Views from the Presidential Suite: Gallup, New Mexico

I had been in Gallup 10 years ago with Bradley. All I remembered is that it was in the heart of the Navajo Reservation, that it had plentiful native jewelry, pottery, rugs, and craft stores which are touted to be much cheaper than Santa Fe, Sedona, or Albuquerque, and that the shops were all lined up on Route 66 opposite very active railroad tracks. That is all true.

On day one we went into town to tour the jewelry store. The biggest store is called Robinson's. Robinson's carries Navajo, Zuni, and Hopi jewelry, saddles and guns, navajo rugs, native american pottery, and Hopi Katchinas (carved wooden dolls which are made in the image of gods and religious symbols). It's a fantasy dream-world for people who love native art. Needless to say, I was mesmerized!

We then rode into the reservation to Hubbell's Trading Post located in Ganado, AZ. Hubbell's, established in 1887, is the longest, continuous running Trading Post. When it was built, it included Hubbell's home, farm, barn, and various "out" buildings, which still exist. The Trading Post has 3 rooms: one is a little grocery store, the second room sells Navajo rugs, and the third sells jewelry, baskets, and Katchinas. The walls are stone and the ceilings are made of wood beams and, I believe, some type of thatch. Inside there are baskets, and parts of saddles (I don't know the term) hanging from the rafters.

Stephen made a bee-line for the rug room. Many of these hand loomed rugs cost between $1,000 to $20,000. I thought that we would never find one in our price range...cheap...but we did. It is not large and we will probably make a wall hanging out of it.

On day two, which was today, we drove Much about 2 hours to Canyon de Chelly, pronounced de-shay.This canyon, which is also on the Navajo Reservation is a National Monument. While the canyon walls range between 30 ft to 1,000 ft., people still live and farm at the bottom of the canyon. In addition, ancient Anasazzi ruins are built into the cliffs. Over the long recorded history of the canyon there have been Anasazzi, Hopi and now Navajo residents of the canyon. During the civil war, Captain Kit Carson, rounded up the Navajo's in the canyon, burned their homes and crops and made then walk between 300 to 400 miles to a reservation in eastern New Mexico called Fort Sumner. After living there under dire circumstances for a year or two they were allowed to return home, but found that they had no crops or homes once they returned. They relied on trading at Fort Defiance and at the Hubbel Trading Post for food and supplies.

Hubbell's is now a National Historic site. "Reservation Trading Posts were often the only direct point of contact between native and non-native Americans until well into the twentieth century. To the Navajo's the trading post was a place of social life as well as business. More than any other white man, Hubbell helped the Navajo's adjust to their life in the late 1880's. He was their spokesman and contact with the outside world."

Today, many of the Navajos live in mobile homes or their traditional hogan, a one-room, six sided house made of logs with a mud roof. The ones you see today may be made of other materials and some even have satellite TV! Many of the people appear quite poor. They are incredible artisans who make baskets, rugs, turquoise, coral and silver jewelry, and pottery. Many are Christian, but practice their own religion as well and speak the Navajo language. If you have heard of the Navajo code talkers during WWII, these young men created a code using the complex Navajo language that was never broken by the Germans. They are honored here, as they deservedly should be.