Four States, Four Tribes, Four Corners

By Tiffany Amber Stockton

Last month, I shared about the world's largest natural hot spring existing right here in Colorado. If you missed that post, you can read it here: https://www.hhhistory.com/2020/10/largest-natural-hot-spring-in-world.html.

Today, we're taking a little trip away from that hot spring to the far southwest corner of Colorado. 

THE POWER OF FOUR

Have you ever stood in one place and touched 3 different states? There are a lot of chances across the US to do that, and less than a handful of states which only touch 2 other states. But how about standing in one place and touching FOUR different states? An intersection. And that place is called the Four Corners Monument.

Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

Last summer, a friend of mine came to visit, and we traveled to the southwest corner of Colorado, Durango to be specific. As part of that weekend blitz, we went a little further southwest and took in the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. When I looked at a map of the area and realized we were only 30 miles from Four Corners--a place I had wanted to visit since childhood--I knew we had to go. It would mean not getting home until midnight or later at the end of our weekend, but we had to do it!

Monument in 1962

The Four Corners area is named after the point where the boundaries of four states (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico--just think UCAN) meet, where the Four Corners Monument is located. It is the only location in the United States where four states meet. Most of the Four Corners region belongs to semi-autonomous Native American nations, the largest of which is the Navajo Nation, followed by Hopi, Ute, and Zuni tribal reserves and nations. It's mostly rural, rugged, and arid. In fact, while driving, it reminded me a lot of a desert. Not a desert like the Sahara with nothing but sand, but a mountainous desert with rock formations combined with sand.

Monument in 1992

The United States acquired the four corners region from Mexico after the end of the Mexican–American War in 1848. In 1863 Congress created Arizona Territory from the western part of New Mexico Territory. The boundary was defined as a line running due south from the southwest corner of Colorado Territory, which had been created in 1861. This was an unusual act of Congress, which almost always defined the boundaries of new territories as lines of latitude or longitude, or following rivers. By defining one boundary as starting at the corner of another, Congress ensured the eventual creation of four states meeting at a point.

Monument in 1989

When I researched photos of this monument, I was surprised to see it once sat in the middle of what seemed to be "nowhere" with nothing but open space around it. Over the past 150 years, this site has seen a lot of changes.

My feet touching 4 states

By 1899, the sandstone shaft marker placed by Chandler Robbins in 1875 had been disturbed and broken, so it was replaced with a new stone by two U.S. Surveyors, Hubert D. Page and James M. Lentz. In 1912, a simple cement pad was poured around the marker. The first modern Navajo government convened in 1923 in an effort to organize and regulate an increasing amount of oil exploration activities on Navajo lands, and they played a big role in the monument's further development.

Monument in 2013

In 1931, Everett H. Kimmell, another U.S. Surveyor, found this newer stone had broken too and he replaced it with a brass disc marker set in cement. In 1962, the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs poured an elevated cement pad around the 1931 brass marker; this pad included the state border lines and names in tile. The monument was completely rebuilt in 1992, and the 1931 brass marker was replaced with a disc shaped aluminum-bronze plate set in granite. The monument was again rebuilt in 2010, although the disc shaped plate from 1992 remained in place.

Monument showing Navajo and Ute
selling booths at the perimeter

The monument I and my friend visited with the individual stone booths where the various Navajo and Ute Indians sell their hand-made items is obviously a lot newer than I at first thought. Prior to 2010, it seems those booths and walls weren't there at all. Completely changes the landscape and appearance. It doesn't diminish the experience of touching four states at once, though. :) And I loved being able to shop genuine Navajo items without the middle man jacking up the price. This way, I knew my money was going straight to the craftsman or designer, and it was a lot of fun chatting with them.

Finally, just for fun, here's an animated GIF image showing the progression of the 4 states from territories into the states we have today.

Now it's YOUR turn:

* Have you ever been to Four Corners? When did you go?

* Where else in the U.S. have you visited that is designated as a national monument or a national park? And what was your favorite part about your visit? 

* What is your overall favorite national park or monument to visit?

