Navajo Nation Program
Yá’át’ééh.
Experience the ancient desert cultures of the US southwest during a month on the Navajo Nation.
- Raft the San Juan River and camp along her banks
- Live with a Navajo family on the reservation
- Take part in traditional Navajo ceremonies
- Hike through Monument Valley and the Grand Canyon
Orientation and Discovery
Meet your group in Albuquerque, New Mexico and travel into the Navajo Nation. Spend your first three days in Tsaile, Arizona, learning about Navajo culture and traditions. An overview of Navajo language, art, and history introduces you to the sacred geography of the region. Experience the area firsthand through trekking and overnight rafting trips on the San Juan River. Explore Chaco ruins and the geology of the southwest’s ecologically spectacular high desert.
Sample activities: Learn about sandpainting, silversmithing, weaving, and basket making; take Navajo language classes; learn about prehistoric technologies; explore on foot, mountain bike, or horseback; discover the symbolicimportance of hogans, wedding baskets, k’é, and baby cradleboards.
Homestay on the Navajo Reservation
Surrounded by the protection of the four sacred mountains, discover the kindness of a Navajo family during your 10-day homestay on the reservation. Whether they are herding sheep in the countryside or getting groceries from the local trading post, the Navajo share their daily lives with you.
Sample activities: Learn how to cook fry bread; attend rodeos and traditional dances; explore the beautiful and diverse landscape of the southwest desert on horseback; take a day trip to the Hopi Nation; camp in Canyon de Chelly.
Community Service and Travel
After bidding hágoónee’ to your host families, begin your community service project. Work with Native American work crews on small-scale construction projects. Spend your final three nights camping on the rim of the Grand Canyon and on the shores of Lake Powell. Enjoy day hikes, take in the majesty of the Canyon, and spend time on the beach as you reflect on your time in the Navajo Nation.
Sample service projects: Construct a playground at a Navajo chapter house; build a traditional hogan; assist with farming projects in historic Canyon de Chelly; design sun shelters for bears in the Navajo Nation Zoo; build picnic tables at a local campsite.
“During my homestay, I went horseback riding and barrel racing, participated in traditional ceremonies, and learned the art of making fry bread. Ultimately, the transformation from stranger to friend was sincere and genuine and one I will never forget.”
-- Victoria Vazquez, Chicago, Illinois
Program Information:
Code: NVA
Features: Community Service, Travel and Regional Exploration
Prerequisites: None
Dates: June 28, 2010 -
July 28, 2010
Depart/Return: Albuquerque
Fee: $4,600
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PROGRAM FEATURES:
Community Service, Travel and Regional Exploration
DURATION:
4 weeks
PREREQUISITE:
None
DATES:
June 28, 2010 -
July 28, 2010
FEE:
$4,600
DEPART / RETURN:
Albuquerque
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