Say What You Need To Say

Day 3: May 27th, 2011- One day in Santa Fe

- 7:24 am: I woke up.
- 7:36: everyone else woke up...
- ^Obviously not important
- Our day began in the plaza. We watched as a handful of different artists spread out their pieces of art. I scanned everything and finally saw something I wanted. Unfortunately, the artist was not there so I was worried that I'd have to leave Santa Fe without the necklace. So I strolled on over a museum right in back of the Palace of Governors along with the rest of the group. We were given a guided tour of an exhibit that focused on the Navajo long walk and the Indian schools all around the country. One of the most heart wrenching things about the exhibit was a photograph of young Native American boy before he was sent away to an Indian boarding school in Pennsylvania paired with a photograph of the same boy after he left the boarding school. His long hair: cut. His traditional clothing: gone. His face: tired and saddened.
- After the museum we walked over to a restaurant a few blocks away from the plaza. Guess what I ate! Tostadas... more Mexican food. I may as well mention now that we had Mexican food for dinner too - Officially five meals of Mexican cuisine.
- Luckily, we had some free time before we had to leave for the next museum so I booked it over to the spot where I saw the necklace early in the morning. THE ARTIST WAS THERE! So needless to say I bought the piece of jewelry. As he was wrapping it up, he asked me about the necklace I was wearing - it was an Indian Fetish of a horse. I asked what it meant and he told me all of the different origins of the horse fetish. Many people wear jewelry containing horses when they want to own a horse which shows their spirituality, commitment to prayer, and the belief that good will come. He said, though, that it is most commonly believed to represent courage. I figured that this man was very knowledgeable about Indian Fetishes so whipped out the earrings my mom let me borrow for my trip and asked if he could explain the meanings of the three fetishes found on them. The first, which I thought was a fish, was actually a dove. (shows what I know) He said that it a very widespread symbol of peace and that it is exactly the same in Indian cultures. The second was a bear. Many people wear it to symbolize strength. The last was a mountain lion. It conveys a meaning that people are able to find what they want if they believe that they will find it. (this was my favorite part of the day)
- We also went to another museum where we met with Joyce Begay Foss (sp?). She introduced us to the intricate art of weaving as well as the need for patience and balance. Her work was beautiful and her passion shined through as she spoke about her culture and growing up as a Navajo woman. She wanted to convey to us that it is extremely important that we speak up about what we want to know or what we believe in.

Tomorrow we head out to Taos Pueblo, and I can not wait!

Oh and...

Fun Fact of the Day: The Navajo society is matriarchal rather than patriarchal is it is in the Pueblo culture and many others.