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BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those childhood skills to become an award-winning and best-selling author and speaker who is also an advocate for literacy as an educational consultant with Usborne Books. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help better their lives.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children and two dogs in Colorado. She has sold twenty (24) books so far and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

Traditional Navajo Homes: The Hogan

Navajo Hogan, By Kaldari - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=83468044

by Kiersti Giron

While tipis are often thought of as the typical traditional Native American dwelling, in reality traditional homes vary greatly for the First Nations peoples of this land from coast to coast, from longhouses to pueblos to wikiups. In the Southwest, the Navajo, or Dine, people, whose land covers portions of New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, have traditionally lived in six-sided dwellings called hogans. Hogans have a rich history of purpose and ceremony and are still quite common on the Navajo Nation today. The following represents some of what I have learned through researching my novels set on the Dinetah, or land of the Navajo, though I am certainly no expert.

The first, ancient hogans were conical structures built of logs leaned together and covered with mud—also known as a “male” hogan. However, the most

Older style earthen hogan, photo by Wolfgang Staudt from Saarbruecken, Germany
- Navajo Hogan, CC BY 2.0, Monument Valley.

familiar and well-known hogan today is the “female” hogan, a hexagonal building made of logs linked together log-cabin style, chinked with mud, and a rounded roof also formed of cribbed logs covered with dirt. Traditionally a hole in the center of the roof let out smoke from a fire below, though today it is more common to have a wood stove in the middle inside the hogan, and the hole provides a convenient outlet for the stove pipe.

Inside the hogan, the family would keep everything needed for daily life—sheepskins and rugs, cooking supplies, etc. A rug might hang over the doorway, or there could be a wooden door. Other supplies might be hung outside the hogan. When entering a hogan, it is important to walk only in a clockwise direction around the central fire or stove, never counterclockwise.

Interior of a Navajo hogan, c. 1901. By James, George Wharton - http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p15799coll65/id/14883, Public Domain

Many taboos, symbols and ceremonial guidelines surround the hogan, as they do all of traditional Navajo life. For example, one should never live in a hogan where someone has died—the hogan should be burned—or build a hogan in a box canyon or too near a river. There is also a taboo against knocking on the door of a hogan. Hogans are a central element of traditional Navajo religion; a blessing must be said by a medicine man over each new hogan before it is inhabited, and ceremonies can only be held in a hogan. 

Navajo family by their "winter" hogan, c. 1880 - 1910. A rug, a cloth belt, and horse tack hang from the outside.
By Unknown - Digital Denver Library, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

The hogan itself is rich in symbolism: the roof represents the sky, the upright walls the cliffs, mountains, and trees of the surrounding land. The original hogan was thought to be built from turquoise, abalone, white shell, and obsidian, four substances that relate to each of the four sacred mountains that guard the Dinetah. Most importantly, the door to the hogan—or to any other Navajo dwelling—must always face east, the direction of the sunrise and of blessing. This orientation toward the east can be seen in other cultures too—in the book of Ezekiel in the Bible, God even commanded that the door of His temple be built toward the sunrise in the east. Traditionally, Navajo families rise early to greet the sunrise with morning prayers.

Traditional Navajo hogans, By Terry Eiler, 1944-, Photographer (NARA record: 1497322)
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Public Domain

While hogans are semi-permanent structures, the Navajo were traditionally a nomadic people. Families would often follow their flocks of sheep between several different “camps,” each of which might have several hogans for the extended family. While a newly married couple would always live close to the wife’s extended family, it was important that each couple have their own hogan in which to begin their life together.

In the summer, sometimes Navajo families would use a summer shelter, a simple, breezy structure built of branches called a chaha’oh, instead of the heavier “winter” hogan. Regardless of the time of year, hogans are very environmentally efficient—warm in winter and cool in summer.

Sunrise on Navajo Nation, seen through traditional chaha'oh summer shelter. Photo by Don Graham from Redlands, CA,
USA - 2015, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52209782

Today, many Navajo families live in mobile homes or other modern dwellings. However, it is still very common for a Navajo family camp on the reservation to have a traditional hogan, whether built of logs or concrete, alongside the main living trailers and their sheep corral. The hogan serves as a sacred place for ceremonies and as a connection to their Navajo identity and to hozho, the balanced and beautiful way of life.

