About

“The majestic mountains hold up the sky, forever.  Ey ey ahh.

The shimmering stars reflect our dreams, forever. Ey ey ahh.

I hear your noisy footsteps approaching. Ey ey ahh, I sing.”

Yá' át'ééh and welcome friend. Please step into the firelight so we can get a better look at each other.  

We, are at the southern edge of the Navajo reservation, or “rez,” as most people around here call it. As you may have guessed, the word I greeted you with is the Navajo word for hello.

Go ahead, sit down there by the fire so you can warm back up. A big change of temperature is just one of the many dangers a person must deal with when they are out here in the high desert. It can be warm like it was earlier today, but when Father Sun goes on his night journey, the cold air can cut right through you as if you did not have any skin. That’s why I am all bundled up in this cozy and warm Navajo blanket.  And yes, with my city clothes on underneath.

I sure hope you did not expect me to be wearing a headdress or one of those little cloth things I don’t want to think about? They are called breechcloths by the way.
Can you hear the voices that are coming from that round wooden house over there in the shadows? It is called a Hogan and it is the traditional home of the Navajo, or Diné (the people), as we call ourselves. Inside, a coming-of-age ceremony is being held for some of the local girls, including my two beautiful nieces, Meghan and Olivia, the lights of my life.

They are at the part in the ceremony where the girls are learning all about becoming a woman, so I was told to take a hike. Now I could have gone into the main house with the rest of the men and boys, but come on, how could I pass up the chance to be outside in this beautiful open land of fresh air, mountains, cactus, and look at all those stars overhead? They seem so close that I am tempted to reach up and grab one. Of course, I was also waiting for you.

I probably should have mentioned this earlier. My name is Cloudwatcher, the storyteller and I am both fascinated and intrigued by our human history. Even though I now live in Florida, which is actually where I got my name, luckily for us, I still know how to make a nice warm fire that won’t spit at us too much. In case you don’t know yet, fire making is a very important skill to have out here in the desert. They can be for warmth, safety, and yes, a signal, which could be good or bad, depending upon the circumstance.

For me, the coming-of-age ceremony being held in the Hogan is the perfect segue for the fast-paced adventure story I would like to share with you.

My people, the Navajo, have lived in this part of northeastern Arizona for over four hundred years. The story I am going to tell you is much older than that. It is based on an old family legend that the elders of my Bitter Water and Salty clans have told for many generations.

It is an epic life and death tale about a group of specially chosen youth you are under the false impression that they are only going on their coming-of-age test. Instead, what they really embark on is a treacherous quest for treasure that takes them across the Sonoran Desert all the way to the gulf of California then back home. The teens were what we now call Hohokam Indians, and they were among the earliest people to live in this area {AD.- 1450BC}. And no, I can’t rightfully call them Native Americans because they were here way before America was. 

They did not have hogans or houses, but instead, they lived in adobe villages of various sizes and locations and if you were to explore the area southwest of here, with a little searching and some luck, you might find the ruins of one of their villages. Now this story does not go back to the caveman days, but you must realize that the Hohokam did not have many of the things we do today: Computers, iPhones, electricity, or cars. In fact, they did not even have horses yet because we are talking about a time before the Spanish arrived here with those horses, cows, and sheep, among other things.

Based on that information, if you were to think that they were an ignorant, uncivilized people, you would be completely wrong. They knew how to farm and even built irrigation canals for their crops. They also studied astronomy and other things that might astonish you. Their civilization lasted for well over a thousand years, so they must have been doing something right to survive out here that long.

Since some people might consider this story ancient history, I will tell the exciting tale of Turtle, Bird, Hugumki and their friends and girlfriends in the old storytelling tradition that will bring them right to life. These days we call it the present tense. Sad to say, the language of the Hohokam has been lost to time, so I will make up some words, which I hope you will find more fun than confusing.

One thing I will not do; however, is to have them talk like the Indians, Injuns, or Savages you see in the old western movies because as you will soon find out, that was never true.

By your shiver, I can tell that you just heard that not so distant chorus of haunting howls starting up. Don’t worry, that is just Mr. Coyote and friends telling me it is story time.

Ok. Are you all set? 

Take a deep breath. Get comfortable.
 
Relax. 

Watch the fire and smoke dance in the air. Let your mind drift back, back, in time. 

       

       Attention. Alert.

        The original plan was to have the above words be the clever introduction to my pulse pounding coming-of-age story, Quest for the Singing Stones that features teen boys.

         Though there is some useful info. within, they did not make the cut. For those interested in writing, you can consider that my first example of comparison writing. On blog part of the website, I will give other examples and share what I have learned so far. Both good and bad.

          I wrote Q.S.S. because I have read some historical native stories that just don't ring true to me for various reasons. Because of that I decided to tell a story about a people that really existed with the same hopes, dreams, wants, and desires we all share. They just had to do it while surviving in a very harsh environment, and they did, for over 1,500 years. Amazing, right?

           I picked younger characters because I knew it would be fun to watch them develop and grow into young men during the duration of their quest that pushes them to their limits and sometimes beyond. It started out as a short story but I quickly realized theirs was a much longer story to tell. Once that decision was made it gave me the chance to bring these forgotten people to life once again.

            After the teens leave their village, I tell their tale in short exciting stories: Like a diary, until they return back home in triumph, as new men. As their quest for treasure unfolds, I lovingly cover all aspects of their young lives in a way that is fresh, honest, and fun.

             Even though I now live in Fl. I am a Navajo (Diné Bizaad) from Az. who wants to share the awe and wonder of the desert with you until you can feel the grit beneath your feet and the searing sun on your face. Enjoy.