded to double-up so as to not have to drive empty trucks to this small food run. The Elders in the program numbered 27 grandmothers and 8 grandfathers. That was close to one volunteer per Elder! Of course when you add in the cute kids and family members, the shade house did get crowded. More on the Sanders Food Run and Day 3.

Day 4: Today was a big day for the volunteers. It is the largest food run of the three, serving 61 grandmothers and 26 grandfathers. And, of course there is a large number of family and visitors that show up since it is a very large gathering.

The drive was one of the high points of the day. We headed north off I-40 toward Second Mesa. It is a long drive with amazing expanses of scenic high desert and rock formations. Gone were the dust storms experienced in the Spring. In their place was a perfect sunny day full of peace and joy.

Everyone eagerly anticipated this food run. Big Mountain is where the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program started many years ago. Big Mountain is where the Elders resisted being relocated by the government during the Hopi land dispute. With Linda and Grace, program founders, in the lead, it was like a homecoming and we were all starting to feel like family with one heart, one mind and one direction to travel. More on the Big Mountain Food Run and Day 4.

Day 5: It's the last day of the three-part food run with the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program. Yesterday was amazing. The Elders, many of whom have visibly aged, were there in full force. Everyone showed up! I even purchased a beautiful rug to display on a wall in my hallway.

Today we actually slept in a bit. There was no morning meeting, but we did need to pack our cars and check out of the Lodge Motel in Winslow if we were to drive home after the Teesto food run. More on the Teesto Food Run and Our Sad Farewell.

A Youthful Food Run

by John Aldrich

The group of volunteers that come together for each food run give each event a unique character. On the recent food run to Oljato and Navajo Mountain a share of this flavor was provided by some unusually youthful participants.

At Olajto we were honored to be joined by Carley Nez, our Shi Yazhi Princess. Carley's family comes from the Montezuma Creek area of the reservation. She and her father traveled there and then came to Oljato joined by Carley's grandmother.

Here is Carley with her father and grandmother, a retired school teacher. Carley has been doing a beautiful job this year representing ANE at a variety of events such as pow wows.

Carley is joined at the door by volunteer Glenda Carson and by Stryder Underwood of Alfred, New York. At age nine Stryder is the youngest volunteer to ever participate in a food run. She brought her grandfather, John del Campo, with her. John has been volunteering on food runs since the early years of the Program and has brought all of his family at various times over the years.

As part of the greeting committee, Stryder welcomes Gladys Oliver to the food run.

The youngest member of the volunteer group, although perhaps not quite a full-fledged worker yet, was eighteen-month old Samantha Carey. This might have been a deja-vu experience for her as she had actually been to Oljato once before while in the womb. Brenda was Linda's assistant until Samantha arrived.

As part of the Program giveaways at each food run all the children in attendance receive a gift. Carley and Stryder have just passed these out to the youngest members of the Elders' families.

And here Carley presents a gift to Alice Featherhat, a spry Elder of 104.

Samantha wonders if she should be here.

The following day at Navajo Mountain Samantha is introduced to the Elders along with her parents, Brenda and Pete.

Morris Burns presents Stryder with a specail gift.

Samantha meets Jerry Smallcanyon, newly adopted by the Carey family.

The Navajo people have an unusually strong sense of family, and they love children. The Elders brighten immediately when they see a youngster. The presence of Carley, Stryder, and Samantha brought many smiles to their faces.

Announcing The ANE Limited Edition Pendleton Blanket

Early this year a unique opportunity presented itself to the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program. Doug and Margie Hollinger own the Park City Clothing Company which happens to be one of the top retailers of Pendleton blankets in the country. Doug is also a member of the ANE board and has actively supported the Elders over the years.

Doug and Margie proposed a special fund-raising project involving a custom designed, limited-edition, blanket to be produced by Pendleton with all of the proceeds going to the Program. Such an undertaking wouldn't have been possible without their longstanding relationship with Pendleton.

(Click on the image for a larger view.)

The blanket is a horizontal design with a jacquard border in the standard Pendleton 64"x80" size. The background color is a deep turquoise with the ANE logo and the names of the eleven food run locations in winter white. The border has light turquoise, rust, and tan accents in a Navajo pattern.

This blanket will be produced as a limited collector's edition of only 300. It will be available at the rug show in November or through the Park City Clothing Company (800-561-9665). It will sell for $245 with ANE receiving 100% of the profits.

 We anticipate that this special blanket will sell out quickly. If you would like to reserve one or more, you may do so by contacting the Park City Clothing Company. With a $100 deposit each, a blanket will be reserved for you to pick up (or have shipped for around $15) after Sunday November 14th. It will not be possible to reserve a specific numbered blanket, as they will be pulled randomly from the stock.

Pendletons are treasured by Native people who use the blankets in honorings and ceremonies This beautiful blanket honors the Elders and their way of life, the support people who share the vision of serving the Elders, and our coming together to promote healing between our cultures.

The blanket would make a meaningful keepsake of your participation in the Program or a wonderful holiday gift for a longtime support person. You might also consider buying the Pendleton to be gifted to your Elder.

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.