Modern Navajo hogan next to family's home in Arizona. Photo by Michael Chudzik - Previously published: website: www.swtloghomes.com, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18737332

So, have you ever seen a traditional Navajo hogan? What surprised you about this structure? I’d love to hear your thoughts! 

Kiersti Giron holds a life-long passion for history and historical fiction. She loves to write stories that show the intersection of past and present, explore relationships that bridge cultural divides, and probe the healing Jesus can bring out of brokenness. Kiersti has been published in several magazine and won the 2013 and 2018 Genesis Awards – Historical for her novels Beneath a Turquoise Sky and Fire in My Heart. An English teacher and member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Kiersti loves learning and growing with other writers penning God's story into theirs, as well as blogging at www.kierstigiron.com. She lives in California with her husband, Anthony, their two kitties, and their baby boy.

Motherhood in Traditional Navajo Culture

by Kiersti Giron

Navajo women spinning wool into yarn for rugs, 1933 - U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17104003

November is Native American Heritage Month, so in today’s post I’d like to continue my “motherhood through history” series by honoring Native American mothers. Women in general and mothers in particular have traditionally been highly regarded in Native American culture, often more so than their white counterparts at the time. While there are many similarities in motherhood between Native people groups, there are also differences, so I’ve decided to specifically focus on the Navajo this time, as the First Nations group I am most familiar with through researching my novels.

Matriarchal Society

The Navajo people are the largest Native American tribe in the U.S. living mostly in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah. While Native cultures typically honor women, most have historically still been patriarchal. Not so the Navajo—they are a matriarchal, matrilineal society literally built around women and their families. While men still held much decision-making power for the clan, to this day familial descent is traced through the mother’s clan, not the father’s. Women traditionally owned the Hogan, the traditional six-sided log home of the Navajo, and children belonged to her and would stay with her should she and her husband separate. If she wanted to divorce her husband, she signaled this by putting his belongings outside the Hogan. When a couple married, the young man came to live near his wife’s extended family, which included relatives of her mother, though he might still go and help his mother’s and sister’s families when he could. The wife controlled the majority of the family property, owned the sheep they raised and their products, such as wool and the traditional Navajo rugs made from it. 

Studio portrait of Navajo mother and child, 1880 - 1910.
http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15330coll22/id/36990,
Public Domain

Pregnancy and Birth 

Traditionally, it was taboo for an expectant mother to prepare much for her baby before he or she was born. To do so was thought to invite ill luck upon the child. Many other taboos governed much of a Navajo woman’s pregnancy—as they do much of traditional Navajo life. For example, a pregnant mother was to avoid tying knots, as this might prove a hindrance to the child being born. This came from the story of Changing Woman, whose birth was hindered by a door being bound, and she is seen as the ancestress of all Navajo mothers. Other taboos include avoiding any contact with death or a place of death during pregnancy for fear of causing harm to the baby, or wearing masks lest the baby’s face be deformed.

Until the middle of the 20th century, Navajo babies were born at home. The birth was traditionally attended by family members, often including the father, a midwife, and sometimes a medicine man, especially if difficulty arose during the birth. Women gave birth in an upright position such as kneeling or squatting, which we know does indeed facilitate easier childbirth compared to the Western tradition of lying flat in bed, and typically held onto a sash or rope tied to the ceiling of the hogan.

As in all cultures, the birth of a baby brought great joy. This joy continued to be celebrated when a baby had his or her first laugh, with a "laughing party" where the child gave gifts to all attendees, encouraging a spirit of joyful generosity throughout the baby's life.

