We were lucky enough to be taken by a Navajo guide named Rosie, yes it is quite a English name. But Navajo people are not allowed say their own Navajo name, but in Rosie’s case she was raised by a white foster family outside of the Navajo people. This was fairly common a few generations ago.Rosie first took us to a Navajo hut called a Hogan, where we were treated to an arts and crafts demonstration and I got my hair done, Navajo style.
Once they people got back to their allotted area, the children were taken away and placed with foster families, like our Rosie, they were given white names and taught only English. Similar to the aboriginals these children grew up without their heritage and so today many older Navajo cannot speak it or understand it.
Rosie did tell us that the kids growing up today stay on the reservation and go to the local schools where they teach Navajo and other traditions like weaving, ceremonies, and history.
The Navajo Code TalkersThe generation before hers was the code talkers. I was fascinated to find out about these Navajo men who participated in WWII. Knowing little of modern history myself (I studied ancient!) the men from monument valley were the original code talkers that helped the US to create an breakable code. They used Navajo words and created new words to describe troop movements, weapons etc and it was the only code that the Axis couldn’t break, as they didn’t even know what language it was.
Mystery Valley
Thumb – towards gods
forefinger – your mother
middle finger – your father
third finger – paternal grandfather
little finger – maternal grandmother
So when you shook hands you were shaking with your whole family similar to when you painted your hand, it was marking the wall with your whole family.
Climbing the rocks was fantastic and we had a ball, getting to climb up onto the rocks, and explore all the nooks and crannies! It kept going and I didnt want to come back down! (See if you can spot me on the picture below right).
The day was beautiful, clear blues skies and red rocks so Greg was taking as many pics as a Japanese tourist on speed.
Monument Valley
Recognise this? From Stagecoach as they drive through the valley
We also got to go around the back of Monument Valley which was again closed to the public to see some more rock carvings – they are awesome. Check out the curly goats pic below – great carvings from many years ago!
We were able to watch Stagecoach at Gouldings, and it is a fantastic film with a great plot! I was totally impressed by the stunts and found it was by a famous stunt manYakima Canutt. He does an amazing stunt of jumping onto the backs of moving horses and then falling between them and under the coach! See the video below.
He and John Wayne also created the first safe screen fighting techniques, and went on to refine stunt gear for films. Check it out from 3″51 is his famous stunt dropping between horses and the coach. Just before that you can see the horses falling from gun fire. Unbelievable.
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