Ocean County College 

Native American Southwest Travel Seminar, May 2007

Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico 

Itinerary 

Sat. May 12:  Fly from Newark to Phoenix.   Drive to Flagstaff, Arizona, set at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, surrounded by pine forests.  Overnight at Flagstaff Super 8. 

Sun. May 13:   Navajo Nation: Jeep tour of Canyon de Chelly, Arizona.  Travel by jeep through remote and beautiful Canyon de Chelly, located on Navajo Tribal Trust Lands, and famous for its well preserved Anasazi ruins and ancient rock art.  Aside from its outstanding archaeological ruins and petroglyphs, the Canyon gives us the opportunity to gain insight into the living community of Navajo people who still cultivate the valley floor.  Overnight at Canyon de Chelly Holiday Inn, Chinle, Arizona, in the heart of the Navajo Nation.   

Mon. May 14:   Full breakfast included.  Navajo Nation: Betatakin Cliff Dwellings, Monument Valley Jeep Tour, and Navajo Cookout, Storytelling, and Music.  Betatakin, a 125 room cliff dwelling, is one of three spectacular cliff dwellings in Navajo National Monument.  Hike in is about a mile.  From Betatakin, we go to Monument Valley for a jeep tour of the magnificent buttes and canyons, used as a backdrop for many Western films.  Our day in Monument Valley ends with a Navajo cookout in the midst of this stunning landscape featuring traditional storytelling and music.  Cookout dinner included. Overnight at Kokopelli Inn, Bluff, Utah. (B, D) 

Tues. May 15:   Mesa Verde National Park and Durango, Colorado.   Site of the most extensive Anasazi archaeological ruins in the West, Mesa Verde preserves an extensive array of prehistoric Native American cliff dwellings built high on mesa tops or defensively tucked into the canyon’s crevices, including Sun Temple and Cliff Palace.   Dwellings range from pit houses built in the AD 500’s to cliff dwellings erected in the AD 1200’s, tracing the growth and development of Mesa Verde life and architecture over seven centuries.  Following our tour of Mesa Verde, tonight is spent in the historic town of Durango, Colorado. Many of the original buildings constructed by Durango's miner pioneers are still standing and in use today.  Overnight at Days End, Durango, Colorado. 

Wed. May 16:  Durango/Silverton Historic Narrow Gauge Railroad Trip.  The San Juan Mountains of Colorado were home to the Ute Indians until gold was discovered in the 1860’s and the area was flooded with white prospectors.  Often judged “one of the ten best train rides in the world”, this historic coal-fired steam train was built to haul silver and gold from high in the San Juan Mountains down to the town of Durango.  It will take us on a spectacular journey as we climb high into the glacier-carved wilderness to the old mining town of Silverton.  Overnight at the Bloomfield Best Western, Bloomfield, New Mexico. 

Thurs. May 17:  Full breakfast included.  Chaco Canyon World Heritage Site, New Mexico.  Chaco Canyon was a major center of Anasazi ancestral Puebloan culture, a hub for trade, ritual, and administration for the Four Corners area from AD 850 to 1250.  This secluded canyon preserves the magnificent ruins of the ancient monumental buildings, the huge underground ceremonial chambers known as kivas, astronomical alignments, and Chaco’s ancient system of roads, irrigation canals, and dams.  The sites are part of the sacred homeland of the Pueblo Indian and Navajo peoples.  Boxed lunches included.  Overnight at Super 8, Grants, New Mexico. (B, L)

Fri. May 18:  Continental breakfast included.  Living Pueblo Indian Tribes.  Tour of Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico, and the Spanish mission built in 1629.  Known as “Sky City”, Acoma Pueblo was built many hundreds of years ago atop a high sandstone mesa for defense against raiders.  It is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the U.S.  Time permitting, our visit to Sky City will be followed by a tour at Zuni Pueblo.  Zuni was the first native settlement visited in 1540 by Spanish explorer Coronado, who thought it was one of the legendary Seven Golden Cities of Cíbola.  The inhabitants of Acoma and Zuni are the direct descendants of the ancient Anasazi.  Overnight at Reed’s Lodge, Springerville, Arizona. (B) 

Sat. May 19:  Scenic drive back to Phoenix, via the White Mountains, Fort Apache, and the silver and copper mining towns of Globe and Superior.  Located in the heart of Apache country, Fort Apache preserves the history of both conflict and cooperation between the U.S. government and the various bands of the Western Apache and their leaders Geronimo and Cochise.  Overnight at the Airport Sleep Inn, Phoenix, Arizona.

Sun. May 20:  Continental breakfast included.  Flight from Phoenix to Newark. (B)

Please note that Ocean County College and the tour guides may make changes in this itinerary if, in their judgment, conditions warrant or if they deem it necessary for the comfort, convenience or safety of the tour. 
 

Addendum

Preparations:

1.  Attendees should be aware we will be traveling above 6,000 feet elevation for the duration of the seminar.  Bring light jackets or sweaters for the evenings.

2.  We will have water on the vans.  If you want anything else, you may bring it.  We will have coolers with ice on board and you can add other beverages as room allows.  No glass containers are allowed on the vans, on federal lands or on Indian lands.

3.  In the east, the term Native American is acceptable.  In the west it is generally unacceptable.  The protocol on this is American Indian as a general term, Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, etc. as a specific tribal term, their name being your ultimate goal. 
 
4.  Pictures of scenery are generally not restricted.  Taking pictures of Hogan’s (the 8 sided traditional home of the Navajo) is discouraged and you must get their permission before taking the picture of any individual.  Do not take it personally if they refuse.  If we cross Hopi lands, pictures are absolutely forbidden.  Only still photographs are allowed at Acoma Pueblo (no video recorders), and most artists will not let you photograph their pottery.

5.  A Navajo will not generally initiate a conversation, but are usually friendly if you do.  If they do not want to talk to you, don't press it.  Their handshakes are limp because they feel a firm handshake is too personal with someone you don't know.  They will not look you in the eye as they view that as being aggressive.

6.  The Navajo are generally a very peaceful and quiet people, so conduct yourselves accordingly.  A respectful and quiet demeanor is expected among elders.  The Hopi are very peaceful, but also very secretive about their society.  Acoma and Zuni are very secretive about their rituals. 
 
7.  We will be traveling in the ancestral homeland of the Navajo, Acoma and Zuni.  To the uninitiated it may seem barren, harsh and cruel, but there are areas of the reservations which are as beautiful as anything you will find in the US.  In fact they believe their reservations to be the most beautiful places on Earth.  We happen to agree with that as we love the Colorado Plateau and it is our goal to try to get you to see the beauty of an area which will be as foreign to you as the moon.

8.  The climate is extremely arid and there is little humidity.  Sun screen and sun glasses are mandatory.  Hats are advised.  Well supported shoes are highly recommended.  Sandals and open toed shoes are discouraged.  If we get an early Monsoon season, canyons and dry washes can be treacherous.  We may avoid areas subject to flash flooding.  Be aware of your surroundings at all times.

9. When dealing directly with the Indians, it is important to prepare yourself to deal with Indian Time (Indian time means we will get it done, whenever we get it done).  There is a schedule, but it is loose and flexible. Everything on the reservation happens on Indian time, not white man time.

10. A Liability Waiver must be filled out and submitted to Ocean County College prior to the tour.   

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