Cradleboards and Cliff Rose Diapers

Navajo mother and child, 1933 - 1942, Arizona. By Ansel Adams
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Public Domain
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15848428

As in many Native American cultures, Navajo women traditionally bound their babies onto cradleboards, and the traditional craft of making these boards still exists today. The back of the cradleboard is made of a local wood like cottonwood or pine, and a thin piece of oak curved over the top of the board, handily protecting the baby’s head if it should fall. The baby was wrapped in a warm cloth with his or her arms at the side, then bound to the cradleboard with strips of buckskin. A Navajo mother could then easily take her baby with her wherever she went, propping the cradle against the hogan or a tree when working outside. Typically babies were carried in the arms and then propped up to watch the mother working more than the stereotypical image of hanging on their mothers’ backs. Many mothers would even nurse their babies without taking them out of the cradleboard. 

As babies grew a bit older, their arms might be left free if they were awake, and even bits of beads attached to the top of the cradleboard for them to bat at. (Having a six-month-old myself, I can definitely see the draw!) As babies entered the second half of their first year, at some point they would “graduate” out of the cradleboard, a decision often partly dependent on the baby’s preference.

Lamb and Navajo baby in cradleboard - U.S. National Archives
and Records Administration, Public Domain
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17066557

Then as now, babies need provision in the diaper area, and Navajo mothers had a creative solution. The soft bark of the cliff rose plant was shredded up in large quantities and tucked between the baby’s legs in the cradleboard, then simply changed as needed. Sometimes juniper was used instead.

So as with all the other cultures and periods of history we’ve looked at in this motherhood series, while many aspects of mothering do vary across time and place, many others—from diapering needs to our love for our children—remain the same. What struck or surprised you from learning about Navajo mothers? Please comment and share! 

Kiersti Giron holds a life-long passion for history and historical fiction. She loves to write stories that show the intersection of past and present, explore relationships that bridge cultural divides, and probe the healing Jesus can bring out of brokenness. Kiersti has been published in several magazine and won the 2013 and 2018 Genesis Awards – Historical for her novels Beneath a Turquoise Sky and Fire in My Heart. An English teacher and member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Kiersti loves learning and growing with other writers penning God's story into theirs, as well as blogging at www.kierstigiron.com. She lives in California with her husband, Anthony, their two kitties, and their new baby boy.

Traditional Navajo Clothing

by Kiersti Giron

Navajo weavers at Hubbell Trading Post.
U.S. National Archives, Public Domain.

When many of us Americans of immigrant descent think of traditional Native American clothing, we think of deerskin, beading, and blankets. For the Navajo, or Dine', people of the southwestern regions of this country, however—in present day New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah—this image is not quite correct. Instead, think flounced skirts, velvet blouses, and turquoise and silver jewelry. After living in New Mexico for several years during my teens, most of my novels have been inspired by the history and culture of the Navajo people, and I have found learning about their distinctive and beautiful traditional clothing to be quite fascinating.

While most Dine' men and women dress in contemporary clothing today, their traditional historical clothing still frequently is worn at ceremonies and during special occasions, and it forms an integral part of their cultural identity and heritage.

Before European Contact

The wife of the great Chief Manuelito, wearing a blanket dress.
By Pierce, C.C. (Charles C.) 1861-1946 Public Domain.

Before the mid-19^th century, Navajo clothing held more similarity to that of many other First Nations tribes on this continent. Both men and women wore deerskin clothes, such as skirts, shirts, and leggings.

Women also wore the “blanket dress,” a simple woven garment made similarly to a poncho. Weaving remains a central piece of Navajo culture to this day, though the craft shifted in the 19^th century from making clothing to weaving the famous Navajo rugs.

After the Long Walk

After the tragic period of the “Long Walk” in the 1860s, when the U.S. government forced the Navajo from their homeland and marched them hundreds of miles to be held at Fort Sumner (read more about the Long Walk here), Navajo clothing, as well as other aspects of their culture, underwent a dramatic change.

The Dine' have always been an adaptable people, taking elements from other cultures and weaving them into their own in a style distinctly Navajo. It is easy to see the influence of European settlers, as well as the impact of Mexican culture, on the style of Navajo dress that emerged from this period. Still, traditional Navajo clothing is also completely unique.

Navajo girl, 1941. By Ansel Adams, Public Domain.

