For the Hopi, it's a very spiritual place because of the Sipapuni, where we emerged from into this world. And it's where we go back to when we leave this world. I've felt an energy down there that is unreal. They say our ancestors dwell in the canyon, and I definitely feel that.
Sitting on the rim, Nez tells me the legend of a Navajo hero named the Dreamer who once lived on the San Juan River in southern Utah. The Dreamer climbed into a hollow log one day and rode down the San Juan to the Colorado River and into the Grand Canyon.
Although there is little documentation of the Diné living in the Grand Canyon, their oral history has many references to the canyon and the Colorado River that flows through its inner gorge. The powerful, relentless river is revered as a life force and considered a protector of the Navajo people.
What is your Hopi connection to the Grand Canyon? The Grand Canyon is very special to us. It's our genesis, and it's also our final spiritual home. The Hopi are taught that we traveled through four stages of life, which are still remembered vividly in our rituals, through songs, and clan traditions.
The Hualapai Tribe is a federally recognized Indian Tribe located in northwestern Arizona. “Hualapai” (pronounced Wal-lah-pie) means “People of the Tall Pines.” In 1883, an executive order established the Hualapai reservation.