Wood Cutting

Forrest.  The logs are at
the top. They would cut
rounds and roll them to the
trailer.

The only source of heat durinmg the winter for many of the members is a wood stove.  Each year the "get woods" is a must activity.  They go up to Jacobs Lake and chop down "dead falls", saw them into
"rounds", haul them to their house and chop the rounds into small pieces.  Many of the older sisters do not have the capacity to do this so we went to the forrest and got a Branch supply of wood.

 These are the rounds of wood.  They are about 24 inches long and as round as the tree.  Some of the trees are 60 feet tall.

Loading Rounds

 We would load the rounds on a trailer and take them down to the Branch Building.  The picture below is Ruby.  She is 57 years old and that is a 9lb Mall she is swinging.  She very politely told me to let her show me "how" and split the log with one blow.  She has been doing this as an annual chore since she was 15 years old.  Now she chops and stacks and her husband cuts the wood.

"Ruby Chopping Wood"

Felling the Tree

Pile at the Building

 Monument Valley. This is one of the Mittens.  You can use your imiganation to determine what hand.


 Goulding is where the original settlers lived.  John Wayne lived in these cabins while they were filming in this area.  This is one of the buildings used at that time

The Duke!  What else can you say!!

Part of the District. We are in the
Kyenta District of Couples

Road from the Monument Valley Hotel at
Goulding.

Picture of the Living Room used by the Duke while
they were filming in Monument Valley

Part of the Valey

Denahortso District Meeting

 These are the ruins that you can see from an overlook in Navajo National Monument.  These dwellings are in the bottom of an alcove.  Part of the tour is an indication of the various root they would use for medicinal purposes.  This particular bush is called Mormon Tea??

Mormon Tea Bush

 This is a foot print of a dinosaur that is just outside of Denehotso.  There are several of the prints in this area.  They have marked them so it is easier to identify.  Some people have tried to remove the prints with a small jackhammer and have damaged the area.

   

Dinosaur foot prints

Garnet Stones

 The activity that we had as part of our District Meeting was to go Garnet hunting.  You can see the Garnets on the head of the Flashlight.  There is an area outside of Denehotso where you can pick these stones off the ground. Many are very small.  If you can find an ant hill it is generally loaded with small Garnets that the ants have brought to the surface.  One of the couples in our group that lives in the area has some pretty large stones.  While we were in he area there were several Native Americans that were searching for the stones.  You have to have the sunlight to your back and the stones glisten in the sun.  Some of the stones are a red color, some are amber in color.

Garnet Stones

This is the inside of the chapel at Denahotso.  The buildings are generally Parallel and you have a chapel in one end and classrooms at the other end.  You can see them for miles.  They all have a small white steeple.

Original Echo Cliff members.

David Sellers

 This is David and Bessie Sellers.  When the early missionaries came into this area a missionary by the name of Harvey Gardner (no relation) sought out Brother Sellers to help him communicate with the residents of the area.  Brother Sellers went with Elder Gardner and contacted and baptized many of the early members of the church. 
Brother Sellers is very deaf now and as you can see Sister Sellers has Arthritis in her hands so bad that she cannot use them.
We found this couple one day while we were wandering the hills down about a half mile from Daisy Nockenadeh home.  We took Daisy back with us to visit them and found that they were in need of food and company.
     The bathroom toilet was plugged.  The Navajo nation was supposed to send someone to their house and fix the problem.  That was 6 months ago.  I did not ask what they used as bathroom facilities.


Bessie Sellers.  You can get a feeling for the size of the Hogan
by the fan at the bottom of this picture is the fan shown below.  Mom is
doing a food order.

view from house



Sellers Living room. I was standing in the front
door when I took this picture.

This is view from Daisy's neighbor's house.  Sellers live next to the light pole just over the Hogan. We will pick up food for them when we are in St George on October 18.


Stove used for heat

Kitchen from door.  Stove at bottom