Grant County, New Mexico: A Revolution in the Middle of Nowhere

Mural about the Mine-Mill Strike by the Local 890 and the 209. Bayard, New Mexico

You're driving down a road. You pass through a small, rather despondent town by the name of Bayard. The only thing of interest that catches your eye is a mural on the side of a long, low building. You turn around, go back. Get out of the car, take the pics, get back in the car and zoom off. Nice artwork.

But when you get home and go through the pics, get ready to post them, you do a little due diligence on the ol' "Local 890" cited in the mural. Maybe there's a little blurb in a local paper about the mural, its artist, and a bit of history of a union group that used to be, and that probably is no more.

You google on "Hurley, NM" and "local 890." Nothing of interest comes up. So you broaden the search to "local 890" and "new mexico." (Update 11Feb2013: Note comment below from Anonymous. I had the town wrong, which explains why nothing much came up in my original search. Doh!) 

Goddamn. What a story!

Mural about the Mine-Mill Strike by the Local 890 and the 209. Bayard, New Mexico

The primary story

Back in the early 1950s, a lot of folks in Grant County worked at the Empire Zinc Mine in Hanover, New Mexico. Americans of Mexican descent were paid less than other Americans working in the mine - there was a two-tiered wage structure to ensure that. Furthermore, regardless of ethnicity, the company didn't pay for the time getting down into or up out of the mine - the clock didn't start until the miners were in place. Mining families living in company housing suffered poor living conditions - no hot water, for example. The company was not responsive to the miners' complaints about any of these issues, and they and the miners reached an impasse.

The miners' union, the Local 890, decided to go on strike. They kept the mine closed for eight months, with neither side budging from their positions. Finally, the company obtained a court injunction forbidding the miners to strike.

In a creative twist, some of the wives of the miners, affiliated with the Ladies' Auxiliary 209, suggested that they form the picket lines instead of the miners. The miners agreed.

The women stood fast against arrests, threats, and intimidation by union scabs, local law, and community members. In one narrative:

"The women’s picket was carefully organized, militant, and successful. Not only did wives of Empire strikers, such as Henrietta Williams and Virginia Chacón, walk the line; many women from other towns in Grant County also participated. When County Sheriff Leslie Goforth ordered 53 women arrested on June 16, another 300 women took their places!"

Furthermore, in response to intimidation:

"Not only did women push cars, drag men out of them, and maintain their lines; they also jumped on cars, threw rocks at strikebreakers, and deployed various “domestic” items as weapons: knitting needles, pins, (rotten) eggs and chili peppers."

So who was back home taking care of the kids and house? The jobless miners, who had eye-opening experiences at home.

"For the next seven months, the women held the line in the face of violence from strikebreakers, mass arrests by the sheriff, and opposition from many of their own husbands, who were suddenly faced with the responsibilities of caring for children, washing clothes, and doing the dishes. In January 1952, the strikers returned to work with a new contract. They had failed to win their major demands, but did obtain significant pay increases that, in effect, undermined the Mexican wage. Several weeks later, Empire Zinc installed hot water plumbing in Mexican American workers’ houses--a major issue pushed by the women of these households."

Mural about the Mine-Mill Strike by the Local 890 and the 209. Bayard, New Mexico

The secondary story

Three filmmakers who were members of the Communist Party made a movie about the miners' strike. They were Herbert Biberman (director), Michael Wilson (screenwriter), and Paul Jarrico (producer).

Mr. Wilson wrote or collaborated on screenplays for, among others: Lawrence of Arabia, Planet of the Apes, Bridge Over the River Kwai, It's A Wonderful Life, A Place in the Sun, and Border Patrol. In some, such as Lawrence of Arabia, he was uncredited because he had been blacklisted during (and after) the McCarthy Era.

The movie was Salt of the Earth, and it included experienced actors and individuals who actually participated in the strike. Filmed on site, the movie production was beset with harassing actions by politicos fraught with commie fever.

"On February 24, 1953, as filming proceeded in Grant County, U.S. Representative Donald L. Jackson (Rep-Calif.), a member of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), delivered a speech on the floor of Congress that portrayed Salt as a dire threat to the nation. 'This picture,' Jackson charged, 'is deliberately designed to inflame racial hatreds and to depict the United States of America as the enemy of all colored peoples.' 'If this picture is shown in Latin America, Asia, and India,' he warned, 'it will do incalculable harm not only to the United States but to the cause of free people everywhere.' 'In effect,' he concluded, 'this picture is a new weapon for Russia.'”

To harass the making of the movie,

"The Grant County American Legion post distributed printed copies of Jackson’s speech to local residents. Anti-Mine-Mill residents formed a vigilante committee that carried out physical attacks on the film crew and cast. And the day after Jackson’s speech, Rosaura Revueltas [one of the professional actresses] was arrested on immigration charges, based on the technicality that she had failed to get her passport stamped when entering the U.S., and was deported before filming ended. (The last shots of her in the film were done in Mexico and the film had to be smuggled back into the U.S.). Finally, due to collaboration between Jackson, studio executives such as Howard Hughes, the American Legion, as well as the conservative Hollywood technicians’ union--the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)--few Americans saw Salt of the Earth in the year of its release. In 1954, there were 13,000 movie theaters in the U.S. Only thirteen of them showed the film."

