In the early morning just before dawn, a loud sound crashing, followed by little sounds of droplet of rain hitting the ground and faster and faster; a man walking over through a small valley ridge and slowing disappearing through the trees. He walks, continuously wiping his face and just as fast as he wipes, His face is filled with wet drops of water. With every step, his shoes are getting heavier with mud but he keeps going. He keeps heading westward trying to get to the store before it gets dark and he loses his way at night. All he can do is keep his is head slightly down and think about his family back at home, who will be waiting for his return the next evening. All of a sudden he sees a place and realizes through the heavy rain that he�s arrived at the store. The storekeeper lets him in and he was able to stay the night. At first light, he jumps up, gets his list out, purchases his items, and is quickly on his way. Moving if he was in a race, he steps double-checking his items before he begins his walk home. He smiles when he opens the door of the store to see the clear sky.
This story was told to me, ten years ago. The man in the story was my grandpa, Tulie Apachito. This was a story of his determination and spirit. His posed not to mention the dedication to his family and the willingness to get them food no matter if was raining or shining. This was one man�s determination in the Ramah Navajo community that was impressive and inspiring to me. Now take that aspect to the whole community, the Ramah Navajo overcame a barrier together such as getting help from the government to start the school and the result was breathtaking. Second, the vision of a school and a growing community with further developments. Third, the other communities from the larger part of the Navajo Reservation (Arizona and Utah) that are trying to get to this level of achievement as in Ramah Navajo community where the community has total control of their school. In the Ramah Navajo community during the year 1949, it was a tough time to be a child growing up. When it was time to start school many of the community children had to go to Albuquerque Indian School. Students were allowed to go home during the summer months, but not for Thanksgiving or Christmas breaks. When the students finally came home, most didn�t want to return to school, but were forced to by Social Services. Now these children that went through this tragic experience are talking about the abuse that took place in dorms. One person, I interviewed talked about eating bars of soap because she would forget it was forbidden to speak the Navajo language at school. Another person talked about the bad paddlings that took place as disciplinary action taken for an uncooperative student in class or at the dorm. All these stories spilled out at home once the child or children came home for summer break. It was very disturbing for parents to hear, but they did not know how to deal with the problem because the community�s primary language was Navajo. The concerns grew and it became time for the Ramah Navajo to take action and set up their own school and community. In 1949, the community came together and donated two land sites to the school.
It seemed that the community stood united with one goal in mind, our future generation�s well being. People volunteered forty hours of labor to the project. Supplies and a total donation of $15,000 were gathered from the community. It was a plan in motion and everyone wanted to see this become a reality. �Throughout our history of Ramah, New Mexico, we have always lacked formal education. That is why we have always depended upon others to help us survive. We have lacked the means to become truly self-sufficient and strong. The community of Ramah elected us to start something for their children, something which will stop this unending cycle of despair. We want to end it now, for the sake of our children and generations to come. This is why we want to see this school begin and grow- to help bring about the kind of education which will develop strong leaders of our people- Navajos with a strong sense of pride in their Navajo ways, Navajos who can move confidently in all words, Navajo who will become leaders in all fields of endeavor. That is why we work now to see this school become a reality.� Bertha Lorenzo, Ramah Navajo School Board member 1970
The Ramah Navajos overcame a barrier together and the result was breathtaking. It fascinates me to sit and listen to stories of how it all came together by the first board members, Chaves P. Coho, Bertha Lorenzo, Sam Martinez, Bessie Begay, and Juan Martine. Out of the five board members, only one is still living. The legacy of the original five is to instill and occasionally revised but remains the foundation of the Ramah Navajo Organizational goals today. The community was behind this group of board members who traveled to Washington, D.C. to start getting funding for a school. It wasn�t easy to get people to listen to them. Finally, they set up a meeting with the BIA Officials, but they kept stalling and leaving the room. Bertha Lorenzo got up and spread a blanket in front of the door way and said, � No one will leave this room until you put the money for our school on the blanket.� This got their attention. The Ramah Navajo School Board was awarded $500,000 to start the Ramah Navajo High School.