Women’s Clothing

A traditional outfit for a Navajo woman evolved to include a skirt and blouse, perhaps inspired by contact with the wives of European-American traders. From these trading posts, the Navajo in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries purchased cloth like calico and velveteen in exchange for their high-quality wool and rugs. The full skirt is usually pleated and often tiered, made from calico, velvet, or satin, and the blouse is usually velveteen and decorated with silver buttons. Often in the past, the buttons were actually coins and might comprise a good portion of the woman’s wealth.

Navajo Squash Blossom necklace
By Barbarabarrington - Own work, Wikimedia Commons

Navajo jewelry is known throughout the world and is still a significant household industry in the Dinetah (land of the Navajo) today. Silver and turquoise form the classic elements, and the jewelry is shaped by skilled silversmiths into beautiful and elaborate bracelets, rings, and necklaces such as the famous squash blossom necklace. The jewelry is not only sold to tourists but also forms a significant part of the Navajo traditional clothing or regalia. Coral is a popular traditional element in jewelry as well.

Deerskin moccasins, either ankle or knee-height, also remained an important part of Navajo clothing both before and after contact with Europeans.

Edward S. Curtis, from The North American Indian.
Northwestern University Library,
sponsored by U.S. Library of Congress. Public Domain.

Men’s Clothing

Navajo men also traditionally wear a velvet shirt, as well as jewelry such as necklaces. Today, jeans are a common accompaniment to the traditional shirts, though breeches from thin material and deerskin leggings would have taken their place historically.

Both genders will also often wear a concha belt, with large silver conchas strung on a belt. Originally the conchas would be made from silver dollars, with scalloped edges, leather backing, and holes punched through.

For headgear, traditionally a Navajo man would wear a headband, but hats similar to cowboy hats have also become incorporated as a common piece of traditional clothing, often with a bit of embellishment around the brim.

Navajo Cowboy. By Moyan_Brenn - https://www.flickr.com. Wikimedia Commons.

Hairstyles

Traditionally, both Navajo men and women wear their hair long and twisted in a distinctive bun, or tsiiyéél, on the back of the head, tied with white sheep’s wool yarn. The hair binding was typically a bonding family ritual, done between brothers and sisters or parents and children, and with the aid of a traditional hair brush called a be’ezo, a bundle of dried grass bound tightly together, and remains an important part of Navajo culture today.

Navajo Woman Baking Bread, By Unknown
Carli Digital Collections, Illinois University, Public Domain.

So, which aspect of traditional Dine' clothing do you find most interesting or attractive? Were you familiar with any traditional Navajo clothing already? What cultural connections or differences do you see? Please comment and share!

Kiersti Giron holds a life-long passion for history and historical fiction. She loves to write stories that show the intersection of past and present, explore relationships that bridge cultural divides, and probe the healing Jesus can bring out of brokenness. Kiersti has been published in several magazines and won the 2013 ACFW Genesis Award - Historical for her manuscript Beneath a Turquoise Sky. A high school teacher and member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Kiersti loves learning and growing with other writers penning God's story into theirs, as well as blogging at www.kierstigiron.com. She lives in California with her wonderful husband, Anthony, and their two kitties.

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The Navajo Long Walk

Growing up in school, I read about the Cherokee Trail of Tears, part of the tragic Indian Removal Act enacted by President Andrew Jackson in the 1830s. But it wasn’t till more recent years that I’ve learned most Native American peoples have their own “Trail of Tears.”

For the Navajo, the largest First Nations people group in the Southwest, it was The Long Walk.

Edward S. Curtis: Navajo child, ca. 1904, Public Domain
My friend's grandfather was about this age on the Long Walk.

When I started researching my first novel, set at a Navajo mission boarding school in 1911, I had never heard of The Long Walk. The first Navajo friend I interviewed in my research told me about it. For another close friend and mentor of mine, his grandfather experienced it as a six-year-old boy. And the more I learned, the more this piece of history broke my heart.

In 1863, amid the crisis of the American Civil War, the U.S. government decided they were fed up with the Navajo. While the Navajo, or Dine ́, as they call themselves, were never a violent tribe, scattered raiding and disputes between New Mexican settlers and the Navajo were a thorn in the army’s side. And so they decided to put a stop to it once and for all.