In addition, shots were fired nearby and planes buzzed the production in order to interrupt film making.

"Grandpa Walton," Will Geer, played the town sheriff in the movie. Mr. Geer was also on the blacklist for his alleged un-American activities.

Mural about the Mine-Mill Strike by the Local 890 and the 209. Bayard, New Mexico

 
The tertiary stories



Women's rights. Carl R. Weinberg, a historian and the author of this article, which as served as my main resource on the Local 890 strike, proposes that the women's role in this strike was one of a series of events that informed the modern-day women's movement.

Communism as scapegoat. The socio-political environment in which the strike and movie occurred used communism as a handy shield to maintain the status quo for the mining company and its employees.

Mural about the Mine-Mill Strike by the Local 890 and the 209. Bayard, New Mexico. 

So here's to the mural artist(s) in little Bayard, New Mexico, whose work compelled me to pause for a moment on my way home from Silver City. And to the people of the Local 890 and the 209, whose story is still so moving, more than 50 years later. 

Hurley, New Mexico: Cemetery

Hurley Cemetery, Hurley, New Mexico.

Hurley Cemetery, Hurley, New Mexico.

Hurley Cemetery, Hurley, New Mexico.

On the Road: In For the Night

Silver City, New Mexico. In for the night.

UPDATE: Chimps in Alamogordo, New Mexico

Credit: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

History

Back here, I related the history of chimpanzees in Alamogordo.


A new life for the Alamogordo chimps!


Today brings important news for the 169 remaining chimps at the Alamogordo Primate Facility on Holloman Air Force Base.

In short --> some? most? all? -- of these chimps will be retired to Chimp Haven in Louisiana.

Here is the final report from the Working Group on the Use of Chimpanzees in NIH-Supported Research. There is a comment period before their recommendations can be finalized, but it would seem public opinion is in favor of retiring the chimps.

What a happy ending to a dismal history.  Kudos to Chimp Haven.


But what about ....? 

While I was researching the history of the Alamogordo chimps, I was dismayed to learn that Americans can breed and sell chimps as pets.

Insanity.  


Setting aside the horror stories of the dangers of adolescent and adult chimps, how does one rationalize taking a baby chimp from its mother?

A baby chimp that has been taken from its mother suffers effects similar to that of a human infant being stolen from its mother.

Baby Chimpanzee For Sale

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Red Paint Powwow, New Mexico, Part 2: The Chinese Hopi

Miao girls, China. Source: The source is no longer a safe URL; removed from this post.

The Red Paint Powwow is an annual event in Silver City, New Mexico, hosted by the Chiricahua Apache. I attended the powwow on Saturday, January 19, 2013.

I saw many styles of attire at the Red Paint Powwow. But one woman's regalia drew my attention because she was dressed like no one else. I picked through my mental file cabinet. Result:

 "No file found." 

I was eager for this mystery to be solved as the day unfolded.

In the afternoon, the emcee, Otis Half Moon, called up various powwow dignitaries for recognition in front of the dais. Among them were the "royalty."

Two young women came forward. One was a teen from Tularosa, Miss Mescalero Apache, I believe. She gave a sweet talk about what she wants to accomplish during her reign. 

The other young woman was the person whose attire I didn't recognize. She explained that she was a member of a minority tribe in China, and that when she came to the U.S., she was homesick. Her husband somehow connected her to a Hopi community and she felt an immediate kinship: "I saw my brothers and sisters!" And she felt she'd found a home with the Hopi.

Obviously, her American Hopi brothers and sisters feel the same, as she was an honored guest at the powwow. 

It was very moving.

Miao woman, China. Credit: Bowers Museum.

 

By the way, the Hopi apparently have their own version of Revelations in which Elder Brother (as represented by China, India, Africa, and Islamic nations) will rejoin with Younger Brother (the Hopi) after the United States (except for Hopi lands) is destroyed by atomic bombs and radioactivity.

Red Paint Powwow, New Mexico, Part 1: Golden Eagle

Golden eagle, Red Paint Powwow, Silver City, New Mexico

The Red Paint Powwow is an annual event in Silver City, New Mexico, hosted by the Chiricahua Apache. I attended the powwow on Saturday, January 19, 2013.

There was a golden eagle at the powwow


The golden eagle plays a sacred role in the traditional Apache belief system (in addition to Hopi, Navajo, and other groups).

James Rodgers, a falconer, brought his golden eagle to the powwow at the invitation of the powwow organizers. Mr. Rodgers explained to me and a little group surrounding him that many Apache have never seen a golden eagle up close like this. A number of the Indians, he said, come to see the golden eagle with corn pollen in their hands, which they sprinkle on the eagle's feet and back as a blessing. I later saw one of the powwow leaders do exactly that.

