Second in a seven-part series
MONUMENT VALLEY — If, as some claim, future revenues on Indian reservations will come from tourism, the Navajo Nation is ahead of the game.
For years, Navajo blankets, jewelry, baskets and artwork have dominated regional native arts. In Monument Valley, dozens of small craft shops stand side-by-side, filled with handicrafts for travelers.
R.C. Gorman, the Navajo painter, is now considered an American treasure.
Even Navajo food, such as Navajo tacos, have found their way into the American mainstream.
"Generally speaking, we've used tourism, and it has made a significant impact," said Merle Pete, information officer for the tribe. "And we do anticipate a lot of tourists during the Olympics."
The flagship for the tribe during the Olympics is a pavilion at Salt Lake's Gateway shopping plaza called "Discover Navajo: People of the Fourth World." The 11,000-square-foot area is in the shape of a giant hogan that visitors enter from the east, like a traditional dwelling. Inside, visitors find arts, crafts, foods and tribal members telling the stories of the Navajo Nation. Around the outside of the pavilion are examples of things vital to the Navajo way of life.
"We hope people will see beyond the stereotype of Indians as headdress-and-tepee people and really get to know our culture," said Mellor Willie, a consultant with the Discover Navajo 2002 Foundation.
The cultural exhibit cost $1.75 million, said Lawrence Platero, chairman of the tribe's Economic Development Committee. "We're exhibiting all aspects of the Navajo culture."
The funding for the pavilion came from the general fund of the Navajo Nation, the Navajo Division of Economic Development and sponsorships.
One reason the Navajos dominate the cultural market, of course, is sheer numbers. Although the tribe's headquarters are in Arizona, there are still more Navajos in Utah than members of all other tribes combined — 14,000 according to the last census. (There are 275,000 Navajos in the United States as a whole.)
The Navajo reservation is also the largest in the nation at 25,000 square miles, and the tribe has more native lands in Utah than any other tribe. The tribe actually leases more acres to white people than the Shoshone tribe owns.
In short, chances are when most Utahns hear the word "Indian," they picture a Navajo in their minds. And the stories they know are often about the tribe — the famous "code talkers" during World War II, for example, and the policemen in Tony Hillerman's award-winning Navajo mystery novels such as "Skinwalkers" and "Blessing Way" (see accompanying story).
"You see us everywhere," Willie said. He also points out that the tribe has a colorful culture and is adamant about keeping it intact and teaching it to the children.
And it doesn't hurt promotional efforts that Navajo history makes for a very compelling story.
The word "Navajo" comes from the Spanish word for "blade." Many Navajo leaders and places were also given Spanish names, which is why the tribe is trying to foster use of the Navajo word for themselves: Din (Din-AY), which means "the people."
In fact, tribal history can be seen along those two lines. There is the spiritual, legendary history of the Din, a story that is replete with poetic creation stories and magical transformations. Then there is the harrowing, often disheartening, textbook history of the "Navajo" tribe itself.
As with many things Navajo, the tribe's "creation history" is colorful and elaborate. The number "four" is sacred among the Navajos, which is why so much of their religion is divided four ways — the four sacred mountains, for example, the four directions and even the four sacred colors: black, white, blue and yellow.
According to tradition, the Navajos emerged from the "darkness, moisture and mist." Man was formed when the colors black and white collided, woman was formed from the meshing of blue and yellow (think "turquoise"). The people eventually moved through various worlds, including the Insect World, to get where they are now. And the dozens of tales about that journey form an "oral Bible" of the Navajo code of life.
The more conventional, modern history of the people is much less charming, however. Nancy C. Maryboy and David Begay have written about that history in the book "A History of Utah's Americans Indians." They offer the following facts.
The first mention of the tribe was in 1620, the same year the Pilgrims landed. Over the next 200 years, the tribe would slowly grow more prominent in reports, newspaper stories and personal journals. The 1850s and late 1860s are known as the "Troubled Period" among the Navajos. Wars and skirmishes with Mexico and American soldiers forced the tribe to move around to protect its families and flocks.
In 1863, Kit Carson led a "scorched-earth" attack on the Navajo Nation, burning their homes and fields as he went. Eventually, the Navajos surrendered. They were gathered at Fort Defiance and forced to walk 300 miles —the famous "Long Walk" — to Fort Sumner, N.M. Some 3,000 Navajos died at the fort. Conditions were abominable. Eventually, Gen. William Sherman arrived and negotiated the treaty of 1868 that allowed the Navajo people to return to their homeland as a sovereign nation. That treaty remains in force today.
