Day 6 - Pinon
Today, breakfast included breakfast burritos, fruit, and orange juice. Immediately after, embarked to Canyon de Chelly for a 6.5 mile hike. We had two tour guides, Del and Jarvis, who told us a lot about interesting culture and history of the canyon. Specifically, we saw cliff dwelling ruins in the mountainside from Diné, Hopi, and Anzanzi. We also met locals of the canyon who showed us jewelry and other traditional crafts. As we ventured further into the hike, we heard stories from Jarvis about his dream and obstacles to building a hogan in the valley. We were moved by the poignant anecdote of his routine of working early in the canyon and then late into the night as a hotel desk manager, resulting in little time for him to see his family. Additionally, we learned from Del about traditional ways of capturing water. After the end of the adventurous hike, we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant and returned to Roberto's home. Our last activity was a group meeting focusing on the social and economic implications of our experiences. The talk inspired us to think about our roles so far in the community and encouraged introspection into our daily lives outside the Diné nation.
From,
Bianca and Daniel
