10-NavajoBeautyway

Canyons and Deserts

Sacred Red Earth

Diné (Navajo) philosophy is epitomized by the phrase “Walk in Beauty” from the sacred prayer, the Blessing Way. Aspiring to that spirit, we enter deep into Navajoland, learning of the intricacies and beauty of traditional Navajo philosophy amidst the diversity of tribal cultures within the region. This special experience takes you on a remarkable journey through time and the essence of human emotion, framed by the natural wonders that make the Navajo Nation like no other place on earth.

We will begin near the place of emergence, where the Diné entered into this, the Glittering World, the House Made of Dawn, and begin to appreciate that Navajo spiritual narratives identify specific places on earth where the sacred occurred, which, when placed in context, undermines the ethnocentric mantra of “myths and legends.”

Weaving a path of beauty throughout the Navajo Nation, we travel into Tse Bii Ndzisgaii, Monument Valley, the “eighth wonder of the world,” and learn of the immense power and significance of Tse Bii Ndzisgaii in Diné culture, and soon realize that Monument Valley is much more than a landscape associated with hundreds of Hollywood Westerns.

Near Ganado, at the Hubbell Trading Post, we step back in time. The Navajo called Don Lorenzo Hubbell “Naakaii Saani,” or “Double Glasses,” and this 1870s trading post has withstood the onslaught of time; to step inside is to step back into the 19th century. The post boasts an excellent array of Southwest Indian art, particularly by Navajo and Hopi artisans, and the trading post retains an active barter system, so Hubbell is a venue to make a trade.

Enveloped by Diné Bikeyah, the sacred Navajo homeland, the Beauty-way Chant doesn’t just come to mind, it comes to life, as we reach our destination. We are on the edge of Canyon de Chelly, a natural wonder that not only holds the sacred, but also history and pain. In our two days at the canyon we will discuss each aspect. After an extensive tour of the canyon rim you will have the option of hiking into the canyon to witness the 11th Century proto-Hopi complex known as White House Ruin, following in the footsteps of the Old Ones as we experience the ruin and petroglyphs adorning the canyon walls, every ancient pueblo in Canyon de Chelly being a step towards understanding the Hopi and Pueblo civilizations throughout this spectacular world of natural red rock sculptures. Tsegi, where the past, present and future become forever

Moving ‘camp’ we accept a rare invitation to travel with unprecedented access to the secluded Hopi Mesas; a place of stark and beautiful endurance where the clan lifeway is about raising the short blue-eared corn which symbolizes the homelands, culture and responsibilities given to the Hopi clans by Ma'saw as they emerged from the Third Way of Life to this, the Fourth World.

Second Mesa is the base for this extraordinary and unique opportunity to spend time on the mesas and in the villages, accompanied by Hopi interpreters, learning about their cultures and history, through traditional and evolutionary arts - silver, Katsina doll carving, basketry, music and song, and through Hopi cultural perspectives on agriculture, foods, traditional and contemporary tribal leadership and philosophy. This journey takes place at a sacred point in the traditional calendar for the Hopi, and you will experience the presence of the Kachinas through on the mesas as these holy ones prepare to return to the Cloud House above the San Francisco Peaks.

The ancient Hopi made a purposeful choice for The People’s place of dwelling in this Fourth World; arid, stark desert conditions with hardships and challenges that would ensure the Hopi have to become strong and retain the truly important things of life to thrive, or even survive on this terrain. To this day, as from their first arrival, the Hopi ‘dry farm,’ meaning they don’t irrigate – they are dependent on the winter snows and summer monsoon rains to bring moisture for the corn. Agriculture is an act of faith for the Hopi that serves as a religious focus as well as an economic activity, and working plots provide crops unique to the Hopi diet in addition to reinforcing traditions and customs in each new generation, for as one Hopi gardener said, "This is not just about growing vegetables; it is about growing children." .

It is said that information and stories entrusted to each Hopi are more than enough to consider and meditate upon during a lifetime. Despite a plethora of books that routinely corrupt cultural ways beyond Hopi recognition, true preservation of the lifeway is attributed by traditional people to their ideology of passing ceremonial information to other clan members within the Kiva. The culture endures because no individual has access or responsibility for the entire sacred narrative and lifeway. In the land of the Hopi, we will walk beyond the Western world to an ancient cultural realm where the truly important things of life are recognized, revered and celebrated.

The third leg of our exploration takes us to the canyons, mountains, and desert homelands of Cochise, Geronimo, Victorio, and Mangas Coloradas, all legendary Apache leaders whose names and deeds yet reverberate on the air of Apache territory.

We pass before the sacred mountain, Dzil Nchaa Si Ann, where the One God, Ussen, sent his emissaries, the Mountain Spirits, to show the people His chosen lifeway, before entering the San Carlos Apache Reservation. On San Carlos we learn of the tumultuous era of the old agency, visiting the site of Geronimo’s camp on the reservation, and then hearing of Victorio’s quest for freedom on the route he guided his people over to escape the hardships and indignities of confinement. Our hosts on San Carlos will provide cultural insights and activities, including Western Apache language instruction, Apache craft workshops, and traditional storytelling sessions, before preparing a traditional Apache meal. From San Carlos we travel north and cross the magnificent Salt River Canyon as we visit historic Cibecue, and then make our way to the higher elevations of the legendary Fort Apache, amidst the tall pines and bugling elk of the White Mountain Apache Reservation. At White Mountain, we explore Fort Apache and discuss General George Crook’s philosophy and the legacy of Fort Apache. The White Mountain Apache Cultural Center offers both interactive multi-media as well as traditional opportunities to experience Apache culture.

“Once we moved about the like the wind,” said Geronimo, and through your final days of this remarkable journey you follow that breath of freedom through the sacred, historic, the triumphs and tragedies, the beauty of the land and the resilience of the human spirit