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Presents... 3 Check It Out! 4 The Mysteries of Chaco 7 Cowboy Clark & Larry 8 Cheyenne Indian Girl 11 Storytelling Trees 12 Puzzles 14 Living with Native Americans 16 Under the Monument Valley Sky 18 10 Native American Words 20 Crazy Horse Rides Again 22 Would You, Could You, Eat Wood? 24 Face-to-Face with Geronimo 26 The Voice of the Navajo 29 Kids Corner 30 Puzzle Solutions 2
In many areas, the weather is turning cooler. Eventually, it may snow. When this happens, some of you will put on your winter coats to go to school. Your furnace will come on to heat your house. If you lived 200 years ago in a Native American Indian village, there would be no furnace to keep your house warm, and you would not be going to school. You would be helping your family survive. Life in the wilderness was difficult for both Indian and pioneer children. You will learn what that was like – the similarities and differences. You’ll also discover many fascinating facts and stories, including: carving trees to record tribal events, words that come from Native American languages, cutting the inner part out of a tree to eat it raw or in a thick soup, the only man to live and record the lives of Native Americans with his paintings, and how to draw Geronimo, the famous Indian chief. Find a cozy spot. Read all about these amazing people who lived here before our nation was established. Their ancestors are living today across the country in over 500 tribes.
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The Mysteries of by Shirley Anne Ramaley
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soft wind blows through the empty buildings and down the streets of the ancient town of Chaco. There are many large rooms in the buildings, but the rooms are empty. The buildings are in decay, and many of the roofs are gone. The people have all left. They left long ago. No one knows why. It is one of the mysteries of Chaco.
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It is quiet in this place. A small group of us, schoolchildren and adults, follows our guide, taking pictures and quietly talking as we learn about the Chaco Culture National Park in New Mexico. We have all come to learn about the people who lived here 1000 years ago. There are many mysteries about Chaco. One is why did ancient people build here in the first place? The land is harsh. Temperatures reach 100 degrees in the summer. Winters have subzero temperatures. Winters are long, and the growing season is short. There is only about nine inches of rain each year. (That is about the amount of rain that falls in Phoenix, AZ, in a year. It’s not enough for most crops.)
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Despite the fact it was an unlikely place to build, Chaco was the center of an active culture a thousand years ago. People started building there in the mid-800s. They constructed huge stone buildings that are called “great houses.� The people of Chaco appeared to be experts at watching the sky and knew about the sun and moon and stars. Petroglyphs, images carved in rock, show their interest and knowledge about the solar system. Today many wonder how people understood so much about the sun and moon over 1000 years ago. After the sixth century, before Chaco was built, the Pueblo people stopped hunting and gathering their food as they had done for centuries. They began to cultivate and grow crops. When they created the city of Chaco, because of the little rain that fell, they carefully built dams and canals. With these, they could plant and grow their crops. They were experts at managing the available water. Why was this city built? The descendants of Chaco, the Pueblo people, say that Chaco was a very special place. Meetings and ceremonies were held there. Perhaps it was a trading area, where shells and other items were purchased from lands far away. Some researchers today think Chaco may have been a place where food was distributed to people who did not have enough, especially during poor growing seasons. Many descendants still consider it a sacred place. Some Native American clans trace their history to Chaco. Stories are told of their ancestors leaving Chaco and moving to other areas. Some believe the spirits of their ancestors still live in Chaco. Continued...
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About 300 years after Chaco was established, it was suddenly abandoned. The people left. When they left, many mysteries followed them. Why did they build there? How did they develop such an amazing place, even with their knowledge of the solar system? How did they learn to construct the canal systems? Why did they leave? There are many theories. A long drought may have occurred. Did crops stop growing? Was there a famine? Were there arguments among the people? We don’t know the answers. Maybe someday we will. Mystery surrounds Chaco. As we drive away in the van, we look back. We all feel that mystery.
