Life in the USA : Indians

Wilderness Road

Mike Leco — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:31:00 GMT

Last week, I drove from Baltimore Maryland to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. I used Interstate 68 across the Maryland Panhandle and Route 40 into Southwestern Pennsylvania. I have driven this route many times. Occasionally, I deviate off of the new Interstate 68 and drive along the old Route 40 that still parallels 68 across the Appalachian Mountain Chain, known locally as the Allegheny Mountains.

Unlike the newer Interstate 68 that sweeps through the mountain ridges on spectacular road cuts and soars over the valleys on lofty bridges, Route 40 labors its way deep into the valley bottoms, crosses the mountain streams on narrow bridges and snakes its way up the slopes of the mountains. It takes much longer to drive along route 40, but the scenery is beautiful.

As I slowly wend my way through these beautiful mountains, I always recall that Route 40 used to be called the National Road. Before that, it was known as the Wilderness Road or Braddock's Road. Even earlier, it was known as Nemocolin's Trail or the Wilderness Trail. This road has a great history that extends back to the mid 1700s and before.

The old Wilderness Trail, as it was called by the early English colonists in the 18th century, probably existed for hundreds of years before any European settlers came to the American Continent. It was a warrior's trail that traversed the Appalachian Mountain Range from the Eastern Seabord to the Ohio Valley of the Great Mississippi Basin. Indian hunters and warriors used it to traverse the mountain range. Nomadic clans used it to migrate across the mountains.

In the early 1700s, British adventurers, fur trappers and traders used the Wilderness Trail to penetrate the Appalachian Mountains and enter the great Ohio River Basin beyond. It was one of the main portals to the wilderness lands beyond the great mountains. In 1752, a fur trader named Thomas Cressap along with a Delaware Indian Chief named Nemacolin, blazed a trail that followed the old warrior's path across the mountains. This quickly became known as Nemacolin's Trail.

In 1754, a young Lt Col. George Washington led a small army of Virginia Militia across Nemacolin's Trail to force the French forces to abandon their Fort at the Forks of the Ohio, the present site of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. An incident involving the killing of a French officer precipitated an attack on Washington's forces at the Great Meadow where he had constructed his tiny Fort Necessity. The subsequent defeat of the Virginia Militia was a great embarassment to young George Washington and is considered the incident that precipitated the Seven Years War, known also as the French and Indian War.

The following year, 1755, General Braddock was dispatched from England with two regiments of British soldiers and a detachment of artillery. His assignment was to construct a military road accross the Allegheny Mountains and to sieze the French Fort Duquesne at the Forks of the Ohio. He was accompanied by George Washington and a company of Virgina Militia as well as Thomas Cressap, Daniel Boone and many other renown frontier explorers. They began to expand Nemacolin's Trail into a full road capable of transporting wagons, cannons and troops across the mountains. It took a great deal of effort, but Braddock succeeded in completing the road all the way from Maryland to the Ohio Valley Basin.

On July 9 General Braddock, with over 900 British army regulars, several cannons and several hundred colonial militia approached the French Fort Duquesne at the Forks of the Ohio. Nine miles to the east of the fort, he encountered a small French force of less than 100 soldiers accompanied by nearly 700 local Indian warriors. In the ensuing battle, the British forces attempted to use standard military tactics, while the Indians fired upon them from concealed positions in the forest. It was a catastrophic defeat for the British. General Braddock was mortally wounded and nearly 500 Britsh soldiers were lost.

The remains of the British forces retreated along their newly constructed road, and General Braddock died near the site of the ruins of old Fort Necessity in the mountains. He was buried in the middle of the Wilderness Road where wagon tracks would obliterate all trace of his grave, to prevent the Indians from digging up and mutilating his corpse. Thereafter, Nemacolin's Trail become known as Braddock's Road. It was later improved and became known as the National Road and finally as Route 40.

As I travel Route 40 today, I can see the route taken by Braddock, by Washington, by Nemacolin and by countless Indian warriors over the ages. I follow their footsteps. I pass Fort Necessity and Braddock's grave. There are historical markers at the various camps where Braddock's army paused during their road building forray. This old road is a history lesson of the early colonization of the North American continent.

Indians 2 Navajo Nation

Mike Leco — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 16:52:00 GMT

The Navajo Nation is larger than some European countries. It encompasses 27,000 Square miles (70,000 sq. kms.) in the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. It is the largest Indian reservation in the USA, but to the Navajo people it is their homeland and their own sovereign nation.

When you visit the land of the Navajo Nation, you can see why it was allocated to them by the US government. Most of it is arid, barren desert country useless for agriculture and only marginally useful for grazing cattle or sheep. The early European colonists to this area ceded the Navajo tribe the lands that they considered worthless. Yet, this area contains some of the most unusual and beautiful natural scenery in North America.

As you drive across the arid plains of the Nation, you typically see only a few scattered cattle and sheep grazing on the sparse vegetation. Occasionally, you spot an isolated mobile home set far back from the highway. An old water tank on stilts towers above its roof. Abandoned cars, appliances and debris are often scatterd about. Sometimes, the igloo shape of a traditional Navajo hogan stands near the mobile home.