Side bar on corn pollen

Corn pollen. Credit: Colorado College

Here is a nice explanation of the importance of corn pollen in Navajo spiritual life. Apache people also have a reverence for corn pollen. (Indeed, Apache and Navajo are related.) If I understand correctly, the "corn pollen way" is the same as "the beauty way."

Below is a song called Corn Pollen Road by Louie Gonnie (who was featured in the documentary, Sun Kissed, that I talked about a couple of weeks ago).

(However, note that although the song is called the Corn Pollen Road, there is a school of faith called the Corn Pollen Way that is different from the school of faith called the Native American Church, and Mr. Gonnie is a member of the latter. Be that as it may, corn pollen has a place in both the cultural/spiritual and religious denomination/spiritual realms. Note also that I only barely have a grasp on any of this.)

Who can own a living golden eagle?

A woman asked Mr. Rodgers if he had a license to own the eagle, and he assured her that not only did he have a license, it was in his pocket.  And he told the story of how he came to own this golden eagle.

Golden eagle ownership in the U.S. is governed by federal law. 

Per Mr. Rodgers, a falconer can obtain a license to own a golden eagle through the depredation program. As I understand it - and I am discouraged that I can't find a clearly laid-out explanation of same online - if a rancher, for example, makes, through repeated complaints, a successful claim to the feds that his/her livestock is being depredated by a golden eagle, then a falconer on a waiting list can gain access to the offending bird. But only if it is an adolescent - can't be a mature adult; can't be younger than a certain age. Also, the falconer must trap the bird him/herself, and only when accompanied by a federal agent.

Mr. Rodgers reported that it took a week for him to trap his golden eagle.


Who can own parts of a golden eagle?

"It is illegal for any individual to possess a bald or golden eagle, including its parts (feathers, feet, etc)." Source: National Eagle Repository.

But there is the National Eagle Repository, which distributes eagle parts (not kidding) of found-dead eagles to "qualified Native Americans for use in religious Indian ceremonies."

 "Qualified" is important. You cannot grant yourself legal identity as a "Native American" just because you say so. You need to prove it in accordance with federal or tribal regulations.

The powwow emcee was very careful to state that many of the feathers worn by the powwow participants had been handed down through the generations.



What about the Hopis? 

I see conflicting information on the web about Hopis being able to collect live golden eagles and sacrificing them as part of a religious act or using any of their parts (i.e. feathers).

But I'm not confused about the fact that one can't "take" a golden eagle just because one is Hopi. A Hopi must have a permit to do so.

The Overnight Checklist

When I've got my shit together, here's what I do the night before an overnight road trip:

1. Gas up the car
2. Charge the camera batteries. (Note batteries, not battery. See here.) 
3. Charge the phone. 
4. Charge the mp3 player. 
5. Print off or write down directions. **
6. Print off or write down lodging information: phone number, reservation number if any. **
7. Re-check the weather to make sure I pack the appropriate clothing.
8. Set the alarm. Set two if it's important to get up super early. 
9. I decide if I'm going to have a meal on the road, figure out what I'll have, and put it in/take it out of the freezer or prepare it .. .and pull out the desired cooler or other carrying case.
10. Get my toiletry bag out so I can load it up the next morning. 

Road to Tucumcari from Las Vegas, New Mexico

**I don't have any GPS tools and I don't have a smart phone. 

New Mexico Movies: The Bombs

Trinity Site, White Sands Missile Base, near Alamogordo, New Mexico

New Mexico served as ground zero for the beginning of the American atomic age. 


I watched a couple of movies about this history. Each is engaging and informative in different ways. It's worthwhile to watch both. 

In general, the movies did a good job of laying out the history of the bombs without editorializing. The filmmakers let the key players tell their own stories, so the viewers could draw their own conclusions without an interpretative middle man. The filmmakers respected their audience enough to let them come to their own conclusions about the justification for Hiroshima and Nagasaki (and the use of islands in the Pacific for so much testing through the years).


I found Edward Teller, so-called "father of the hydrogen bomb," and who appeared in both documentaries, to be rather chilling in his testimony.

Of course, there was a deliberate choice by the Trinity and Beyond filmmakers to screen a relentless repetition of unfurling mushroom clouds, which can't help but have the same disturbing effect as watching those constant rewinds of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers or the horrendous replay of Hurricane Katrina images. In my opinion, this movie is not suitable for children younger than 14.

Trinity & Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie. I didn't know that the U.S. and Russia had conducted so many atomic bomb tests - underground, above ground - low, above ground - high, above water, below water, and in space. (The U.S. alone conducted 331 atmospheric nuclear tests between 1945 and 1962, or ~ 19.5 per year.) Seeing so many mushroom clouds - their malevolent beauty - letting sink in the arrogance of government entities, no matter with how much patriotic fervor they rationalized their actions, to release such malignant forces into our world, was disturbing and depressing. Notwithstanding the subject matter, the movie displayed excellent production values and appropriate music. Was too intense for me to watch in one sitting; had to view it in small doses.

