Chinle, Navajoland (Canyon de Chelly)

It was a bright blue sky with the promise of a beautiful day and that is exactly what we had today.  Our Native guide for the journey was Colleen who had grown up in Canyon de Chelly (pronounced SHAY) and along the way she stopped beside her family property while explaining Canyon family history. Colleen spoke with uncles, aunts, and cousins when at the stops allowing us to feel 'at home'. We met her uncle, Travis Terry, who plays the Native flute. Bev asked if he would give permission for a photograph, he not only allowed it but he went by the river, with a cliff house behind him, and played flute, it was a special moment. I bought Travis' CD's on our return to Chinle and gave Bev a set to complete her birthday gift.

 SCENES FROM THE VALLEY, CANYON DE CHELLY

Travis Terry plays Native Flute

We were in the canyon for four hours and bounced over sandy paths and splashed through the river seeing ancient cliff houses, pictographs and petroglyphs.  Colleen stopped at one point and gave us the family history of Canyon de Chelly, she told us the Navajo history and what the Spanish, and also Kit Carson, did to the pueblo people when they first entered the canyon.  There are apparently ~2,000 cliff dwellings in the canyon most in areas that the tours do not go.

We saw The White House Ruins up close and that was a special view.  I had seen it three times from the rim but nothing beats seeing The White House Ruins from the canyon floor.

Pictographs and Petroglyphs

Pictographs are painted on the canyon walls.
Petroglyphs are scratched into the rock.

Kokopelli is playing for rain, that is why he is on his back. The direction of the snake is the direction of the rain. There are positive and negative hand prints, and a stick figure frog.

Two horsemen chasing a deer into an enclosed canyon so they can kill it, without damaging the pelt. 

A Spanish soldier riding his horse.

The circle motif is a petroglyph.

Cliff dwelling

The horses roam free

The White House Ruins

Antelope House

The cat

SCENES FROM THE SOUTH RIM, CANYON DE CHELLY

The spiritual Spider Rock

 The White House Ruins to the naked eye.

The White House Ruins using zoom lense.

Bev and I were very happy to have taken the 4x4 tour through the valley as Canyon de Chelly is such a special place.  A magical day!