Sunrise from the Mesa

Everything we need is found in the world around us: sandstone, wood, and mud to build our homes, stone for utensils, tools, and ornaments.  Clay for pottery.  Both animals and plants for food.  It is a rich world.  We also grow corn, beans, and squash in the flats.

Water is the most precious commodity in this region.  The Puerco River runs after the snow melts in the spring and during the rainy season of late summer.  Even when the river bed appears dry, moisture is found only the length of a finger beneath the sand.  During the rainy season, the river often jumps its bank and floods our fields, giving life to our crops.

Our people have lived in this land for thousands of generations.  Since emerging from Sipapu, we have been a part of this land.  Surviving drought and change of climate, we still thrive in the high desert.