Navajo Reservation

"Come back to it. Undo it. Fix it and then move on." This translated Navajo weaving phrase has stuck with me all day long. We spent the day on the Navajo reservation near New Gallup, New Mexico. Leland Silversmith and his family opened up their home and land to us and opened our eyes to so much about the Native Americans and our country through a lot of dialogue, great food, some exploring, and even some sheep herding. No history book could ever communicate what we learned today through our friend's stories of what has happened to their relatives and what is still happening today. It was painful and powerful to watch Lee's mother cry and see the hurt in Lee's eyes as he talked. And the sad thing is, it seems that no educational books are trying to tell the truth. Aside from the tragic and violent past of the Americans toward the Native Americans, people seem to still be "peeing on the Sistene Chapel" as Lee would say by trespassing and attempting to take land that has never belonged to anyone but the Navajo.
As we sat around after dinner with the Silversmiths, it was clear that they simply wanted to welcome us and share there story with us. I think that the genuineness of this family spoke volumes to our group who has experienced a lot of ulterior motives over the past couple of days. As we joined hands to pray, I felt connected to these people and compelled to share with others the stories that they had shared with us. Lee ended the day encouraging us to think about how we live our lives and that there will be consequences for our children and grandchildren. I thought about the heaviness that had followed me around all day thinking about how people before me had treated the ancestors of the Silversmiths. In keeping with the quote I began with I think we are still in the process of undoing and fixing the terrible things that were done 150 years ago. I pray, for the sake of the Silversmiths and others, that some day soon we can move on.
P.S. I know the picture is a little goofy for such a serious blog but the great thing about today was despite a lot of heavy subject matter we still had a lot of good laughs and fun with our hosts!
P.P.S. If you get a chance check out www.longestwalk.org Lee participated in it in 2007 and it sounds like a really powerful event!