The Navajo's Long Walk

Last weekend we went camping at Canyon de Chelly. The weather was lovely, the cottonwoods were changing, the rocks were warm. Sleep? Not so much. One night it was the dogs barking, owls serenading (okay this was pretty cool), temperature dropping, gotta go pee night. But that's camping. And camping is a lot easier since we have a pop-up, which I love- kind of like a portable hotel room sans bathroom.

If you don't know about Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "shay")it is located on the Navajo Reservation in northeastern Arizona. It is a national monument but Navajo families still live there. I spoke with one Navajo jeweler/artist, in the visitor center, whose family had lived there for generations. Ansel Adams had taken a photo of his mom in the canyon. He was able to recreate the shot with his elderly mom. He mentioned that many families now lived elsewhere, to work, go to school, etc. and just came back on weekends or other times.

We walked down to the White House Ruins. We all commented on how blue the sky was- as blue as a fall sky can be. On the canyon floor we could see sheep and fields where crops had been planted and family hogans. From viewpoints above we could see how cottonwoods traced a dry streambed, along with tamarisk and Russian olive. This streambed meandered around huge thousand foot tall rock fins.

We went here over Columbus Day weekend. Kind of ironic. Information signs along the lookout points talked of how the Navajo fought with the Spanish in the late 1700s, early 1800s, and of how Canyon de Chelly served as a type of fortress. During one Spanish raid the young Navajo men were gone leaving the old, infirm, women and children. History reports that 115 people were massacred that day and more taken prisoner. Massacre Cave Overlook shows the location of that battle and talks of one brave Navajo woman who sacrificed her life in battling with a Spanish soldier, taking him with her as they toppled over the cliff.

Canyon de Chelly was also the site of the last standoff for the Navajos in a battle to preserve their property. In 1864 the Navajos surrendered to Kit Carson and were ordered on the "Long Walk to Bosque Redondo" in New Mexico. About 200 Navajo died during this forced march. Bosque Redondo was a desolate place for the Navajo and the people suffered with disease and hunger. In 1868 the U.S. Government acknowledged the failure of their plan and granted Navajo sovereignty in the Treaty of 1868.

So much grim history for such a beautiful place. I can tell you now that it seems peaceful and okay.