The Sheep Dog Trials

by John Aldrich

If you're looking for an event which combines supporting ANE together with witnessing an amazing display of canine training, plan on coming to the annual sheep dog trials known as the Soldier Hollow Classic over Labor Day weekend in the beautiful Heber Valley September 3-6.

The main event is a truly remarkable display of teamwork between the sheep dog and his/her trainer. Controlling the dog with a combination of whistles, gestures, and voice commands, the trainer guides the dog to herd a small flock of sheep through a challenging and far-ranging course which is laid out at the site of the 2002 Olympics cross country skiing events.

This has become an increasingly popular event with thousands attending over the four days it is held. In addition to the actual sheep dog trials there are a number of ancillary events which are quite entertaining such as the dog jumping contest. For more information about the event visit their website.

To make the event an even bigger attraction there are many vendors who take part. One of these is the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program. Mark Peterson, the event organizer, has been very supportive of our Program, providing tent space in a good location. In turn, ANE provides demonstrations of Navajo weaving as well as offering for sale a large variety of rugs and jewelry. This is one those special events that help us to sell rugs from our catalog.

The tent attracts large numbers of visitors, and periodically throughout the day demonstrations are given by Navajo weavers who come from the rez for this event.

Here is Darlene Furcap standing in from of a selection of her rugs with Program rugs hanging on the wall in the background,

while her sister, Lena Cowby, demonstrates the art of Navajo weaving.

Everyone attending the trials is guaranteed a fascinating experience as well as a fine opportunity to support ANE. The event web site has a page dedicated to ANE which gives further information. If anyone is interested in volunteering to help staff the tent during the event, please contact Wendy Sanborn at 801-243-2295.

The Rug Catalog

by John Aldrich

Early in the history of the Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program Linda realized that one of the important ways of helping Elders support themselves in their traditional way of life was to help create a market for their rugs. This came about when several weavers asked Linda to take their rugs to Park City and try to sell them. This effort evolved into the annual rug show which will be in its 21st iteration this November.

Although the rug show provides the largest outlet for the textiles of our Elders, this is a once-a-year event. To provide a market for rugs throughout the year the rug catalog was developed to facilitate additional sales.

The inventory of rugs held by the Program constitutes "the catalog". Rugs are added to the catalog continuously, but the bulk of the new weavings are acquired during the spring and fall food runs when Elders bring their rugs to the events. Most are purchased outright although a few are taken on consignment.

This photograph shows Elders and their families displaying their crafts at the conclusion of the Big Mountain food run this spring. Many items will be purchased by volunteers attending the run and Linda will acquire many of the remaining rugs for the catalog.

At any one time there are typically 250 to 300 rugs available for purchase. The weaver determines the price for the rug, and the Program adds no mark up. So every dollar spent on a rug purchase ends up in the hands of the weaver.

A printed rug catalog is produced once a year after the rugs that were acquired at the spring food runs have been processed. This tradition started years ago, and the Elders take great pride in seeing their rugs in a printed book. The current version of the catalog is sixty pages and contains pictures of all the rugs in our inventory when it was created in late June. The book can be purchased through the Trading Post section of the web site.

But since rugs are being added and sold throughout the year, the printed catalog is not the most up-to-date source of information. The web site's Rug Catalog represents the most current listing of available rugs.

In addition to the on-line rug catalog and the rug show, sales are made at a variety of special events such as the Park City Farmers' Market, annual sheep dog trials at Soldier Hollow, and other sales events.

Here rugs are offered for sale at a one-day sales event at the 10,000 Villages store in Sugar House last year.

At The Park City Farmer's Market

by John Aldrich

The Farmer's Market is a popular weekly event in Park City during the summer months. In addition to farmers with their produce, many other vendors come to sell a variety of wares.

For the past 14 years ANE has maintained a booth at the market as a means of selling rugs and jewelry for our Elders as well as promoting the Program. During most of that span of time Linda has done all of the work by herself although in recent years it has become a volunteer activity so she now has more help.

Cheryl Wehmanen and Suzy Bagley are two of the volunteers who regularly help man the booth.  The cost of the weekly space rental, $40, is generously donated by Volker's Bakery.

Besides rugs and jewelry a variety of other options are offered to market-goers who might wish to support the Program in some manner.

On this particular market day there was an added attraction at the ANE booth. For several years three Elders from the Big Mountain area of the reservation have come with their families to spend the July 4th holiday with Linda. The market gives them an opportunity to make sales directly to people attending the event.

Here is May Shay with one of her rugs and some of her jewelry.

May's sister, Elsie, also holds a rug along with some of her jewelry.

Katie Furcap is a third sister who proudly displays one of her weavings.

One of Katie's daughters, Lena Cowboy from Chilchinbito, shows her jewelry to a prospective buyer.

Katie's other daughter, Darlene, has set up a beautiful table display of her jewelry.

Darlene's daughter, Patrina, made these spectacular beaded necklaces. Each one involved two to three weeks of work.

The Farmer's Market wasn't the only chance these artists will have to sell their wares. On Saturday July 3rd they will set up in front of the Park City Clothing Company on Main Street. This opportunity was made possible by the owner, Doug Hollinger, who is a generous donor to the Program and the Elders and is also an ANE board member.