I asked Harold why there were so few modern homes constructed on the Navajo lands, He explained that only the tribe can communally own the land. Individual Navajo residents can lease land for 99 years, but cannot own it or sell it. The banks will not loan money for the construction of a home that they cannot repossess or sell, so they do not finance houses. Since they can repossess mobile homes, they are willing to finance them.

Of all the beautiful natural scenery on the Navajo Nation, perhaps the most spectacular lies near the border of Arizona and Utah in Monument Valley. Here, massive red sandstone mesas and delicate pinnacles rise hundreds of feet straight up from the vast plains. Monument Valley is one of the great natural wonders of our planet and it all belongs to the Navajo Nation.

Many local Navajos work as tourist guides in Monument Valley or as merchants selling crafts and souvenirs to the many visitors. Some of them are employed by the tribal council while others are independant operators. Harold Simpson is both an independant guide and an entrepreneur owner of his own Trail Handler Tours business.

We spent several days visiting Harold. He proudly showed us his spectacular homeland in Monument Valley. We spent the night in the traditional Navajo hogan that was used by his father, a local shaman or medicine man, for various religious ceremonies. The next day, he took us on a backcountry jeep tour of nearby mystery valley and its many ancient cliffside ruins.

As the sun was setting, Harold parked the jeep before a great natural alcove rising a hudred feet or more up the side of a rock wall. He disappeared into the shrubs at the base of the wall. Moments later, we heard the steady throbbing of a drum and the lilting sonorous chant of an Indian song echoing from the natural acoustic amplifier. The sound of this ancient traditional music echoing from the rock wall as the sun set on the spectacular natural scenery created a sense of reverence and awe that cannot be described. Harold, an accomplished drummer and singer, was serenading us.

Indian Reservations

Mike Leco — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 14:20:00 GMT

I frequently receive e-mails from folks in other countries asking me if they can visit an Indian reservation to observe the natives, to see their lifestyle, and to experience their culture. I am never sure how to answer such a question. It often seems like the writer lacks understanding for people's basic right to privacy.

Suppose I wrote to someone in the UK asking, "Can I visit an English village, see how the natives live, and experience their culture?" I believe the simple answer would be. "yes, as long as you don't peer through their bedroom windows and barge in on their church services popping flash photos." The same principles apply to Native Americans. Most reservations are open to the public, so you can go on them, and perhaps, see some of the residents. You must, however, respect their privacy.

An Indian reservation is the home of a specific Indian tribe. The members of that tribe have built their homes, their villages, their schools,their communal meeting places and their places of worship on their reservation. They enjoy nearly full autonomy within that reservation. They maintain their own government, their own code of laws, their own educational system, their own public services, and their own police force. Some members of the tribe choose to live on the reservation. Others do not. Most reservations are open to visitors, some have even built facilities designed to attract tourists. A few reservations are closed to uninvited visitors, because the residents value their privacy.

Long ago, colonists from other countries drove the Indian tribes off of their historic homelands, and forced them to relocate to the reservations. The lands reserved for the Indian tribes were typically unsuitable for agriculture and useless for economic development. Nevertheless, many tribal members choose to remain on the reservations, because that has become the civic and cultural center of their tribe. Other members of the tribe have chosen to relocate to areas where jobs are more plentiful or the lands are more fertile.

Most Indians are proud of their tribal heritage. They strive to uphold their traditional family and tribal values, and to maintain their cultural integrity. Unfortunately, some of the Indian reservations suffer from widespread unemployment and poverty. In some cases, this has fostered alcoholism, drug abuse, depression and domestic violence. Other reservations are blessed with natural resources or economic advantages that provide sufficient jobs and good incomes for their tribal members. On those reservations, the residents are able to afford a comfortable life with fewer social problems.

Some Indian reservations are strategically located near big cities in states that prohibit gambling. Astute tribal councils have used their unique sovereignty status to permit gambling on those reservations, and have built gambling casinos. These "Indian casinos" have provided good economic resources for the tribes and significant monetary benefits for all of their tribal members.

I have been on many Indian reservations throughout the USA, and each has offered a different experience.

In New York and California, I visited Indian Casinos. I met Native Americans in those casinos, but most of them were dealing cards at the blackjack tables or were mixing drinks at the bars. I did not find much opportunity to experience Native American culture in the casinos.

In Florida and Washington, I visited tribal cultural centers that the governing councils had erected on their reservations. Each offered many exhibits depicting the history and the cultural heritage of the local tribe. I got the chance to meet a few members of the tribe. They were the museum guides and the staff of the cultural center. The interaction was brief and somewhat formal.

In New Mexico, I visited the Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. It offered a great museum depicting the history and cultural heritage of the various tribes in that state. It also offered traditional dance exhibitions, traditional foods prepared by Native American cooks, demonstrations of tribal crafts and a market for Indian made merchandise. I was very favorably impressed by that experience. I got to meet and speak with Native American craftsmen, musicians, dancers, storytellers and tribal representatives.

Two of the pueblos, or ancient adobe towns, that are preserved on Indian reservations in New Mexico are open to the public and tourists are welcome. Some of the pueblos, on reservations in New Mexico, restrict the entry of uninvited guests. Acoma, or "Sky Pueblo" is located atop a high butte, and has been preserved like an archeological site, but it is still inhabited by Indians of the Pueblo tribe. They welcome tourists and provide guided tours of their home in the sky.