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Canyon De Chelly: Enduring Tradition and Modern Challenges |
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Program Number: |
4022RJ |
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| Start
and End Dates: |
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| Duration: |
3 nights |
| Location: |
Canyon de Chelly, Arizona
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| Price starting at: |
$580.00 - Price may vary based on date, departure city |
| Program Type:
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National Parks; Native American Studies; Natural History
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Activity Level: |
t (see description) |
| Meals: |
8;
3 Breakfasts, 2 Lunches, 3 Dinners |
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| Meal
Options: |
Vegetarian |
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In Canyon de Chelly, a cultural center of the Navajo Nation, experience ancient ruins, a sheltering canyon with soaring sandstone cliffs and a people enduring in a challenging natural and cultural environment. Gain insight into Navajo culture and language, hear about Kit Carson and the infamous Long Walk of 1864, discuss Navajo ceremonies and the clan system, and see native artisans demonstrate their craft.
Highlights
• Navajo speakers share their culture and discuss the challenges of living on the reservation.
• Venture to majestic viewpoints on the canyon’s South Rim and see Spider Rock, an important part of Navajo cosmology.
• A Navajo-led 4x4 trip into the canyon highlights its ruins, petroglyphs, hogans, farmfields and inspiring natural beauty.
Activity Particulars
Walking up to one-half mile on sand, rocky, uneven terrain. Elevations up to 7,200 feet.
Extended five-night version of this program available: Program #1053, “Canyon De Chelly: Enduring Traditions and Modern Challenges of the Navajo.”
Coordinated by Northern Arizona University.
Canyon de Chelly
Canyon de Chelly’s isolation and geology offer a sense of the elemental and serene. Canyon walls rise to 1,000 feet above the flat canyon floor, protecting it from easy discovery and harsh weather, while the preserved ruins of the Puebloan peoples who began building here 900 years ago underscore 20 centuries of near-continuous human habitation.
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Accommodations
Hotel adjacent to Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Sample traditional Navajo foods.
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| Road Scholar Instructors | | These instructors are participating on at least one date of this program. Please note that changes may occur. | Richard Stephens
| | Rich has been director of Northern Arizona University’s highly popular Road Scholar programs since 2001. He previously spent many years in the field as a program coordinator and group leader, where he honed his skills and learned the importance of detailed, pre-trip planning. Before making his home in Arizona’s spectacular red-rock country, Rich spent 10 years in Yosemite National Park and the Santa Cruz mountains as an environmental educator. | | | | Azalia Lewis
| | Azalia Lewis is descended from the Navajo, Hopi, and Laguna tribes. Currently residing near the mouth of Canyon De Chelly National Monument, Azalia is Kin'ya'aani, (towering house clan), Kis'anni, (born for Hopi), Maii' deeshgizhnii, (born into coyote pass clan), and Too' lanii dinee', (born into Laguna). She attended school in Chinle and is pursuing a career in the art of jewelry making. Azalia looks forward to meeting new people and sharing the beauty of her multicultural background. | | | | Wilma Hunter
| | Wilma Hunter has been a demonstrator, program coordinator and teacher in the Canyon de Chelly region since 2000. She is a registered Navajo expert with the National Park Service in Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Wilma crafts jewelry which has been shown at the Santa Fe Market and other world-class Native American art shows throughout the country. She lives in Canyon de Chelly. | | | | Keith Lyons
| | Keith Lyons is an archaeologist who specializes in North American archaeology, historic and prehistoric architecture, site preservation, cultural landscapes, human osteology, and museum management. He has spent the past 16 years working as a professional archaeologist throughout the Southwest, and has worked with the National Park Service, the National Forest Service, and several private archeological firms. Currently, Keith works as an archaeologist at Canyon de Chelly National Monument. | | | | William Yazzie
| | William Yazzie is a Navajo from Canyon de Chelly. Arizona, who grew up in both traditional Navajo and modern ways. He has spent the last 24 years working for the National Park Service — specializing in law enforcement — in Mesa Verde National Park, Bandelier National Monument and at Canyon de Chelly National Monument. William learned singing and drumming from his late father, and loves sharing the gift of Navajo music and dance with people of all nations. | | | |
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