The cold night was passing, and the chill winds still swept across the valley at the break of dawn. The little girl, a blanket wrapped around her, cried as she stood on the hill. She had been looking for an hour, and still she saw no sign of her sheep.
Her mother had awakened her early when she heard the sheep, restless and hungry, running away into the night. The little girl knew it was her duty to care for the sheep, so without arguing or complaining she rose and went after them. It was not the first time, many times before she had gone after the flock and gathered them to the corral.
As she listened in the gray of the morning, she heard the sheep in the wash beyond the hill where she stood. Without hesitation, she ran to find the sheep eating the remains of sagebrush in the wash. She gathered them and drove them back to the corral, then ran into the hogan and built a fire, for it was time to prepare the morning meal.
Her early life was hard, but after living for eighty years, my grandmother talks of her childhood with enthusiasm and pride. She experienced many hardships throughout her life.
She remembers her desire to learn how to weave a rug as a young girl of ten. It was her duty as a woman to learn this great art, for it would sustain her and her family throughout life. It has done so. Even though her husband worked, she toiled and labored continuously with her rugs until, by the time she was in her twenties, she could weave a rug in one day. She, as a woman, a wife, and a mother, was the strength of the home. She held everything together. Along with weaving she cared for the livestock, which eventually numbered some 375 head of sheep and eight horses. |
As a young girl she had learned well. She was disciplined and was taught how to endure bitter times. When she was six, one of her primary responsibilities was caring for the sheep.
She knew life was going to be hard because she listed many times to the old wise ones as they spoke of continuous changes in the future for the Navajo people. She recalls them speaking of the need for young people to strengthen themselves, to better themselves, and to challenge the new times: “Try hard. We cannot always live like this; there will be continuous changes. You must endure these hardships. If you are ever to accomplish any task, it is up to you; you cannot forever look back to settle your problems. If your mind is strong, if you feed into it good things, you will know the good in life; and the good that you do will make you free, and you will have no sorrow.”
Many times in the warmth of our hogan, Grandmother spoke of her days as a young girl, emphasizing the need for me to listen carefully so that I could learn from her experiences as well as understand her reasons for the harsh treatment she gave me while learning the ways of The People. She accepted life as it was given, and with what she had—one small pan, a cup and a bowl—she made the best of life without complaint. She was taught to do that; it was the way of her people, and they expected no less and no more.
In this series of short stories, Louis takes us from the Hogan—a traditional Navajo dwelling—to the importance of family and elders; the role of the woman, wife and mother; responsibilities; survival; the clan system; the land; the medicine man and more. Be sure to read all the stories and to “Discover Navajo”.
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