The Navajo believe that all life on earth is born of the union between Father Sky and Mother Earth. When you visit this vast landscape it’s easy to see why: the sky here is huge, full of massive rolling clouds that stretch for miles and miles, matched only by an infinite skyline. It is only in this special place, where the great sky embraces the earth, does life thrive, and so much of the Navajo tradition is about the celebration of life born from this union.
We were also told that the Navajo believe that all living things are a person. There are the horse people, and the insect people. The lizard people, and the plant people. All things are of a people and humans, the Dine, are the five fingered people. To walk in beauty is to walk in balance between the sky and the earth, and to respect all the people that surround you. Turquoise is worn as a manifestation of the blue sky in earth form, and so it has great significance to their culture. The act of running is also a celebration of life: the union of sky filling the lungs and feet upon the earth. A celebration of life.
Shaun told us how in the time before the horse, the best runners in the village were honored and prized not only as great warriors, but as messengers. When the tribes came together for seasonal celebrations, foot races would be held and bets would be placed on the winners. The loot pile of bet items would have had many precious things, such as white shell, leather, jewelry, or pottery. Once the race was run, the winner would get his pick from the pile before the bets were divided up. These traditions of Navajo racing, and many more, were honored at Shaun’s event….
Everything about this event is authentic, including the awards. Hand-made necklaces replace the usual race medals: Turquoise for the first year the race is complete, red corral the second, jet black for the third, white shell for the fourth. Additionally, turquoise pendants are awarded to the top 3 men and women in 7 age groups. But the real prizes are for the top 10 men and top 10 women who each get to choose their pick from an assortment of hand-made items, including beautiful necklaces, traditional moccasins, one-of-a-kind Navajo blankets, and native pottery.
After we had learned about the history of Navajo running and the context of the awards on the table, Shaun went on to share about his life within the modern Navajo nation. Although he never said it this way, the truth is that all Native Americans are the survivors of a terrible genocide, and there is still so much healing that needs to be done. Emotions were high when he spoke, with tears in his eyes, about last week’s Native People’s Day. About how we as a country are slowly coming to terms with our own history, and that despite all the terrible atrocities committed against the native people, they still thrive. They are resilient. They are not characters in story books, lost to the ages. Some of them do ride horses, and wear feathers, but they also have smart phones and watch Netflix. Their experience is the American experience, and they want us to know them as they are.
Shaun expressed his love of the canyon and the personal experience he shared with a herd of wild horses that inspired this event. (It is a story he tells so well that I won’t even try, but there was a camera crew filming so I am sure there will be an opportunity to hear him tell it.) After going over some race details, he passed the microphone over to his father in law, William, who would be singing some traditional songs for us from many different tribes.
’Grandpa Billy’, was such a ham. He played his drums and told us how they were made and the significance of each part, but also cracked jokes and sang ‘pretty woman’. It was a great way to close out the evening and really brought home how much of a family production this event was. Tomorrow before the race, Shaun’s father would give a traditional blessing over the runners, while his mother made food for everyone. The funds raised from the race goes to support the local high school cross country team that Shaun and his wife coached for many years, and the kids from the middle school and high school teams would be out working the aid stations on race day.
All of us gathered there that evening had come there to listen and to learn. Instead of feeling like we were intruding on a cultural event, we all felt welcomed and appreciated. To run in the canyon, to shout and to sweat and to be one with the sky and the earth, is a form of prayer. It is an offering of self, and while all the runners felt blessed to participate in this ceremony, so to did the people of Chinle seem grateful for our offerings. We left the presentation with a full heart and a fresh perspective on the ritual of running. It was then I knew that I would not be taking my camera/phone into the canyon with me. I wanted to experience this place as fully as possible, to imerse myself without distraction, to feel a deeper connection with the world around me, to the truly honor this experience as a prayer and to journey in beauty.
We were also told that the Navajo believe that all living things are a person. There are the horse people, and the insect people. The lizard people, and the plant people. All things are of a people and humans, the Dine, are the five fingered people. To walk in beauty is to walk in balance between the sky and the earth, and to respect all the people that surround you. Turquoise is worn as a manifestation of the blue sky in earth form, and so it has great significance to their culture. The act of running is also a celebration of life: the union of sky filling the lungs and feet upon the earth. A celebration of life.
Shaun told us how in the time before the horse, the best runners in the village were honored and prized not only as great warriors, but as messengers. When the tribes came together for seasonal celebrations, foot races would be held and bets would be placed on the winners. The loot pile of bet items would have had many precious things, such as white shell, leather, jewelry, or pottery. Once the race was run, the winner would get his pick from the pile before the bets were divided up. These traditions of Navajo racing, and many more, were honored at Shaun’s event….
After we had learned about the history of Navajo running and the context of the awards on the table, Shaun went on to share about his life within the modern Navajo nation. Although he never said it this way, the truth is that all Native Americans are the survivors of a terrible genocide, and there is still so much healing that needs to be done. Emotions were high when he spoke, with tears in his eyes, about last week’s Native People’s Day. About how we as a country are slowly coming to terms with our own history, and that despite all the terrible atrocities committed against the native people, they still thrive. They are resilient. They are not characters in story books, lost to the ages. Some of them do ride horses, and wear feathers, but they also have smart phones and watch Netflix. Their experience is the American experience, and they want us to know them as they are.
Shaun expressed his love of the canyon and the personal experience he shared with a herd of wild horses that inspired this event. (It is a story he tells so well that I won’t even try, but there was a camera crew filming so I am sure there will be an opportunity to hear him tell it.) After going over some race details, he passed the microphone over to his father in law, William, who would be singing some traditional songs for us from many different tribes.
All of us gathered there that evening had come there to listen and to learn. Instead of feeling like we were intruding on a cultural event, we all felt welcomed and appreciated. To run in the canyon, to shout and to sweat and to be one with the sky and the earth, is a form of prayer. It is an offering of self, and while all the runners felt blessed to participate in this ceremony, so to did the people of Chinle seem grateful for our offerings. We left the presentation with a full heart and a fresh perspective on the ritual of running. It was then I knew that I would not be taking my camera/phone into the canyon with me. I wanted to experience this place as fully as possible, to imerse myself without distraction, to feel a deeper connection with the world around me, to the truly honor this experience as a prayer and to journey in beauty.
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