Monkey's Navajo Nation Adventure

Czech Plush Monkey's Adventures!

Monkey sees and does stuff.

Welcome to Window Rock, the seat of the Diné (Navajo) Nation. Behind Opice is the world famous natural arch which gives the place its name. However, Monkey wants you to know the original place name was "Tségháhoodzání."

Opice has an amazing way with languages. He mispronounces them all without speaking even one good.

He justifies his inability with a lame excuse, "Well, some Navajo call me Mah-gee*. I'm not a 'plush mah-gee.' I'm Czech!"

*Note: The Diné language had no word for monkey and adopted the term from their neighbors who were neither Czech nor Slovak.

Learn the Diné names for other significant places.

Monkey wants you to reflect on Totsohnii Hastiin (a.k.a. Ganado Mucho in English or Many Cattle in translated Spanish) who was the most important headman in the Pueblo Colorado Wash region in the mid-19th Century.
Ganado Mucho was also the father of Many Horses, John Lorenzo Hubbell's close friend.

Here's the tribal leader's resting place. The structure behind his monument is a symbolic shade hogan.

Learn more of Ganado Mucho's history here.

Three Turkey House Canyon, "Ruin," and Tribal Park are shown left.

You may remember Opice visited this pristine archaeological site back in 4701 (on the Chinese Calendar). A link to that visit is provided below.

Year of the Monkey Week25.

As your source for esoteric discovery, Monkey shares the secret location of the Mickey Mouse rockart hidden beside the highway. "You can only see it driving west from Greasewood toward Bidahochi," he warns.

"If you try to see it driving east, you won't unless you look backward which is almost as dangerous as talking on the cellphone out here because of roaming charges and intermittent connectivity."		"I don't know who painted it, but you can see someone went to a lot of trouble cleaning the rock face so Mickey stands out."
	"Maybe he's hitchhiking?" Opice speculates. "But I don't think so. You're supposed to hold a dollar in your hand for gasoline when hitching on the reservation. Besides, if he were, for sure he'd have gotten a ride by now. He's been up there for years!"

This might be a good time to point out that driving north on Hwy 8 (going up on the map) takes Monkey to Road 264 which connects Ganado to the Hopi Nation (First, Second, and Third Mesas).

Mudhead

Monkey's attended three Katsina Dances at Hopi this year. He was lucky enough to witness the Corn Dance, Navajo Katsina Dance, and Hummingbird Dance. He liked the Corn Dance best because the Plaza in Sitsomovi Village was filled with about 48 maidens, as many male Katsina dancers, and 20 or 30 Mudhead singer-musicians with drums and rattles.

Cameras are not allowed; therefore, he can't show you any pictures of the ceremonies. What he can show you are Katsina Dolls. Here are two: Snow Maiden and Ogre. Opice doesn't know much about either except one seems nice and calming and the other kinda scary.

Monkey guesses there are two types of Ogres:
the type he's "ascared" of like this doll, and
the kind like an onion that has layers (hint Shrek)

Interactive Ogre Katsina Doll. Move cursor over image for different view.

Snow-Maiden Katsina Doll

On to or back to Natural Arch,
or (ditto) Fluted Rock
or the Hubbell T.P.,
or Stone Hogan.

Restart the
SouthWest Tour 2005