Native Arizona
by Sam Lowe

The lure of tribal lands has long been a major attraction for tourists visiting Arizona. Unfortunately, the tribes who own the lands didn’t always reap the benefits of the tourist dollar. The profits went instead to non-Indian promoters who capitalized on false promises and, in some cases, downright chicanery.

But the scenario started changing when tribal leaders recognized the value of an organized approach to tourism, and today they’re utilizing advertising and promotion to invite outsiders into their reservations and even their homes to display what they have to offer.

Some Arizona tribes have mapped campaigns designed to draw larger crowds. Foremost among them is the Navajo Nation, which is understandable because their lands contain a majority of the prime attractions. The list is extensive.

Canyon de Chelly National Monument, near Chinle on the eastern edge of the state, isn’t as deep as the Grand Canyon but it’s nearly as spectacular. Archaeologists estimate the sandstone gorges have been home to native people since 350 A.D. and some Navajos still live on the canyon floor. The rock walls rise more than 900 feet straight up, shielding ancient ruins, hogans, crops and, these days at least, tourists. The most spectacular view of the canyon is from the rim at Spider Rock Overlook, where twin spires jut up from the ground. The tallest is Spider Rock, a prominent feature in Navajo legend because it’s allegedly the home of the Spider Woman, who taught the people how to weave.

Monument Valley Tribal Park on the Arizona-Utah border near Kayenta is also a natural showcase for sandstone formations, but these are outlined against the skyline because they’re on the flatlands, not in a canyon.

The valley’s spectacular scenery has drawn not only tourists but also moviemakers. Legendary director John Ford made several of his films with the sandstone obelisks as backdrops. A new visitors center will be finished sometime in 2007, and a new 90-room resort is scheduled to open in 2008. The Navajo Code Talkers, who played a major role in American victories in the South Pacific during World War II, are honored with displays in the existing visitor center at Monument Valley, and in a restaurant and museum in Kayenta.

The Four Corners Monument at the far northeastern tip of Arizona is the only place in the United States where people can actually stand in four states at the same time. It takes a bit of imagination and flexibility, but it’s possible to stand in Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico simultaneously because all four meet at that particular juncture.

Antelope Canyon near Page is a thing of almost indescribable beauty. Wind and water have carved narrow passages into the sandstone, creating a slot canyon where the sloping walls are a myriad of color that changes as the sun moves across the top. Visitors are urged to spend plenty of time in the canyon because, although it’s not very long, the scenery is breathtaking.
Coal Mine Canyon south of Tuba City is another of nature’s masterpieces but not nearly as well known as some of the others. The peaks and hoodoos are a combination of bleached white rocks, coal steaks and red and yellow sandstone. Many of the colors are the result of ancient fires that once burned the area.

The Navajo Nation Museum and Tribal Capitol are located in Window Rock, which takes its name from a geologic formation carved by the elements into another chunk of sandstone. It looks down on the council chambers, which are worth a visit because of the large mural that tells the tribe’s history as it encircles the main hall.

The Hubbell Trading Post in Ganado was established in 1876 and is the oldest continuously operating trading post in the U.S. It still sells basic foodstuffs and dry goods but it’s also a National Historic Site that features rug weaving demonstrations and tours through the home of John Lorenzo Hubbell, the founder.

Arizona’s two largest ruins are both resisting time and the elements in Navajo National Monument, southwest of Kayenta. The ruins – Betatakin and Kiet Seel – are more than 900 years old but getting up close to them requires a full-day hike.

Attempts to increase tourism on the Hopi Reservation often clash with tribal culture, and culture usually emerges victorious. Although the mesas, villages and tribal dances are excellent tourist attractions, those who go to look should be forewarned of some caveats.

For example, photographs, video and audio recordings, even sketches and note taking, are forbidden in most of the villages. So visitors who want to capture the moment at such places as Walpi, Sichomovi, Tewa or Oraibi have to do it in memory alone. The same restrictions apply to many of the dances held regularly on the mesas. A notice in a community center on First Mesa explains that so many visitors showed so much disrespect for Hopi culture and tradition that the elders voted to impose the bans.

At Walpi, a tour guide tried to put it into perspective. “During some of our dances, visitors were leaving their seats to join in with the dancers,” she said. “To us, this is like jumping up onto the altar during mass.” Also, she added, too many photographers were exploiting the villages for personal use. “The photos appeared in national publications, but we saw no money from them,” she said.