Under the leadership of scout and army colonel Kit Carson—who till now had been a friend to Native peoples—the Navajo were systematically persecuted and rounded up. Their cornfields, orchards, homes, and livestock were destroyed, burned to the ground. In the winter of 1863-64, the last resistors were finally driven into Canyon de Chelly, to this day a sacred place to the Navajo and then a fertile valley full of peach orchards and family farms.

The Navajo held out long, bunkered in the canyon walls. But the soldiers destroyed their food sources and hogans and filled their water holes with stones. The Dine ́ were hungry, cold, and starving. At last, in January of 1864, various groups of Navajo began to surrender to Kit Carson in hopes of saving their families.

By Mario1952 - derived from [1], CC BY-SA 3.0,
Wikimedia Commons

In several groups, between 8,000 and 10,000 Navajo were marched up from Fort Defiance, Arizona, roughly 400 miles through bitter cold and snow to Fort Sumner in eastern New Mexico. Hundreds of people sickened and died along the way, from exposure, sickness, or improper food, since the Navajo were unfamiliar with the provisions given, like white flour and coffee. The flour they mixed with water and drank, the coffee beans they tried to cook like pinto beans, leading to caffeine poisoning.

Those who couldn’t keep up along the way were left to die or shot in the snow…the old, the young, the infirm, even pregnant mothers.

When they finally reached the camp at Fort Sumner, called Bosque Redondo—or Hweeldi by the Navajo—it was more a prison than a reservation. The water from the Pecos River was bad, and while the army hoped to turn the Navajo into Anglicized farmers, the corn they planted would not grow. Firewood was in short supply, and the land was arid. Up to 2,000 more Dine ́ died at the camp.

Navajo Prisoners from the Long Walk, Public Domain, Wikimedia Commons

Nearly five years after Carson’s campaign began, however, the few hundred Navajo who had managed to escape the Long Walk, under their leader Barboncito, managed to negotiate a treaty—according to one Navajo source, through a shooting contest betting that a skilled Navajo warrior could hit a tiny leather target placed high in a cottonwood tree.

The Treaty of 1868 at last released the Dine ́ people from Bosque Redondo and allowed them to go back to a portion of their original land, making them one of very few tribes ever allowed to return to their own land. When they came in sight of the first of their four sacred mountains, the Navajo wept. They had suffered much, but at last they could begin to rebuild, though the pain of The Long Walk left wounds that still remain today.

Have you ever heard of The Long Walk before? What about similar stories for other Native peoples? Which part of this story struck you most? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

Kiersti Giron holds a life-long passion for history and historical fiction. She loves to write stories that show the intersection of past and present, explore relationships that bridge cultural divides, and probe the healing Jesus can bring out of brokenness. Kiersti has been published in several magazines and won the 2013 ACFW Genesis Award - Historical for her novel manuscript Beneath a Turquoise Sky. A high school teacher and member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Kiersti loves learning and growing with other writers penning God's story into theirs, as well as blogging at www.kierstigiron.com. She lives in California with her wonderful husband, Anthony.

Where Present Meets Past: History on the Navajo Nation

This month my husband and I visited some dear friends in northwestern New Mexico, on the border of the Navajo Reservation. I’d been several times before in researching my novels, but our Navajo-and-Dutch friends graciously drove us all over the area again, and it was a joy to share and explore the rich history in this region of New Mexico and Arizona with my husband as well. Here are a few of the historical sites we saw—I hope you enjoy learning a bit about them too!

1. The Hubbell Trading Post

Founded in 1878 by J.L. Hubbell, the Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado, Arizona, is the oldest continuously operating trading post on the Navajo Nation and has been a National Historic Site since 1965. Stepping inside is like stepping into the past—the creaking wooden floor weathered with decades of footsteps, the sacks of Bluebird flour, essential for making traditional Navajo frybread, against the long wooden counters lined with canned salsa and jam, the back room filled with exquisitely woven Navajo rugs, jewelry, and baskets.