The Manhattan Project (The History Channel). The filmmakers were good storytellers, maintaining a linear narrative while balancing effectively the science, politics, contemporary events, character studies, firsthand accounts, and historians' accounts. Of the two movies, this one did a better job of explaining how the bombs worked. When I say "better,"  I mean easier to understand.

Fat Man. Photo from: Wikipedia and John Coster-Mullen

 



 

On Rootlessness and Death

Cemetery, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

A recent article in the New York Times reminded me I need to take care of some business.

Getting your shit together 

The article is A Shocking Death, A Financial Lesson, and Help for Others, which introduced readers to the article subject's website: Get Your Shit Together. As in, start getting your affairs in order now so you or your loved ones don't have a mess to deal with later.  The information that the author, Chanel Reynolds, shares is very basic, but it is a good starting point.    

Cemetery, Istanbul

That includes your online life ... and death

Back here, I mentioned some vendors that keep all of your passwords (and access to online "assets" in general) in one place and pairs that with instructions from you to share the passwords with designated beneficiaries upon your death or incapacitation.  That is a service I want, but have I followed up on this? No, I have not.

Cemetery, Mtatsminda, Tbilisi, Georgia

The Digital Beyond is "... a blog about your digital existence and what happens to it after your death. We’re the go-to source for archival, cultural, legal and technical insights to help you predict and plan for the future of your online content." This site lists and compares "digital death and afterlife online services" here.












What I do have in place ... 

Advance directive - appropriately signed and notarized, with originals distributed to appropriate people. (The link goes to a place where you can download your state's advance directive forms.) Done.


All of my financial accounts have designated beneficiaries. When I say designated, that doesn't mean I wrote a list of my accounts and entered a name beside each entry on a piece of paper and that was the end of it. No, it means the financial institutions have this information and will automatically transfer ownership of said funds to the designated beneficiary upon proof of my death. You don't need a will to make this happen and, in fact, if you do have a will, the designated beneficiaries on your financial accounts will supersede any conflicting direction you may have in your will. (You know that nightmare situation where a guy made his 2nd wife the beneficiary of everything in his will, but he didn't take his 1st wife's name off of the financial accounts as beneficiary? You got it - the 1st wife wins the jackpot.) Done.

Cemetery, Missouri

 What I don't have ... because I don't need it


Life insurance. I have no mate, minor children, business partnerships, or debt. I have enough money to pay the expenses related to the disposition of my remains.  I don't feel the need to create a legacy via life insurance. So I don't need life insurance.

Cemetery, Armenia

The will

Alllaw has a nice list of DIY resources on wills. For my simple situation, I felt comfortable copying and adapting the Basic Will Form at the bottom of the Alllaw's page. Here's another guide to get someone started on doing up a will - with or without help.

I don't have this in the Done section yet because I'm just now completing it.

I'm not entirely convinced one is necessary for me, but it's easy to make a will (for someone, like me, with an uncomplicated asset-and-beneficiary life), plus having one will remove even the slightest hesitation about who's in charge of taking care of my stuff when I'm gone. I mean, I don't have much stuff (like that printer I just bought), but I do have some. And somebody's going to have to deal with it.

Cemetery, Lalibela, Ethiopia

The Gravitational Pull of Stuff

I had to buy a printer today. I thought I could get by without a printer, but that's not going to work, after all.

Every time I buy a durable good, it weighs me down. It's something I'll have to divest myself of later. And while often I can shrug this off, sometimes it makes me wistful.

Like: I have become fond of my vacuum cleaner.

Is there a tipping point of stuff accumulation that creates a gravitational pull toward geographic inertia? I'm not there yet, but I will confess to having cast about for a U.S. location for next year. Just because of my stuff.  

Like: I am reluctant to leave behind my car again.

As I set up my printer today, I told myself that buying such items is a just a matter of overhead - the cost of living in a place, and not to attach any more meaning onto it than that.

All my stuff three months ago.

The Rootless Bed

There are so many places one could go with that title ....

I'll give you a moment.

....
....
....
....
....

This post is a review of the air-bed I bought when I moved to Alamogordo.

Intex bed. Credit: Amazon

It's an Intex Deluxe Pillow Rest Rising Comfort Twin bed. For about $35.

I've been sleeping on it for three months now.

The advantages are: 

• Easy to inflate or deflate
• When deflated, fits into a tidy bag (that comes with the bed) that's smaller than a rolled sleeping bag
• Sturdy
• Not quite as high off the floor as a real bed, but pretty close
• Easy to move when you vac or sweep the floor
• Budget price

The minimal disadvantages are: 

• It's a bit tricky to put on a fitted twin sheet, but that's just a minor inconvenience, and once you get the fitted sheet on, it stays on
• Because the bed's interior is air, you can get cold at night, but I solved this issue by laying a thin blanket underneath the fitted sheet
• Although durable, it's not furniture that one feels confident in employing for calisthenics

When I first put up the bed, I needed to add a little more air each night for, I don't know, maybe up to a week. Since then, though, I think I've only had to add some air once or twice. The vinyl stretches in the beginning, so there's a breaking-in period that requires that air replenishment until the stretching process completes.