Despite that, a trip to the Hopi Reservation can be quite rewarding. The Hopi Cultural Center at Second Mesa has good accommodations, a museum and a restaurant, and it’s a great hub for any exploration of the Hopi lands. Visitors can tour the villages, some of which trace their history back to 1100 A.D., but they should always check first to see if they need a guide. And always remember: No photographs or videos.

And, although it’s not on the Hopi Reservation, a stop at Homolovi Ruins State Park north of Winslow is an excellent source for tribal history, artifacts and crafts. Gwen Setella, a park ranger who’s also a Hopi, gives regular pottery demonstrations, and a driving tour takes visitors to some ancient ruins once occupied by Hopi ancestors.

The cornerstones of the White Mountain Apache Tribe’s tourism effort are the Sunrise Park Ski Resort and Fort Apache. The resort, located south of Greer in the White Mountains, has six day lodges, 10 lifts, 65 trails and more than 800 acres of ski-usable terrain.

For those who prefer tribal history to powdery snow, Fort Apache at Whiteriver offers a look back at frontier life. Established in 1870 as an Army post, the facility fell into disrepair after the military presence ended in 1922. The tribe is restoring it, and opened the first Apache Cultural Center and Museum in an 1871 log cabin. The fort was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and a new museum opened in 1997.

Visitors can stroll through the grounds once occupied by about 200 soldiers, view the interpretive exhibitions in the museum, or explore the nearby Kinishba Ruins, occupied by Hopi and Zuni people between 1200 and 1400 A.D.

Some tribes have taken a different, modern approach to tourism. Trail rides and steak fries constitute a major portion of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation’s packages. Visitors to the area north of Fountain Hills can select short or long horseback rides across the desert and the Verde River, go for a ride in a hay wagon, and take line-dancing lessons. Or they can play a round on the We-Ko-Pa Golf Club, or study the architecture of the new Radisson Resort because it includes tribal history and symbolism in its design.

The Gila River Indian Community south of Phoenix offers such tourist-oriented attractions as a major resort, an outstanding collection of Indian basketry, pit houses, Wild West shootouts, golf and good food.

For history buffs, the focal point should be Huhugam Heritage Center on Maricopa Road south of the Wild Horse Pass Sheraton Resort. It contains, among other things, more than 80 Pima baskets donated by the family of J.F. Breazeale. The center’s entryway was designed to resemble a pit house while the main section is modernistic.

The community also bought Rawhide, an Old West town once located in Scottsdale, dismantled it and moved it onto their land where it was reassembled board by board. Now there are regular shoot-outs, pony rides, and gift shops, just like in the old days.

The resort itself was built under the careful scrutiny of tribal elders, who insisted that Indian history be incorporated into the design. So there are displays featuring Pima and Maricopa tribes along the hallways and on the ceiling of the lobby. And the resort’s Kai restaurant, which primarily uses food grown in the community, has earned the AAA Five Diamond Award.
A few miles south, along Interstate 10 at Casa Blanca Road, the Gila River Indian Center has re-opened its display of early Pima, Maricopa and Apache dwellings. They’re made of mesquite branches, cactus ribs and palm fronds, and visitors can wander through them and wonder how those people survived the desert heat.

And although the Hualapai Tribe is a relative newcomer to the state’s Native American tourist industry, it made a rather spectacular debut in late 2006 by creating a new way to look at the Grand Canyon. The horseshoe-shaped Skywalk has a glass bottom and juts out over the canyon so non-acrophobics can look almost a mile straight down into the depths. It’s part of the tribe’s efforts to turn 1,000 acres of reservation land into tourist operations. The Hualapais also stage whitewater raft trips on the portion of the Colorado River that runs through their land.

Photos by Sam Lowe

If You Go:

Navajo Nation Tourism
www.discovernavajo.com,
928-871-6430.

Hopi Tourism
www.hopibiz.com
928-737-2262.

White Mountain Apache Office of Tourism
www.wmat.nsn.us
928-338-1230.
Fort McDowell Experience
www.fortmcdowelladventures.com
480-816-6465.

Gila River Indian Community
www.gilarivertourism.com
www.wildhorsepass.com

Hualapai Tribal Tourism
www.hualapaitours.com
888-216-0076.

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