Outside the adobe building stands the old wool shed, where sheep’s wool brought by Navajo families to trade would be weighed and priced, a freight wagon used for carting merchandise across the desert, and a corral with a couple of friendly horses. All in all, it’s both a trip into the past and a peek into Navajo culture today.

2. Canyon de Chelly

Sacred to the Diné (Navajo) people for centuries, Canyon de Chelly opens in a vast chasm amid the desert, its treacherous cliffs red rock ending hundreds of feet below in a stretch of cottonwood groves and flatter land, laced with a winding stream. In the mid-19^th century, many Navajo lived in the canyon, cultivating crops and orchards until Kit Carson and the United States Army instituted a burnt earth policy against them in 1863. That winter, Carson rounded up thousands of Navajo families, many of them in this canyon where they had sought refuge, and marched them on the “Long Walk” over 400 snowy miles to a prison camp at Fort Sumner, where they were kept with little food or shelter for four years. Hundreds died of hunger or disease or were shot along the way.

The Long Walk remains a vivid and painful memory for the Navajo to this day. However, with the 1868 treaty they were finally allowed to return back to their beloved land—unlike most other Native American tribes. While Canyon de Chelly has yet to return to its former bounty, about forty Navajo families currently live and work the land within the canyon. Only one hiking trail is open to visitors without an official Navajo guide, but that “White House” trail is well worth the climb down. At the bottom, you can see ruins in the canyon walls that pre-date the Navajo, and even glimpse, as we did, horses and a foal grazing beneath the cottonwood trees.

3. El Morro National Park

The waterhole at El Morro

An hour or so south of Gallup, New Mexico, and quite near the Zuni Reservation lies the national park of El Morro. A striking rock formation rising from the desert, its shelter and natural waterhole marked a welcome and sometimes life-saving respite for people of various cultures trekking through the Southwest over hundreds of years.

Two of many sandstone signatures from the past

Etched in the sandstone surface, you can find the names, drawings, and signatures of travelers ranging from Puebloan artwork to the elaborate scrawls of 17^th century Spanish conquistadors to names of 19^th century pioneers and cavalrymen. It’s quite an experience to stand there and see the names of real people reaching across the centuries.

4. Window Rock

The Code Talker Memorial, with our dear friend

Window Rock, Arizona, is the capital of the Navajo Nation, but it’s also a remarkable rock formation, a circular window to the sky that reaches heavenward above the Veterans Memorial. Flags of the armed forces flap in the desert wind overhead, and the bronze figure of the Navajo Code Talkers Memorial rises proudly to the side. A young Navajo Marine kneeling and speaking into his radio, the statue commemorates the over 400 Navajo Code Talkers who developed and used a code in their native language to help the Allies in World War II. Though little known and acknowledged even today, the Code Talkers turned the tide of the war in the Pacific, and their code was never broken by the Japanese. Below the statue spreads a pavement of bricks bearing the Code Talkers’ names.

Nearby in the town of Window Rock, the Navajo Nation Museum rises in a glass-roofed modern interpretation of a hogan, the traditional Navajo home. Inside visitors can trace Diné history from early times, through the days of the Long Walk, into the present of a people who have suffered much, yet remain resilient, hopeful, and rich in history and culture. It’s a fitting place to either begin or end a trip to their land, often called the Dinétah.

So, how about you? Have you ever visited the Navajo Nation? If not, did any of these appeal to you to visit someday? Which ones and why?

Kiersti Giron holds a life-long passion for history and historical fiction. She loves to write stories that show the intersection of past and present, explore relationships that bridge cultural divides, and probe the healing Jesus can bring out of brokenness. Kiersti has been published in several magazines and won the ACFW Genesis Award - Historical for her manuscript Beneath a Turquoise Sky. She is currently revising her third novel manuscript, a Civil War story set at Fort Tejon in frontier California. A high school teacher and member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Kiersti loves learning and growing with other writers penning God's story into theirs, as well as blogging at www.kierstigiron.com. She lives in California with her wonderful husband, Anthony. 

