Places to see in Indian Country

[Heroique]

Just to add some fun historical perspective – If one desires endless (and fascinating) lessons about widespread cannibalism among North American natives, one need only read Francis Parkman, the great 19th-C historian. His examples, of course, deal w/ Eastern 17th-C and 18th-C tribes – blood chilling for the reader, but presented, correctly I believe, as proud (and power-giving) achievements from the perspective of the natives. Often, his documentation comes through the first-hand reports of French Jesuit missionaries, whose journeys into the deep forests provided plenty of believable material to share about native life & culture – believable, even if their first objective was not to collect anthropological material like scientists. (I don’t recall Parkman discussing cannibalism due to famine, but it no doubt took place, even in Eastern forests of plenty.) An interesting counterpoint would be the journals of Lewis and Clark, capable (not trained) anthropologists of the Western tribes. Beyond the range of the Sioux, it’s difficult to imagine cannibalism among most of the early 19th-C tribes they met and studied – not even by the starving Shoshone (Snake) Indians.

The overall impression is, naturally, that cannabilism – whether to appease hunger or improve one’s warlike prowess – is highly dependent on cultural mores that change through time and space. The long life of Anasazi culture, one can only suspect, went through periods that both encouraged and discouraged it.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

Coming late to this discussion with European eyes, I can mention a few things:
- I remember a very nice AAA road map named 'Indian Country', one of the few AAA maps with a lot of explanatory text. This was in the 1990s, so I have no idea of the availability of this map today.
- one of my best memories of this place, outside iconic places (but close to) is Utah scenic byway #12 connecting Capitol Reef to Bryce Canyon.

In the Alps, the more you climb, the less you find vegetation, eventually you only find bare rocks and glaciers above 3000m / 10000 feet. Few paved European roads climb as high as 10,000 feet, but some places like Col de l'Iseran will give you an idea of this "basic principle" of Alpine geography that all Europeans learn at school.
Along Utah road #12, you'll find exactly the opposite, the road gradually climbs from places where you hardly see anything but bare slabs of rocks --at least as seen from Western European eyes -- , and as you climb, you gradually find more and more vegetation, trees, and wild flowers ; I do not know how road conditions can be in May, but at Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks snow can stay late in the season.
Never been to Utah road#12 in May, unfortunately.
Finding flowers and moisture at high elevations is something I was not expecting to see in summer, driving to the North Rim of Grand Canyon.
So I'm sure that this experience can be lived in May in many places of Indian Coutry, at least at higher elevations.

To mention nice walking tours of about 2-3 hours, I can recommend walking from Capitol Reef visitor's center, again for a European, this is an amazing picturesque place. And also, when you visit the farm-museum with apricot trees, you can get a feeling of what the Pionneers did to live in this remote and dry country ... and of course how the Indians lived. At Navajo National Monument you have a nice botanical footpath leading to an overview to the sacred ruin under its magnificent red arch, explaining all about plants used by Indians in their day to day life.

When I was there, one summer, we followed a family on holidays. Everybody seemed to be very impressed by the scenery and the evokation of Indian Life. The father carefefully read the explanations posted along the footpath and explained solemnly to the children about plants and Indian life. The children listened silently, like at church. One of my best memory, indeed, yes the place has been inhabited since ... 20,000 years probably ?

[DavidFisk]

Coming late to this discussion with European eyes, I can mention a few things:
- I remember a very nice AAA road map named 'Indian Country', one of the few AAA maps with a lot of explanatory text. This was in the 1990s, so I have no idea of the availability of this map today.
- one of my best memories of this place, outside iconic places (but close to) is Utah scenic byway #12 connecting Capitol Reef to Bryce Canyon.

In the Alps, the more you climb, the less you find vegetation, eventually you only find bare rocks and glaciers above 3000m / 10000 feet. Few paved European roads climb as high as 10,000 feet, but some places like Col de l'Iseran will give you an idea of this "basic principle" of Alpine geography that all Europeans learn at school.
Along Utah road #12, you'll find exactly the opposite, the road gradually climbs from places where you hardly see anything but bare slabs of rocks --at least as seen from Western European eyes -- , and as you climb, you gradually find more and more vegetation, trees, and wild flowers ; I do not know how road conditions can be in May, but at Bryce Canyon and Cedar Breaks snow can stay late in the season.
Never been to Utah road#12 in May, unfortunately.
Finding flowers and moisture at high elevations is something I was not expecting to see in summer, driving to the North Rim of Grand Canyon.
So I'm sure that this experience can be lived in May in many places of Indian Coutry, at least at higher elevations.

To mention nice walking tours of about 2-3 hours, I can recommend walking from Capitol Reef visitor's center, again for a European, this is an amazing picturesque place. And also, when you visit the farm-museum with apricot trees, you can get a feeling of what the Pionneers did to live in this remote and dry country ... and of course how the Indians lived. At Navajo National Monument you have a nice botanical footpath leading to an overview to the sacred ruin under its magnificent red arch, explaining all about plants used by Indians in their day to day life.

When I was there, one summer, we followed a family on holidays. Everybody seemed to be very impressed by the scenery and the evokation of Indian Life. The father carefefully read the explanations posted along the footpath and explained solemnly to the children about plants and Indian life. The children listened silently, like at church. One of my best memory, indeed, yes the place has been inhabited since ... 20,000 years probably ?

The Indian Country map is very much available at AAA offices. It's revised frequently. The most famous map the Auto Club ever made.

[Leszek Vogt]

Incidentally, it's also possible to obtain this map from Amazon. I'm thinking of going to the SW in appx a year and intend to digitize this map (photo stitching).
This way I can have all the interest points marked succinctly as a layer and have most of the distances jotted down in advance.

Kirk, I'm totally with you on the secret. Iconic imagery have been way overdone.

Les

[Drew Wiley]

(????) You seem to be making the same mistake as Columbus did, David. Do we have to start using the term, Amerind?

[Heroique]

“Places to see in Injun Country” would have prevented this tragic misunderstanding.

[largeformatguy]

(????) You seem to be making the same mistake as Columbus did, David. Do we have to start using the term, Amerind?

“Places to see in Injun Country” would have prevented this tragic misunderstanding.

You guys crack me up.

The response he gave sounds suspiciously like it came from a tourist brochure. The link is interesting if you want to go to where the real Indians are.

Alan

[Robert Langham]

Tentatively scheduling a trip back to Shiprock and Canyon de Chelly this Spring. One of the places I want to see is a corner of Shiprock that I have walked below but never climbed into. There's a little ledge system that angles up to the base of the White Tower on the Northwest side, really a struggle to get there. (I think. Might be a cakewalk) There's a little cleft that tucks into the North side of the White Tower. I can see it on some aerial photos. Spent a lot of nights right around the corner on the big ledge at the climber's cave under the other side of the White Tower. I've got to see if I can get around there. Not even the rock climbers go in that area. Hope to come off over the North Buttress saddle and descend to the volcanic neck below on the East side. It wouldn't be too bad with just a couple of water bottles and an iphone, but I'm thinking of taking my 5X7 and tripod up there in the F64 backpack. That's going to be a hump. Might be another iconic rockform in there and it's the only place around the base of Shiprock where I really haven't been. If you haven't ever walked completely around Shiprock, it takes a couple of hours, is rough but really gives you a sense of the size and complexity of the place.

Climber's ledge.