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“Hold up, Larry,” Cowboy Clark barked. “That there’s a wolf. We don’t get many in these parts, but that surely is a wolf if I ever saw a wolf.” Larry looked around the park before setting his eyes on the large four-legger up on the hill. Its coat was thick and fluffy, and strands of silver ran through its black fur. The dogs jumped when a voice behind them purred, “Look who’s here. Cowboy Clark and his trusty sidekick Larry. How are you, boys?” By now they should have been used to Mrs. Whiskers sneaking up on them. It seemed to be her life mission to annoy Cowboy Clark, in particular. Larry pointed. “There’s a wolf on the hill.” “Yeah, why don’t you say ‘hello,’” Cowboy Clark chuckled. “I’ll do just that,” said Mrs. Whiskers, and off she went. “What the . . .” Larry stammered. “That wolf is going to eat her. We have to save her.” Before Cowboy Clark could respond, Mrs. Whiskers was at the top of the hill, nuzzling the wolf’s ear. Soon the wolf and Mrs. Whiskers came running down the hill. Larry audibly gulped. Cowboy Clark thought it best to start off friendly, even if he did take a few steps back. “Howdy, wolf.” “My name is Pete, and I’m not a wolf.” “Certainly not,” Mrs. Whiskers stated. “Pete is a Native American Indian dog. Did you know his breed has been here since the 1500s and helped Native Americans hunt, fish, and even babysit their children?” Cowboy Clark coughed. “Good to meet you, Pete. Now, um, what brings you to these parts?” Mrs. Whiskers interrupted. “These parts? Oh, really.” Turning to Pete, she continued, “You’ll have to forgive him. He thinks he’s a cowboy.” “Hey!” Cowboy Clark barked. Mrs. Whiskers said, “Well, here’s a question a real cowboy could answer. If you ride into town on Friday, stay for three days, then leave on Friday, how is it possible?” Pete, Larry, and even Cowboy Clark looked at each other, confused. “Your horse’s name is Friday.” As she sauntered off, Mrs. Whiskers purred, “See you around, boys.”
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by Susan Harness • illustrated by Merle Insinga • colored by Gaurakisora Tucker
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heyenne Indian girls growing up on the American Great Plains during the mid-1800s were not that different from pioneer girls. In fact, they had many things in common: They played with dolls, played house, cooked, sewed, and did fine handwork. They learned, by playing, all those things that eventually would be expected of them when they grew up and had lodges of their own. Imagine you are a Cheyenne Indian girl. The land is endless, meeting the sky on the farthest horizon. Your people are nomadic, following the huge bison herds across the grasslands. During winter, snow hides the ground for weeks. Summers are hot, and the buzz of insects constantly rings in your ears. It is summer, and you are 10 years old. Your uncle named you Whirlwind after the small dusty tornadoes that dart energetically across the grasslands. You are an accomplished horsewoman, having ridden seven summers. Loving a good race, this morning you and three friends agree on a finishing point off in the distance, a fortress of white limestone. With a quick kick of your heels, you and your horse fly over the plains, the grass a blur beneath you. Barely winning, you let out a victory whoop that sings over the grasslands. Laughing, you agree it was a good race, but the day is young. Playing camp sounds like a good idea. Several summers ago, your mother taught you how to choose the poles and sew the covering of buffalo skins for your own lodge. It is small compared with the adult lodges, which are large enough for several families. The same was done by your friends’ mothers, so between you and your friends, you have a little village. You agree to meet by the willows by the stream. The sun is high, and your lodges are set in a circle. A small fire burns in the center. You wish you had some meat to roast. When some village boys join you, you tell them to prove they are great hunters. “Go catch a rabbit to eat.” Boasting, they swagger off with their bows and arrows in search of dinner.
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Meanwhile, you work on your project, a pair of moccasins. On a recent trading trip, your father traded buffalo skins for several items, including beads and steel sewing needles. The steel needles are stronger than your old bone needles and make your job easier. Your grandmother is teaching you to sew, and you remember her words as you pull the needle through the leather with strong stitches. Beading is difficult, but you will master it. It’s one of the many ways you prove yourself as a good and careful wife. Threading sinew, or dried muscle fibers, through the eye of the needle, you tie a knot at one end. Then you push the needle through the moccasin top and pull it out the other side. Once the knot is tight against the back, you place a few beads on your needle, letting them run down the thread. You decide where to push the needle in, continuing to stitch and bead. Your entire design takes shape and lies tight against the leather. A shout interrupts your work. The boys appear over the hillside carrying a rabbit between them. They are pleased, for rabbits are quick and difficult to catch. You clean it, then turn it on a spit over the fire. Soon the overwhelming scent of roasted rabbit tells you it is time to eat. Seasoned with sage and wild onion, the rabbit is tender and tasty. What good eyes the boys must have to catch such a tender rabbit, you tell them, hiding a giggle as their chests puff with pride. Suddenly, a scream erupts, and one girl points to the western horizon. A silhouette of men on horseback lies against the setting sun. Fearing it is the Cheyenne’s enemy, the Utes, you run, leaving everything behind in haste to make it safely to your village. Running into your lodge, you explain between gulping breaths what you’ve seen. Your mother instructs you to remain in the lodge. Your father and his brother gather the men of the village together and mount the war horses, riding to meet the enemy. Everyone in camp is tense. Women wait, ready to take down the lodges. Girls and children wait for the command to run. Older boys, who will become men in the next summer or two, stand bravely at the border of the village. Continued on next page . . .
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