Adding air couldn't be simpler: Plug in the built-in cord to your electrical outlet, push a button, allow the air to run a few seconds, push the button again, and unplug the cord.

To deflate, you do all of the above, but just change the dial from inflate to deflate.

I like this bed very much. If my next residence is a place I drive to, I'll be taking it with me.

Update 18 March 2013: The bed lasted six months, a good run for the money. There was a small, L-shaped tear that I couldn't fix. 

Rootless Freedom: A New Job!

I just received good news!

I've been accepted as an online English teacher for a company based in Europe, which has adult learners all over the world.

All of my experiences thus far with this company, which I'll call Artemis, have been professional, positive, and respectful of both its clients and prospective teachers. Good teaching materials. Decent income for this online-teaching newbie. (Not giddy-good, but decent.)

I've got the usual new-job jitters, of course. I will try to remember these life lessons. And to have fun. 

This new job gives me freedom to live anywhere in the world that has a high-speed internet connection.

Combined with another modest source of income I have, my compensation from Artemis will serve most of my financial needs.

This feels really good.

New Mexico: The Freezing Fog

10:30 a.m. Alamogordo. Sunny. Warmish. In the low 50s perhaps.

Take Highway 54 west, headed for El Paso.

Go past the road to the Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, 14 miles west of Alamogordo.

In the Dog Canyon, at the foot of the park, we see a vast, thick white mist laying heavy over the canyon. My mother and I look at it as we drive by, respecting its grave beauty. 

About 20 miles from Alamogordo, we start noticing the low grasses alongside the road - so pretty with what appears to be icy tops glistening in the light. "Are they frozen?" we ask each other. 

We pass stalwart soaptree yuccas that line the road like armed men.

And then we disappear into the freezin' fog.

Alamogordo: Monte Viste Cemetery on First Street

Monte Vista Cemetery, First Street, Alamogordo, New Mexico

The New Thing I Collect From Hotel Rooms

To-go coffee cups.

Used to be that hotel rooms only offered little styrofoam cups in the rooms (other than ceramic mugs).

Now they provide the nice reinforced-paper coffee cups, sometimes with lids, sometimes not.

I like.

Dixie Perfect Touch Hot Cup

I don't collect the shampoos and conditioners anymore, and usually, not any soap, either. But if there's lotion, I still take that.

New Mexico Movies: Sun Kissed

Dar and Leandra Nez. New Mexico. Credit: PBS

I don't remember what I was looking for when I stumbled on the documentary, Sun Kissed,  broadcast as an episode of PBS' POV. But once I started watching it, I was transfixed by the openness of parents Yolanda and Dorey, the care in which the two filmmakers presented their story, and how tightly woven were history, science, culture, and religion in creating a family tragedy.    

POV's summary:

When a Navajo couple discovers their children have a disorder that makes exposure to sunlight fatal, they also learn their reservation is a hotbed for this rare genetic disease. Why? Sun Kissed follows Dorey and Yolanda Nez as they confront cultural taboos, tribal history and their own unconventional choices to learn the shocking truth: The consequences of the Navajos’ Long Walk — their forced relocation by the U.S. military in 1864 — are far from over. A co-production of ITVS, with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. A co-presentation with Native American Public Telecommunications.

Trailer:

I don't think there's anything of value I can add to the summary above other than to remark on the (cliche alert!) hauntingly beautiful song that plays when Yolanda and Dorey's little girl is being buried: Water, the Rain and the Oceans of Time, by Louie Gonnie.

Big issues raised in documentary


The Long Walk

The Long Walk, circa 1864, during which the U.S. Army forced thousands of Navajo into what was, for all intents and purposes, a concentration camp in Bosque Redondo (later called Fort Sumner) in which the Navajo remained until 1868. (Mescalero Apache were also forced here.)


Navajo death taboo

June 3, 1993, Daily News article: Mystery Disease Complicated by Navajo Taboos (not connected with the genetic disorder that Dorey and Yolanda's children had)

January 23, 2011 New York Times article: With Poem, Broaching the Topic of Death



"Genetic bottleneck"

Explanation:  "... events like earthquakes, flood, fire and drought or human activities can reduce the size of populations. Such events are able to reduce the variation in the gene pool of a population drastically. ... Due to the smaller population size after a bottleneck event, the chance of inbreeding and genetic homogeneity increases and unfavoured alleles can accumulate."

It's believed the concentration of  the XP disorder among Navajos is a result of the genetic bottleneck that was a result of the Long Walk.

The documentary doesn't go into this much detail, but there were actually two genetic bottlenecks related to the Long Walk.

