My dad’s significant other is Navajo. They live in Flagstaff, Arizona, but most of her family still live on the reservation. My dad wanted me to experience the way that the Navajo live, so we left civilization behind and headed out what they call the res.
The ride out there was scenic. Smooth and easy. Even passed through Tuba City which is a small town in the middle of the reservation. SO far so good. But as we got to Red Lake, where in the res the family lives, the asphalt gave way to a dirt road. More like a pathway.
When we pulled up to where they live, we were greeted by a bunch of horses. This was a bit different from what I was expecting. I’m not sure what I was expecting but the more I looked around, the more I noticed that whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t there. There was almost nothing there!
They live in what’s called a hogan. Essentially a baked mud brick structure. There’s a stove in the middle and everything else around it from beds, storage, and not much else because they’re not that big. Definitely no privacy. And no bathroom.
A hogan is the primary, traditional dwelling of the Navajo people. Other traditional structures include the summer shelter, the underground home, and the sweat house. A hogan can be round, cone-shaped, multi-sided, or square; with or without internal posts; timber or stone walls and packed with earth in varying amounts or a bark roof for a summer house, with the door facing east to welcome the rising sun for wealth and good fortune.
Traditional structured hogans are also considered pioneers of energy efficient homes. Using packed mud against the entire wood structure, the home was kept cool by natural air ventilation and water sprinkled on the dirt ground inside. During the winter, the fireplace kept the inside warm for a long period of time and well into the night. This concept is called thermal mass.
I did have to use the bathroom at some point. I had some choices. At firs I chose the outhouse but it was swarming with flies. The mobile toilet lacked privacy.
So I did as they did and found a little spot out wherever a few yards away from prying eyes.
We went for a walk. I wanted to see Red Lake. Come to find out, it’s just the name of the area. The lake had dried up so long ago, I don’t think anyone remembers there ever being a lake.
Though it’s a desert, it’s not quite flat. There are some rock structures with some carvings from the natives from generations ago.
At first I found the entire place jarring. Too much emptiness to fully process. You could actually hear yourself think and you’d be surprised how much thought goes on when you’re mind is free to listen.
The sun was setting and in a place like this, the temperature goes with it. It gets cold. You think deserts are hot, but at thousands of feet above sea level, you have to be prepared in the winter. Especially when you see it raining across the way.
My dad and I went to another humble abode to stay the night. They at least had a trailer so that I didn’t have to sleep on the floor of a hogan, but because of the cat, I spent the night in the back of a pickup truck.
We visited some other friends just before the sun finally went down and they kept telling us if we wanted to get back, since we were walking, we should probably head out. And just as we started to make our way back, the sun set and it was like someone turned out the lights. Pitch. Black. I was using my phone as a flashlight and could barely see two feet in front of me.
My mind was clear and all I could think about was the three things they told us to be on the lookout for:
- black widows
- rattlesnakes
- coyotes
Ummm? Ok. Sure. Got it.
To make matters worse, we had no idea what direction we were walking in, couldn’t see anything, at all, and my dad was feeling dehydrated. So, we made for the first sign of a dwelling. Without saying a word, my dad busted in and started drinking the jug of water on the table. Hilarious. To me anyway. They gave us a ride back to where we were staying and when we told my dad’s friend Jerry about how we got lost, he said, “why didn’t you use the stars?”
See, when there’s no light pollution, you can see roughly a million stars in the sky. All the constellations. And when you learn to identify them, and use them as well as the milky way which is clear as day in that night sky, you can get around anywhere.
Interesting.
It was a good trip. A good experience. Definitely gave me an appreciation for the way natives live and understand why some are so angry with the U.S. government. The tribes were given land but provided virtually nothing else. That’s why a lot of the younger generation are moving out of the res and going to places like Flagstaff, Phoenix and Albuquerque.
I will be back though. Now that I know what to expect, I’m sure I missed something fascinating in all that emptiness.
contrails 