Looks like I need to explain navajo kin relationships. The relationships are actually much closer than what we westerners place them. A cousin is much like a brother and a cousin of a parent is considered an aunt or uncle as well. So, my husband's cousin, Gabby, is like an aunt to my daughter. Confusing, huh? In marriage, I am like a daughter to my husband's parents and held as a granddaughter to his grandparents. The concept of in-laws isn't nearly as strong. It's a definite merging of families and it can make a huge difference. If my sister and mother wanted to participate in a Navajo ceremony and I did not have a marriage/kin relationship with my husband, they would not be permitted as they are outside of the tribe (caucasian). Because of my relationship, they are now part of my husband's family as well so they could be present at a blessing way and etc. My sister is my husband's sister and so on. It's kind of complicated but you get used to it. When I met my Navajo grandmother's sister, she asked my mother in law if I was her daughter. Now, considering I'm blonde and green eyed and my mother in law is Navajo, she obviously wasn't asking if my mother in law bore me as an infant. Hope that makes some sense.

This place does have alot of history. My favorite memory actually is being able to climb a large rock formation near our old home in Window Rock, AZ. The footholds that I used to climb the rock were attributed to anasazi aka ancient puebloans. It was really cool thinking about how old these holes in the rock were as I climbed up. I gave a small presentation for my son's class last year, where I showed them images of various ancient puebloan potsherds with a dash of history and talked to them about what they should do if they should happen to find them. His class had about 11 students and what surprised me was that a couple of these kids had seen similiar things on their family ranches during the summer. There is alot of history out here and much of it has never been reported for various reasons. The BIA is aware of the ranch and what's on it but it is conflicting with their plans for developing the area adjacent to it so it's been ignored. So, there's alot of history but history of a different sort than what would find in Europe.

Stephanie



In every man there is something wherein I may learn of him, and in that I am his pupil.--Ralph Waldo Emerson