When I first saw Canyon de Chelly, it took my breath away.
I
wanted to leap out and fly over the canyon to explore every inch of it. You can
feel it. It's a sacred place—filled with deep echoes of history and charged with
emotional energy from the people who lived and died there.
The unexpected surprise of the canyon is part of the allure.
The landscape is gentle undulating hills thick with juniper and piƱons. Along
the road to the overlooks, the terrain is the same, with no indication of any
change. But then, between the trees, you get a flashing glimpse of the canyon
and before you can gasp, it’s gone.
The path from the parking to the overlook meanders through
thick vegetation. As you round the last curve, it unfolds: a deep canyon,
winding off to the west like an enormous snake. At second look, you see it has
many forked branches, more like an ancient gnarled tree than a serpent. My
heart swelled. I felt exhilarated and sad at the same time knowing the history
of the area.
We were near a place known as "Where Two Fell
Off". Long ago, Spanish soldiers attacked the Navaho people living there.
Unfortunately, the men of the tribe were away, and the women, children, and
elderly bore the brunt of the attack. One woman, running from a soldier,
stopped suddenly, turned to the solder, and threw her arms around him—the
momentum of their collision taking them over the edge to their death.
I would rather choose
my death than suffer at your hand.
This scene is vivid in my head. Could I do that? Would I choose
that end?
As we drive away, the canyon is swallowed up once again by thick
vegetation. It's as though it was never there. How did they find this magical
place? Did they stumble onto it from above? Or were they coming up out of the
desert? Aiming towards the red-gold cliffs, finding this maze of deep, sheltered
canyons with broad bottoms lined with thick grass and a happy creek—and plenty
of crevices and crannies where they could hide from enemies. This is a good place. We will be safe and
happy here. We can grow food and fat children.
I want to go back and walk on the green bottomland and smell
the sage. I want to watch the hawks fly overhead and step into the deep shadows
made by the hulking rock cliffs.
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