The fight to get the school going would not stop there but continue with the McKinley County School District and the New Mexico State Board of Education. The McKinley County School District wanted proof that there was a need for the Ramah Navajo High School. The New Mexico State Board of Education wanted to close down the school because there was a lack of qualified teachers and a school library. The school had to file papers with their lawyers and release all new information regarding the enrollment of community students in other schools, including Ramah High School. The papers also stated that Ramah High School in Ramah, New Mexico, was about 46 miles from the Pine Hill community and was the closest place for community students to attend school. The advantage for those students was they got to see their parents for Christmas break and at least once a month, because the school was located in the radius of 70 miles of the community. Ramah was a local store and market place, which allowed parents to see their children more often than the ones that were away at boarding schools.
In Pine Hill people in the community owned only few motor vehicles. Back then transportation was by horse or wagons. A big push for the school was also due the stories of the community children, who attended boarding schools. The treatment these students came from teachers for being out of line, including simple things like talking in their language, was thought of as bad and unacceptable for them to do at school. The parents in this community talked about the treatment of their children during meetings and this is how the thought of start the school came about among the community. They rallied together and donated land, lumber, labor, and elected School Board members to get things started. The parents in the community had a great push, �the future of our children� our community to better it for not only one person but for the whole community. They didn�t want to keep sending off the youth to be westernized and stripped of their culture but to set their own standards for their school and education them in a local school. A summary of a couple of the Pine Hill schools� goals state as followed: #1) We will encourage our students to have pride in identity, have a positive attitude towards education, self-discipline, self-analysis and self-improvement. #2) we will encourage our students to increase the understanding of one�s own culture, other cultures, appreciation of social, cultural, and ethnic similarities and differences. These goals are long and very detailed of the two above to hit an important point to the community. The youth were losing their culture by both the B.I.A schools and Indian Schools where they being sent off too. Second is the vision of the school and community for further developments other than the Ramah Navajo High School.
To this day, October 2003 the community has built the Pine Hill Clinic, Pine Hill Elementary, Head Start, Library, Post Office, Pine Hill Staff housing, Radio Station, Adult Education, Continuing Education, Day Care, Behavioral Heath, Pine Hill School Farm, Facilities, Transportation, Security, Business office and Administration offices. This year will be the start of the Pine Hill K-12 Dorm for students to attend the Elementary, Middle and High School. The post office, the local market, and laundry are not direct departments of the Ramah Navajo Organization but they are a necessity for the community.
Third, the other communities that are trying to get this level of achievement in Ramah Navajo community and the Ramah Navajo School was the first Navajo community to have total control over the schools. The only school that was established first by Navajos was Rough Rock in Arizona the difference was that they only had partial control of the school with the B.I.A. The Ramah Navajo School was a head of their time and thinking about the future of their children in the community was a great achievement. Even now in the news a school in Arizona was taken over by the B.I.A. because the misuse of budget and other problems. The Pine Hill community did not stop at the school but are still revising the needs of the community to better lives of the people who live here.
�Pine Hill Schools, as a part of the Ramah Navajo Community, will strive to instill in its students the same sense of unity that sparked its founding in 1970. It is this unity that will help the Ramah Navajo people attain as rapidly as possible their dreams of developing a strong and productive community. In working toward this strength, Pine Hill schools will strive to produce educated and responsible citizens. Education is viewed as being continuous and exists to enable each student to develop cooperation, self-confidence, creativity, and productively; more over, each student will participate as a dedicated and productive member of a culturally diverse society. A variety of appropriate, educational opportunities will prepare students for successful employment, continuing education, and the ability to provide strong leadership at the local, state, and national level.� Stated in the Pine Hill Schools handbook (July 2001). Ramah Navajo School Board was a head of their time in the world and the original five community member were on the right steps to get this community on the road to make things better for their community future.
This page is copyright©2005, Renaye Apachito
Last version: April 27, 2005