One occurred at Fort Sumner, where so many Navajos sequestered there died of illness, starvation, or exposure. Not to mention the number of infants not born because the mothers had insufficient physical reserves to support their development and healthy birth. The deaths left a reduced population, and therefore, a reduced gene pool

The other bottleneck occurred when about 1000 Navajos eluded capture by the U.S. Army - they ran to and area so remote that it was effectively inaccessible well into the 1960s. These Navajos comprise the genetic source of much of the "western reservation" of Navajos.

When the Long Walk Navajos returned to their lands, they tended to settle in the "eastern reservation," thus the two bottleneck groups tended not to intermarry.

A common reaction to a drastic population reduction is an explosive birth rate following the reduction event. This has the effect of rapidly deploying the otherwise-recessive alleles that cause genetic disorders. The Navajo experience was no different following the two bottlenecks.   

Chapter 8, When Genes Belong to Groups and Not Individuals, in the book DNA: Promise and Peril, by Linda McCabe and Edward McCabe, tells a dramatic story of the Navajo migration from Alaska, the two bottlenecks in the 1860s, and tribal sovereignty over the tribal members' genes and how all impact Navajo health today.


"Dip and ship"

The documentary didn't use the phrase "dip and ship," but it refers to a Mormon program in which Navajo kids were baptized ("dipped") and then placed ("shipped") in an anglo Mormon foster family to go to school and, in theory, enjoy some advantages they might not otherwise enjoy if they remained with their own families on the reservation.

I'd assumed the old Indian-kids-sent-to-boarding-schools era, in which the government strived to "civilize" them, was over completely. So I was pretty shocked to hear about this Mormon program.

In the documentary, Yolanda Nez, the children's mom, lived for several years with an anglo Mormon family in Utah. For her, it was a good experience, but with the cost of losing out on Navajo fluency, in both language and cultural contexts.

This Mormon website offers a brief summary of its proselytizing activities in the Navajo Nation.

As it turns out, Anglo Mormons, Navajos, and Hopi have a complicated relationship that goes back to when the Mormons ventured out west - sometimes peaceful, sometimes hostile, often tense.  I haven't read all of this paper yet, but it purports to look at the relationship and, specifically, the history of Tuba City, Arizona, with new information that takes into account oral history from Navajo and Hopi reporters. 

I'm still processing all of the factors - historical, social, cultural, medical, genetic, geographic - that contributed to the slow death of Yolanda and Dorey's two children, Dar and Leandra.



 

Rootless Weaponry, Part 2

Mino woman warrior. 

Back here, I noted I wanted a knife.

Yesterday, I set about making that happen. 

Step 1: Identify the qualities I want in a knife
Step 2: Look at knife reviews
Step 3: Choose my knife and order it

 

The qualities I want in a knife

1. I have learned in life that no product will do everything beautifully. There are always compromises, especially if you have a limited budget.
2. In light of the above, it's important to watch out for mission creep. In other words, I must focus on why I want the knife and not get distracted (too much) by other uses. 

My mission: To own and carry an accessible, effective self-defense tool with me on hikes.


So with these tenets in mind, I found a really good analysis of what to look for in a knife at  ... yes ... The Art of Manliness, in this article: How to Choose the Perfect Survival Knife.  It's a well-written, straightforward, common-sense article. The author addressed these qualities cleanly:

• Blade size - Not too long; not too short
• Fixed blade, not folding blade
• Full tang, not partial tang
• Sharp-pointed tip rather than angled, hooked, rounded, or squared off tip
• Single-edged blade rather than double-edged blade
• Solid pommel (the handle bottom) rather than a hooked or rounded pommel

He doesn't address metal materials, serrated v. smooth blade, sheaths, handle grips, etc.

Knife reviews

With these qualities in mind, I searched out specific knife reviews and found this article by Ben Brooks. Mr. Brooks'  review introduced me to the Esee brand which, I subsequently discovered, is way over my budget. So I had to back up and look at knives under $50.

Somehow I ended up over at Amazon and ...


Decided on this

SOG M37-N. Credit: Amazon

The SOG M37-N.  I bought it at $41.xx, which included shipping. 

Good reviews on Amazon.

It has most, but not all of the features I sought:

• Blade size between 4.5 and 5.5 inches (in close quarters, don't need as much range of motion to pull out of sheath, stab, and pull out again, repeat)
• Full tang
• Fixed blade (no fumbling to open knife while being mauled by a bear)
• Sharp-pointed tip (to get to business ASAP in a self-defense situation)
• Single-edged blade rather than double-edged blade, though I'd prefer most of the spine (the non-edge side) to be straighter (can use non-sharp edge to "baton," a bit of mission creep here)
• Solid pommel, aka butt (to use as mallet if necessary - another bit of mission creep)
• Has a decent-sized quillon, aka finger guard (so I don't cut myself)
• Handle seems to have a good grip surface (so I don't slip and cut myself)

What I'm not crazy about  is: 

• Serrated part of blade, but that's toward the bottom, so it's tolerable
• I'd prefer the quillon (finger guard) to be on both sides and to be longer 

 A New Mexico knife maker, Jay Fisher, presents a thorough study on knife anatomy here.  


