Indians, Cowboys, and UFOs: Stories of a Teacher on a Small Navajo Reservation in 1970s New Mexico

Teaching on a small Navajo reservation in western New Mexico, surrounded by cowboys, Mormons, Mexicans, and Zuni Indians was quite the culture shock to a boy from Baltimore. This was not the sleepy reservation experience I was expecting. It was so much more. It was a celebration of diversity, individualism, and Native tradition. Even after all these years, I am still in awe of the vast array of experiences I was allowed thanks to the opportunities presented by the Ramah Navajo people.

There was so much to learn of my surroundings as a new teacher, from tribal stories to western folklore to superstitions played out in the lost canyons and mesas of thTeaching on a small Navajo reservation in western New Mexico, surrounded by cowboys, Mormons, Mexicans, and Zuni Indians was quite the culture shock to a boy from Baltimore. This was not the sleepy reservation experience I was expecting. It was so much more. It was a celebration of diversity, individualism, and Native tradition. Even after all these years, I am still in awe of the vast array of experiences I was allowed thanks to the opportunities presented by the Ramah Navajo people.

There was so much to learn of my surroundings as a new teacher, from tribal stories to western folklore to superstitions played out in the lost canyons and mesas of this unique state of New Mexico. As sublime as the area I taught in was, the undercurrent of a living history flowed through everything and every experience I attended. There wasn't a single day I didn't learn some new bit of cultural enlightenment that slipped from the mouths of my employers, the Ramah Navajo, or from my Zuni, Mormon, and Mexican neighbors. I had been presented with a treasure chest full of memories of western history and was fortunate enough to be aware of it. These stories about the people and times I experienced while working in this region are written from the heart.is unique state of New Mexico. As sublime as the area I taught in was, the undercurrent of a living history flowed through everything and every experience I attended. There wasn't a single day I didn't learn some new bit of cultural enlightenment that slipped from the mouths of my employers, the Ramah Navajo, or from my Zuni, Mormon, and Mexican neighbors. I had been presented with a treasure chest full of memories of western history and was fortunate enough to be aware of it. These stories about the people and times I experienced while working in this region are written from the heart.