Because of its harsh history, the Navajo Nation has often huddled together to keep its culture intact. And that has made the tribe one of the most traditional in the nation, with its turquoise squash-blossom jewelry and traditional hair buns.
In fact, tribal leaders are banking on their well-known culture to open doors for the tribe during the Olympic Games. The tribe hopes the Discover Navajo Pavilion will not only create interest among tourists but will attract foreign businesses to the reservation.
"The problem," said Jay Groves, executive director of the Ute Tribe, "is Native Americans are so often at the mercy of the community where we live and the state we live in. One question I ask is: 'How can we take control of our human resources?' I look at our college graduates, and I don't think we've done enough to reach out and bring them back home. We need to do that."
Tribal statistics, released last year, quickly show why Navajo leaders are pushing so hard to revitalize the reservation. As of December 1999, 43.7 percent of the tribal members on the reservation (in three states) was unemployed, and the per-capita income for members of the Navajo Nation there was only $6,217. (For Utah, the per-capita figure was $23,288). Of the dollars earned by Navajos, 68 percent were spent away from the reservation. In short, not a lot of money is coming onto the reservation, and most of what does reach the reservation eventually leaves.
The unemployment rate in Utah at the beginning of 2000 was 2.8 percent, while the unemployment rate among Navajos living on the reservation in Utah was a whopping 54.6 percent. (In San Juan County where the reservation is located, the unemployment rate jumped to 9.2 percent in the last census — the highest in Utah — because of the reservation figures.)
Education is also a vital need. Only 43.5 percent of Navajo children on the reservation are graduating from high school, compared with 85 percent of white children, 80 percent of Asian children and 75 percent of black children off the reservation who graduate.
The average graduation rate for American Indians in the United States is 52 percent. And because of that high dropout rate, the social climate and temptations are grim for American Indian youths. They are more likely to be arrested than youths of other ethnic groups and, according to a government study of 550 tribes, Indians are 58 percent more likely to be the victims of violent crime than other groups.
According to Associated Press reports, perpetrators of crimes aren't often apprehended on the reservation, where there is only one police officer for every 1,000 citizens and 1.5 million acres. And the lack of jobs and funding for youth recreational programs contributes to boredom that can foster unrest and mischief.
In the Navajo Nation, all 12 tribal committees, ranging from the education and ethics committees to the transportation and public safety committees, feel the press of such social issues. But the economic committee may be the one that holds a way to lift the people above their current state of affairs.
As the Ute Tribe's Grove says, almost every problem on reservations can be traced to economic problems. And the Navajos have obstacles to overcome. Government control is seen by many Indians as a major hindrance, along with racism, cultural differences and the sheer weight of habit and history. But the attitude is positive among leaders.
"We've always had strife, since the signing of the first treaty," said Wydale Silversmith, a project coordinator for Discover Navajo. "But now we hope to find a way to build an economy to help the families out."
The gaming industry has been one option for developers, but it has hit several roadblocks.
"We have 110 chapters in the Navajo Tribe," Platero said, "and so far only one chapter is authorized to promote gaming."
There is a pilot project in the works, however, located in New Mexico off the reservation where the tribe will experiment with a casino.
"There are two power plants on the reservation right now, and we don't own either one," said Tom Goodluck, a member of the economic development committee from Arizona. "So, we want to develop our own power projects."
The ace in the hole, however, just may be the tourist trade. The "Discover Navajo" promotional brochure is an expensive, colorful publication that lists 35 points of interest on the reservation along with tour agencies, accommodations as it showcases the culture with rich photographs of Navajo arts and people. Distributing that publication will be a major priority of the Navajo Nation during the Olympic Games.
"We want to bring people in from all over the world to visit us and see how we live," Platero said. "We have many sites, like Monument Valley, that I don't think a lot of people have actually seen in person."
Monument Valley will be just one stop on the Navajo Magical Mystery Tour, of course. Window Rock, Chaco Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Red Lake, Shiprock and Antelope Canyon will also be attractions. And if visitors can feel the charm and grace of such places, members of the economic development committee hope they will return for another visit. And maybe they will bring their businesses with them.
For in the end, despite a legacy of woes, many Navajos feel their past is simply the prologue to a fulfilling future. And the "Discover Navajo" pavilion is already a bold step.
"You can only extract coal and oil from your land for so long," Willie said, "so in recent years we've been creating new ways to help our economy. We see the Olympics as a great chance for our people to partner with national and international leaders."
Needless to say, other tribes will be watching closely to see how the $1.75 million investment in Discover Navajo 2002 pays off.
Coming Sunday: Paiutes and health care
E-MAIL: jerjohn@desnews.com