Four Corners, Four Tribes, Four States

By Tiffany Amber Stockton

Have you ever stood in one place and touched 3 different states? There are a lot of chances across the US to do that, and less than a handful of states which only touch 2 other states. But how about standing in one place and touching FOUR different states? An intersection. And that place is called the Four Corners Monument.

Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings

Last summer, a friend of mine came to visit, and we traveled to the southwest corner of Colorado, Durango to be specific. As part of that weekend blitz, we went a little further southwest and took in the Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings. When I looked at a map of the area and realized we were only 30 miles from Four Corners--a place I had wanted to visit since childhood--I knew we had to go. It would mean not getting home until midnight or later at the end of our weekend, but we had to do it!

Monument in 1962

The Four Corners area is named after the point where the boundaries of four states (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico--just think UCAN) meet, where the Four Corners Monument is located. It is the only location in the United States where four states meet. Most of the Four Corners region belongs to semi-autonomous Native American nations, the largest of which is the Navajo Nation, followed by Hopi, Ute, and Zuni tribal reserves and nations. It's mostly rural, rugged, and arid. In fact, while driving, it reminded me a lot of a desert. Not a desert like the Sahara with nothing but sand, but a mountainous desert with rock formations combined with sand.

Monument in 1992

The United States acquired the four corners region from Mexico after the end of the Mexican–American War in 1848. In 1863 Congress created Arizona Territory from the western part of New Mexico Territory. The boundary was defined as a line running due south from the southwest corner of Colorado Territory, which had been created in 1861. This was an unusual act of Congress, which almost always defined the boundaries of new territories as lines of latitude or longitude, or following rivers. By defining one boundary as starting at the corner of another, Congress ensured the eventual creation of four states meeting at a point.

Monument in 1989

When I researched photos of this monument, I was surprised to see it once sat in the middle of what seemed to be "nowhere" with nothing but open space around it. Over the past 150 years, this site has seen a lot of changes.

My feet touching 4 states

By 1899, the sandstone shaft marker placed by Chandler Robbins in 1875 had been disturbed and broken, so it was replaced with a new stone by two U.S. Surveyors, Hubert D. Page and James M. Lentz. In 1912, a simple cement pad was poured around the marker. The first modern Navajo government convened in 1923 in an effort to organize and regulate an increasing amount of oil exploration activities on Navajo lands, and they played a big role in the monument's further development.

Monument in 2013

In 1931, Everett H. Kimmell, another U.S. Surveyor, found this newer stone had broken too and he replaced it with a brass disc marker set in cement. In 1962, the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Indian Affairs poured an elevated cement pad around the 1931 brass marker; this pad included the state border lines and names in tile. The monument was completely rebuilt in 1992, and the 1931 brass marker was replaced with a disc shaped aluminum-bronze plate set in granite. The monument was again rebuilt in 2010, although the disc shaped plate from 1992 remained in place.

Monument showing Navajo and Ute
selling booths at the perimeter

The monument I and my friend visited with the individual stone booths where the various Navajo and Ute Indians sell their hand-made items is obviously a lot newer than I at first thought. Prior to 2010, it seems those booths and those walls weren't there at all. Completely changes the landscape and appearance. It doesn't diminish the experience of touching four states at once, though. :) And I loved being able to shop genuine Navajo items without the middle man jacking up the price. This way, I knew my money was going straight to the craftsman or designer and it was a lot of fun chatting with them.

Finally, just for fun, here's an animated GIF image showing the progression of the 4 states from territories into the states we have today.

Now it's YOUR turn:

Have you ever been to Four Corners? When did you go? If not this monument, where else in the U.S. have you visited that is designated as a national monument or a national park? And what was your favorite part about your visit? Or what is your overall favorite place to visit?

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BIO
Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood. Today, she is an award-winning author and speaker who has partnered with Nerium International in the anti-aging industry, helping others look younger and live better. She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, in Colorado. They have one girl and one boy, and an Aussie/retriever mix named Roxie. She has sold fourteen books so far and is represented by agent Sandra Bishop. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.