Canyon de Chelly

After a lazy day we finally made it out to see a bit of Canyon de Chelly the evening of our arrival.  We took in the view at a couple of overlooks and purchased a few hand made items from Navajo artists...

...before watching the beautiful moonrise.

We enjoyed a quick dinner out and returned to our room for a good night's sleep.

Fully rested from being bums the previous day, we met our guide for our Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "de Shay") tour at 9AM. This is a National Monument but much of the Canyon itself is property of the Navajo Nation and individual landowners, so we needed to obtain the required permit to enter the canyon with a guide. With this done, we bounced off in his Jeep for a 4-hour slog through sand and mud, dodging quicksand and the occasional other tour Jeep. Our guide, a Navajo who goes by TJ, is a young fellow fairly new to this guiding business, but he knows all the nooks and crannies of the canyon very well since he grew up in and around here. During the drive he stopped often to point out  remains of dwellings nestled in the cliffs high above, and to explain the meanings of the petroglyphs scattered over the walls. Some of the art was Navajo, some Hopi, some ancient Anasazi, and some going back to the Basket Maker culture of 2000-3000 years ago.  Let me digress here to say that "Anasazi" is the Navajo name for the same "Early Puebloans" we have been learning about in the other parks.  The descendants of these people prefer the name "Early Puebloans" as the Navajo name, "Anasazi," translates roughly as "Enemy Ancestors."

Our guide TJ pointed out "trails" of notches cut into the sandstoone that can be used to climb or descend these walls, which can reach 1000 feet in height.  He told us of how he and his brothers and sisters and and cousin-brothers used the trails when they were children, the older ones helping the younger ones.  Also, he was once stranded in the canyon with his wife and two year old son and the family climbed out on such a trail.  TJ talked about the Navajo culture and beliefs, and told us of his childhood encounter with a Skinwalker---a Navajo witch with the ability to shapeshift into an animal form.  At the time his grandmother told him the witch was most likely after his grandfather who was a hand trembler, a type of medicine man.  As we drove, TJ spotted a patch of cactus and stopped to de-thorn and peel the fruit so we could try Prickly Pear for the first time---delicious! Although he had a canned spiel that had been rehearsed for parts of the trip, if he was thrown a question he was always quick with a thorough and knowledgeable answer, often giving the anthropologists view as well as the traditional wisdom of his people, so it was obvious that he really knew what he was talking about. We enjoyed this interesting fellow and a fascinating day.

After the tour we drove along the southern rim of Canyon de Chelly, enjoying the frequent overlooks.

The paved road ends with the view of Spider Rock, an 800-foot rock tower that is said to be the home of one of the Navajos most powerful deities, Spider Woman. No---not THAT Spider Woman. This is the REAL one---Navajo children are told that naughty boys and girls will be ensnared in her web, taken to the top of Spider Rock, and devoured. This is why the top of the rock is white---it is bleached white by the bones of misbehaving youth.  However, she also has a good side as she is the one who taught the Navajo to weave their beautiful rugs.

With that story in mind, I shall try and suppress my natural aversion to spiders and get a good night's
sleep. Tomorrow we hit the road again for a long drive to Sedona.