Sheath

The knife comes with a nylon sheath that I'm happy with. Until I watched the Continental Divide movie, I didn't know I could have a knife in a sheath in a draw-down position versus a draw-up-and-out position, and I think this nylon sheath is constructed in a way that I can do that. (One of the hikers, toward the end of the movie, pulls out his short but lethal knife. [That sounds a little titillating, doesn't it?].)

My plan is to have it on my right-side, front backpack strap, set up so I can pull it down and out.

Will I feel more secure when I've got the knife with me? Don't know yet, but even if not, it's still something I should have with me.  

Santa Fe, New Mexico: Christmas

Farolitos walk on Canyon Road, Christmas Eve. Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Although I don't love Santa Fe, this didn't keep me from exploiting its cachet by spreading the word among family and friends, before the holidays, that "We're spending Christmas in Santa Fe," knowing that conjures up the idea of hearty outdoor sports, glowing fireplaces, stamping one's feet to remove snow at the threshold of a lodge tastefully decorated in upscale Southwestern decor, and visiting renowned art galleries.

In general, though, the idea of Santa Fe is, for me, more attractive than the reality.  
 

Farolitos walk on Canyon Road, Christmas Eve. Santa Fe, New Mexico.

"We" included me, my mother, Carol, visiting me from Missouri, and my sister, Kellen,* meeting us from her base in Colorado.

Farolitos walk on Canyon Road, Christmas Eve. Santa Fe, New Mexico.

We stayed at the Silver Saddle Motel, a cheerful retro motel on the ugly, vehicular conveyor belt known as Cerillos Road. Places like the Silver Saddle -- they almost provide a public service through their budget-friendly pricing, maintenance of a place's historic design and spirit, and exemplary service to their customers.

Silver Saddle Motel, Santa Fe, New Mexico

On the way to Santa Fe (song? no, that's something something San Jose) from Alamogordo:

(Cat Stevens certainly makes for a nice road-trip companion.)

Speaking of Alamogordo and Santa Fe together: Alamogordo is a very walkable, cyclable city. Santa Fe is not. 

Farolitos walk on Canyon Road, Christmas Eve. Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The highlight of our trip was the Christmas Eve tradition of walking along the farolitos trail on Canyon Road. Thousands of people walk through every year. Vendors sell hot chocolate and cider. There are luminarias (small bonfires) distributed at many points, allowing walkers to warm themselves for a bit. Musicians create a festive ambiance.

Farolitos walk on Canyon Road, Christmas Eve. Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The plaza outside the Tibetan complex of stores was especially beautiful.

 
And it snowed.

Farolitos walk on Canyon Road, Christmas Eve. Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Silver Saddle Motel owners had kindly included us in their trip to the farolitos walk, a good example of why this place is a good place to patronize. We piled into their van along with a couple of other guests, these from Austin.

Farolitos walk on Canyon Road, Christmas Eve. Santa Fe, New Mexico.

We poked around the historic plaza one day, enjoying breakfast at the iconic Plaza Cafe.

Artistic wares in historic plaza, Santa Fe, New Mexico

A visit was made to the Spanish Colonial Museum. We took a drive through the mountains.

We met interesting people at the motel:

A Colorado couple who had sold it all in Atlanta, traveled for a year or so, then settled in Colorado, and then re-settled in Colorado. Their story is a good example of making plans, executing them, and if they don't work out, adapt, and move on to what does work. 

Another Colorado couple, the husband of which has spent 20 years - and now at the point of big launch - of developing an animated book of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, using the old illustrations in pre-1929 editions. Fascinating.

A Texas couple, the wife of which takes joy from hunting for and finding vintage things for her house. (A passion she shares with Dawn, one of the motel managers.) Suzy described a downstairs bathroom back home that she and her husband did up in unabashed, over-the-top western decor which included, I think, beaten-up leather wainscoting and a rope chair rail. It was also fun to discover that Suzy's hometown is in Findlay, Ohio, which is just a shout away from my father's hometown of Bluffton. 


A good way to spend Christmas.


*Kellen, a pseudonym.   

Grants, New Mexico: More Than You Think

There are those who'd say that Grants, New Mexico, offers little to justify an overnight - or God forbid - a two-night stay.

I have a different opinion.

Northwestern New Mexico Visitors Center, Grants, New Mexico

The Northwestern New Mexico Visitors Center, just outside of Grants, is a wonder of a visitors center. Operated jointly by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management, the center is a beauty in design and the scenic vista you view through the panoramic windows.  The staff are friendly and helpful. There is a treasury of written informational materials, most of them free. The bathrooms sparkle.  You can watch movies. There's a small museum.

