‘The Sheep Are Like Our Parents’

Irene, a 55-year-old Navajo herder and weaver, led from behind, making sure none of the animals on the right side of the flock straggled or strayed. She wore sweat pants, a long-sleeve T-shirt and a wide-brimmed hat. Following her instructions — “Keep them together but don’t rush them” — I did the same on the left. A motley crew of dogs, though good at keeping predators away once we were in the mountains, were useless as herding animals. I was here to get a taste of the traditional-contemporary life of Navajo pastoralists. My plan was to join Irene as she moved her sheep up to the Chuskas — a strenuous eight-hour trip — then stay for a few days on the ancestral land where generations of her family have spent summers. For centuries, Navajo shepherds living between Shiprock and Gallup, N.M., have practiced this seasonal migration with their flocks. Most of the few who do it today are women who weave the rugs for which the region is famous, tend to their animals and live far off the grid from June to October. Navajos can be guarded about how deep they let outsiders into their world, but some shepherds and weavers are beginning to embrace the idea of cultural tourism, both as a new source of income and out of a desire to share this part of their heritage before it disappears. Guests can help herd sheep and learn skills like weaving, natural plant dyeing, Navajo cooking, storytelling and more. It’s like going to a spartan Navajo dude ranch, where visitors can have an authentic experience of a fading American Indian way of life...more