136th Anniversary of Long Walk to be Marked  

by Valarie Lee 
The Farmington Daily Times 
13 June 2004
   

FARMINGTON — On June 18, 1868, thousands of Navajo people were released from Fort Sumner, to began making their way back to their beloved land, Dinetah.

That journey would forever be remembered by the Navajo people as the Long Walk and despite plans by the U.S. Peace Commissioners to relocate the Navajo to the lower Arkansas territory, the Navajo insisted on going back home to their own land.

Now, 136 years later, the Diné Nation Bikers want to hold a memorial biker run to honor the history of the Long Walk by going back to Fort Sumner.

The DNB says there are many reasons why they are doing this.

“We want to help educate people about the plight that Navajo people endured and to honor their memory,” said Etta Arviso, co-coordinator of the run.

Harold Hoskie of Newcomb said his reasons are personal.

“Part of my interest is my great-grandma was a part of the Long Walk, for that reason, I’m interested in going.”

While the event is being toted as a biker run, that shouldn’t stop anyone from joining the run.

“You can travel by motorcycle, car or bus, whatever, this is about experiencing an important part of our history and culture,” said Irvin Tsosie, co-coordinator of the “Hweeldi Beenilniih” run.

“We want all people to feel free to ask questions and observe,” Tsosie said.

The group has no intention of turning this into a yearly event.

“This is not going to be an annual thing. We’re not playing around with this because we need to stay reverent to who we are,” said Kathy Johnson, co-coordinator for the event, “and we need to be reverent to those spirits because we come from those spirits.”

The group also feels it may become too commercialized and lose its significance.

“I think people shouldn’t go there all the time. It may become like Grand Central Station, if people go there all the time,” Tsosie said.

For Mae Tsosie, the journey back is a tribute to those who suffered and an opportunity to share with others the culture and history of the Navajo people.

“We are a legacy of survivors and we want to educate the younger generations, even for ourselves, we don’t really know the history about what actually happened.”

Mae Tsosie has been to Fort Sumner before and wonders if others will experience some of what she went through.

“When we went there, I wasn’t really prepared,” Mae Tsosie said, “our people endured hardship and terrible treatment and if it wasn’t for their sacrifice, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Mae Tsosie was also surprised at the flat emptiness of the site. There’s no evidence of what horrific events took place over the course of four years, nor evidence of some of the 2,000 people who were buried there — in unmarked graves.

The only official records people can read today come from the government or oral history taken from the grandchildren ... passed along verbally or in books.

Mae Tsosie said no one really knows what happened and that’s part of the reason for the biker run. Even with fellow Navajo people discouraging the group about going back.

“When I mentioned Hweeldi (Fort Sumner), they would say, ‘eeee-yah,’ meaning scary or don’t go back there. I don’t feel what we’re doing is bad,” said Mae Tsosie

“So, to the critic, we say, our group is focused on the positive benefits and our intentions are good.”

“It’s a natural healing process and a part of closure. We want to respect their memory and to offer prayers, not only for them but for all Navajo people,” added Johnson.

Johnson has never been to Fort Sumner but knows the history through reading books. She said she is looking forward to actually seeing where they lived and what the landscape is like. She also knows it is going to be emotional.

“We expect to be touched with the spirits, to communicate with them and let them know were here with reverence and to offer prayers,” Johnson said.

Even though there are plenty of critics and supporters both, Fort Sumner is a part of the history of the Navajo people and considered a sacred site by some.

“A rebirth happened there. We lost a lot of our Navajo people, yet we lived and we continued on and that should be remembered. In a way, our battles continue even today,” said Johnson, who cited education deficiencies, federal funding and the loss of speaking the Navajo language by the younger generation, as repercussions of the Long Walk.

The group nods in agreement with Johnson, as Mae Tsosie expounds a little more. “Back when I was younger, I tried to ask questions (about her culture) and I was scolded or chastised. We wanted to learn more about our heritage.”

That experience was empowering for Mae Tsosie and she in return encourages Navajo youth to keep asking questions.

“If anyone has questions, keep asking,” Mae Tsosie said, “continue with: ‘ Why did this happen?’ or ‘What happened and why has our nation evolved into what we are today?’”

There will be two groups leaving Friday. The Kirtland group will depart at 9 a.m. at Cafe 550 and go through Cuba.

The Fort Defiance, Ariz., group will meet at the Scouts Football Fieldhouse and leave at 9 a.m.

The two groups are scheduled to arrive late in the afternoon to set up camp. A healing ceremony, open discussions, and story sharing/telling will take place in the evening.

On Saturday, the group plans on leaving Fort Sumner early in the morning and return back to Window Rock, Ariz., in time for a cleansing ceremony, supper and gourd dancing.

Information: Irvin Tsosie (505) 598-1273, or Leonard Reeder, (928) 871-2251.

       


Reprinted as an historical reference document under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html