Sandstone Bluff, El Malpais, near Grants, New Mexico

El Malpais National Monument is within an hour of Grants, whether you access it via Highway 117 (exit 89 off of I-40 or Highway 53 (exit 81 off of I-40). Within El Malpais are popular destinations Sandstone Bluffs, La Ventana Arch, and Lava Falls. There are good opportunities for hiking and photography.

El Morro National Monument, on Highway 53, showcases the Inscription Trail (wheelchair accessible), which includes about 2000 petroglyphs and carved inscriptions from Spanish (and later) passers-by.

Uranium mine, New Mexico Mining Museum, Grants, New Mexico

New Mexico Mining Museum in Grants focuses on the uranium mines in New Mexico, during their heyday in the 50s through 90s. There's a facsimile of a uranium mine at the museum, where you descend in an elevator and walk through an abbreviated form of a mine. When my mother, Carol, and I visited in December, there was an added, um, thrill when the fire alarm went off accidentally and the staff couldn't turn it off til many minutes later. Carol and I were down in the mine alone and although our heads told us this was just a technical glitch, our nervous systems were saying, "get out, get out!" 

I regret the museum chooses not to address the side effects of uranium mining on the miners and on the environment. When museums omit such important information, the result is we only get part of a story.  The New York Times did a story in March 2012 on abandoned uranium mines in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah: Uranium Mines Dots Navajo Land, Neglected and Still Perilous. Companies that abandoned mines include Chevron and General Electric, among others. I saw no mention in the museum, either, of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which provides some monetary compensation to individuals exposed to radiation due to atomic testing and uranium mining.   

Uranium Watch is an organization that tries to stay on top of what's going on with uranium mining, both active and passive.

Uranium mine, New Mexico Mining Museum, Grants, New Mexico

We didn't check these places out, but also close to Grants are:

Cebolla Wilderness 
Zuni Pueblo
Bluewater Lake State Park

Travel Resolutions for 2013

Lonely Planet has weighed in here [2020 update: Thanks to the Wayback Machine for revivifying this defunct link.] with staff lists of where they intend to go in 2013.

Salt flats, Bolivia. Credit: Best Travel Places

Sidebar: Reading about one staffer's desire to enter a new continent, with a photo of Bolivia's salt flats, made me wonder about an itinerary, executed over the course of several years or so, based on salt.

I like salt. It's necessary for one's survival, and has been demonized unfairly by so-called advanced medical experts. It figures prominently in local histories.

In a favorite book of mine, Alas, Babylon, there comes a time when the survivors of an apocalypse have a desperate need for salt, which prompts the search for same.

Salt Flats, Texas

I've already been to the site of a war over salt (and other things) - Salt Flats, Texas. 

The movie, The Wind Journeys, showed spectacular scenes of the salt mines in Colombia.

]

But I digress. 


Back to travel resolutions for 2013.

CNN offers a list of 2013 travel resolutions that isn't about specific destinations, but about choices and planning. I like it.

The "Travel Troubleshooter" offers one 2013 resolution for us to consider: Don't Be A Jerk.

Arthur Frommer [2020 update: Thanks to the Wayback Machine for revivifying this defunct link.] offers a thoughtful list of 2013 travel resolutions. I like it so much, here it is in full:

"At the end of last year, I hastily scribbled a list of 18 New Year's resolutions for travel in 2012, realizing as I did so that I was including too many marginal and minor ones. I have since pared down the list to 12 important rules for the year ahead, which I genuinely believe reflect important and realistic suggestions. Here they are:

1. I will be courteous and respectful to airport and airline personnel and members of the TSA; they work under stressful conditions, and deserve our smiles and understanding.
2. I will constantly remind myself of the moral obligation to leave a generous daily tip to the housekeepers who have made up my hotel room -- theirs is an underpaid profession, and we should supplement the measly wages of the hotel chains.
3. I will avoid traveling on airlines that delight in public-be-damned attitudes, the companies that exult in an openly-expressed disdain for the traveler.
4. On my very next flight, I will politely ask permission of the person sitting behind me to recline my seat.
5. I will stop burying my head in a newspaper or book, and converse with the airline passenger sitting beside me, if they have indicated a desire to talk.
6. I will continue to argue for high-speed rail -- either in journalism or meetings -- to make a case for a technology so urgently needed in a nation that will soon have 400,000,000 people, as dense as any other on earth.
7. I will agitate as well for an easing of our nation's overly-restrictive visa requirements for incoming tourism, that have prevented so many foreign residents from visiting our country.
8. I will bring sandwiches with me, prepared at home, to substitute for that atrocious airline food.
9. I will never leave on any trip before spending at least a few hours reading about the history and culture of the place I am about to visit.
10. I will supplement the recommended tipping policies of the cruiselines with additional sums meant to recognize the hard labors of the people who staff the ships.
11. I will never book any Caribbean cruise that stops at the many artificial "private islands" or "private beaches" that the cruiselines are substituting for encounters with actual local people.
12. And finally, in the writing I do and the talks I deliver, I will continue to regard travel not as a mere recreation, but as a serious learning activity, a way of understanding the world, an essential element of a civilized life."