Native American Heritage Days Grand Canyon National Park North Rim

I interact with some of the most awesome people from around the world who come to visit this most amazing place.

After two days of Native American Heritage Days watching so many cultures interact in harmony I went out on the Walhalla Plateau Saturday and heard many visitors still talking about this festival.

The young Jimenez Pueblo brothers captured everyone with their native songs. It made no difference whether we could understand the words because their passion came through.

Ramson is a Hopi artist and educator, a teacher to the youth in his culture. He’s recently introduced a new art to his people, glass blowing. This is no more a “new art” than any other yet he uses the earth’s gift of minerals to create representations of marks made on the rocks by his ancestors.

Friday night Ramson spoke about his  Hopi culture. The audience was riveted. He said, “every culture has its own myth which is the collective truth of the people. If you are comfortable with your myth there is no need to convert others, just let them live their own way.”

Debra is a Hopi educator teaching in the Flagstaff school system. She also teaches young girls important lessons to carry on their cultural traditions.

She chaperoned this year’s Miss Hopi and her First attendant to our festival sharing stories and explaining the corn grinding ceremony.

If only more people could live in harmony with the land and themselves. Maybe if we try what I saw on a T-shirt, “Don’t worry, be Hopi”