Sunset over the famous Shiprock,  seen from the Chuska Mountains in the northern Navajo Nation, with Sleeping Ute Mountain in the background. Photo: Richard Malcolm/DHE.

My name is Wendy Manus McCreight. I am a South Jersey girl who first came out to Deer Hill in high school as a participant in 1997 and again (for Wilderness Leadership) in 1998. These experiences inspired a career in outdoor education. Now I am back in the Four Corners with my husband, Colin, and I’m excited to be working at Deer Hill! (You can find out more about me and the other Admin staff at Deer Hill on our staff page). After Colin started working with the Indian Health Service last year, we moved to Shiprock, New Mexico, in the northern Navajo Nation. I’d like to share some of the impressions gathered so far with you.

On a hot July day, after driving for over a week from Boston in a loaded-down car, we finally arrived in the Navajo Nation. As we passed through the high desert towards our new home we could see several of the geological features called volcanic “plugs” towering above the desert floor, including the town’s namesake, Shiprock. The Shiprock is sacred to the Navajo, or Dineh, people. Traditional Dineh believe that their ancestors once lived up on the high rock before a cataclysm shattered it into its current form.

The center of the town of Shiprock is unassuming. There are several fast food restaurants, a small grocery store, fair grounds (including a rodeo venue) and a hardware store. Many food vendors line the side of the highway near town, selling mutton stew, “kneel-down” bread and locally grown fruits and vegetables. Our new hometown on “the Rez”, as locals call it, is home to about five thousand people, most of whom live in mobile homes or government-built housing. Our house is similarly basic, located close to the Indian Health Service hospital in Shiprock, but we settle in before long.

Our six months in Shiprock have included sand storms, freezing pipes, hot summer sun and consistently beautiful sunsets over the Shiprock. The pace of life here is certainly slower than Boston, since the Shiprock rush hour is no more than a crowded Post Office parking lot. In general, the community has been very welcoming. Most people who move to the area work either at the hospital or in the schools. Despite some policies to promote employment among Native Americans, the Navajo have very high unemployment rates (often above 25%), since there are few jobs available on the reservation. Some work in the oil and gas industries in Farmington, located 30 miles away, so there are more jobs here than on other, more remote parts of the Rez.

Though many Navajo struggle to find adequate employment, many people we have met are very resilient and positive in spite of the community’s struggles. Our new Navajo friends value their families and are trying to teach their children about traditional Navajo culture, even as daily life on the Rez becomes more Westernized. Many extended families still live together, with grandparents and aunts helping with raising children if parents aren’t able. There is a long tradition of military service among the Navajos which continues today. The Navajo Code Talkers, a group of Navajo soldiers who communicated in Navajo to avoid Japanese intelligence, were instrumental in the US winning World War II in the Pacific, and many Codetalkers originally came from the Shiprock area.

As we move forward with our life in Shiprock, we look forward to learning more about local artists. Native artists specialize in silver and turquoise jewelry, wood carvings, pottery and sand paintings. There was a large art fair during this holiday season at the Shiprock Chapter House (the local branch of the Navajo Nation government; there are Chapter Houses in most reservation towns), with many local artists selling their beautiful work. We also look forward to exploring more of the landscape around Shiprock. There is a large mesa north of town for hiking, and friends have hiked near the Shiprock itself, with dramatic ridgelines and views of the nearby Chuska Mountains to the west. This spring, we plan to explore the local flea market on Saturday mornings, with artisans and local cuisine. We will also be running the Shiprock Marathon in May, which starts in the mountains in Red Mesa and heads down into Shiprock. There are many stray dogs around town, which can make marathon training difficult, but we’re learning new strategies to avoid dog encounters. Most of all, we look forward to making more friends in the community and learning more about the beautiful traditions of the Shiprock area.