At 8 a.m. we began helping with the set up for the distribution of the bags we packed yesterday. The people began lining up well before the 10 a.m. start time. A young woman dressed in traditional Navajo clothing worked hard all morning making fried bread to sell for only $1 apiece. As the morning wore on, she allowed any of our group who wanted to try their hand at making their own from start to finish. Not only did they enjoy the process and the fruit of their labor, they also learned about Navajo tradition and beliefs. They purposely leave holes in the flattened, pancake-shaped dough for two reasons:- The happiness can shine through.
- Nothing in life is perfect, so there’s no need for competition. No one can have the most perfect fried bread.
The students were also impressed that Nicole (the young girl making the fried bread with the help of an older woman) was giving her time in this way on her birthday. After the food distribution was over at around noon we sang “Happy Birthday” to her and shared more fried bread and fudge cake in her honor.
Several of us stood behind a table to distribute the bags. People coming would first sign their names, and Erin had the job of making sure they signed before moving on. Some of the old people didn’t know how to write, so Todd Lowsayatee, our coordinator, spoke to them in Navajo so they would understand. Erin learned from Todd that he speaks Navajo even though he himself is Zuni. He sometimes surprises some of the Navajo with this, because, if they know he is Zuni, they might assume he doesn’t understand if they are saying unkind things about the Zuni people. Then he speaks to them in Navajo, and they are embarrassed.
Todd also shared with us that he also earns money by doing carving. He said we could see his work at the Zuni Mountain Trading Post in Thoreau (pronounced Thoroo). I assumed he meant wood carving, but everything we saw was very intricately carved deer antlers. The smaller pieces were bald eagles in flight with finely detailed feathers on their wings. His most valuable piece was a set of antlers still attached the crown of the deer’s skull. He had carved about two thirds of the way up each antler a miniature pueblo village, and all along the rest of each antler were toe to toe and beak to beak eagles in flight. The price tag was $1,000, and even though it was too rich for our blood, it was clearly well worth it.
We also learned more about how tenacious some of the old traditions are. I saw what looked like a cradle board hanging on a wall, but it looked to small to hold a baby. I asked one of the proprietors what it was. He said that it was, indeed, a cradle board but one just for show because it is too small. He shard that he gets customers who complain that he doesn’t have any regular-sized cradle boards and that there are many who still use them to carry their infant children.
Adrienne asked Cindy Howe, the Mission Office Manager, why they did this distribution on this particular day. Was it a special day? She told her they planned it because we were coming. Clearly, our presence here this week mattered to these people.Irene was impressed by how much we accomplished. “I didn’t get the final count, but we put together about 240 bags.”
Some of us took advantage of the bargains at the Mission Thrift Store during our lunch break. This was Nigel’s second visit to St. Bonaventure Mission, and he shared, “I was impressed and touched that today the lady at the Thrift Shop remembered my name from last year and all I did was buy two items for $1 each.”
After lunch Todd took us over to a building in another trailer park. (I don’t think I’ve mentioned that we’re staying in a trailer – actually two trailers, one for the five women and one for the four men.) In one half of the building there was an apartment that needed some serious cleaning before a new occupant could move in. The interior of the other half was in the process of being gutted for renovation into two more apartments. Predictably, most of the ladies chose the cleaning option while most of the guys chose demolition. However, Irene, not to be outdone, released some tension pounding with a hammer to break up some floor tile, and after the cleaning was finished Adrienne showed Philip that she knows how to use a Philip ’s Head screwdriver gun.
“I so enjoyed the stories those guys were telling about growing up. We come from such different worlds,” said Alex. Armando told a hilarious story about how he and his friends tried parachuting off a cliff with their Mother’s sheets. They tried it out on a sheep first. This was fortunate for them but unfortunate for the sheep, because the sheep didn’t make it. Alex added, “That would never happen in Alabama
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