The Ghostway (1984)

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is part of the United States Department of the Interior established on March 11, 1824. The mission of this bureau is to provide services to the 566 federally recognized Native American tribes and Alaska Natives in the United States. The BIA also administers and manages over 55 million acres of land within the U.S. The BIA is one of two bureaus under the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, the other being the Bureau of Indian Education.

Native American groups have clashed with the BIA because they believe the agency is not doing all it can for the groups it is pledged to support. Many of these claims of neglect, mismanagement, misappropriated funds, and hypocritical bureaucratic standards and procedures have been proven in courts of law.

Buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) is a prairie grass found in the western regions of North America. It has curling leaves and grows in thick patches. Buffalo grass is a short grass that is cold, heat, and drought resistant. Historically, buffalo grass was used to make sod houses during the westward expansion.

A temporary shelter that consists of a roof constructed out of tree branches or brush that are held up by poles. Often used in the Southwest to provide shade. For the Navajo, brush arbors function as temporary hogans during the summer months and are often erected at sheep camps or even on the vicinity of the primary female hogan associated with the matriarch of a family. The brush arbor may be used by females to perform non-ceremonial daily activities during the summer.

In Navajo mythology, Born of Water, also known as Water Child, is one of the twin sons of Changing Woman born to rid the earth of the monsters who were killing the People. Born of Water is the younger twin, known as Tobadzîschíni in Diné.

The twins are set a series of trials and, with the completion of each task, they get that much closer to achieving their final goal, which is gaining the tools and knowledge they need to save their People. After successfully completing many initial challenges, they are given weapons. The younger twin, Born of Water, is given prayer sticks and told to watch them as the older twin, Monster Slayer, goes out to fight the monsters. If the prayer sticks begin to burn, Born of Water will know that Monster Slayer is in danger and needs help. Monster Slayer goes alone to kill some of the monsters, and Born of Water accompanies him while killing others.

Black God (Haashchʼééshzhiní), sometimes referred to as Darkness to Be One by Tony Hillerman, is the god of fire and creator of the stars in Navajo mythology. Not all accounts credit him with the creation of the constellations, but all credit him with the creation of fire and light as found in the stars. As one story goes, when the Black God entered the hogan the Holy People noticed Pleiades, the Hard Flint Boys, attached to his ankle. When asked why the constellation was there the Black God stomped his feet and the stars leaped up his leg until they reached his head. After he did this impressive act, the Black God was allowed to place all the other constellations in the sky. However, while he completed this task Coyote came along and also wanted to place stars; he grabbed a handful of stars and threw them in the sky. This is why there are named constellations and other random non-clustered stars in the night sky.

Round Rock, also known as Tsé Nikani (Flat Plated Rocks) in the western part of the Navajo Reservation and Bis Dootl'izh Deez'ahi (Blue Pointed Mesa) in the eastern part, is located on the Navajo Reservation in Apache County, Arizona and is named after a nearby mesa. In 1892, Roundrock was the site of a clash between the Bureau of Indian Affairs and a Navajo leader called Black Horse. Indian Agent Henry Shipley attempted to forcefully remove Navajo children from their homes in Round Rock and relocate them to Native American boarding schools. Black Horse attempted to prevent the removal and re-education of the children, which he associated with cultural genocide, by barricading Agent Shipley and his men in the Chee Dodge trading post, rather than killing them, until troops from Fort Wingate arrived and were able to defray the situation. The Chee Dodge Trading Post remained in business until early 2013.

A small settlement located on the Navajo Nation Reservation in northeastern Arizona, close to the New Mexico-Arizona state line. Window Rock, which was established in the 1930s as the base of the Navajo Central Agency, is the capital of the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation Council, the Navajo Nation Supreme Court, the headquarters of the Navajo Police, and various other administrative offices are all located in Window Rock. The town was named Window Rock after the adjacent sandstone arch of the same name, known in the Navajo language as Tségháhoodzání, which means “Perforated Rock.” The unique rock formation is one of the town's famous tourist attractions, along with the Navajo Nation Museum, the Tribal Zoological and Botanical Park, and the Navajo Code Talkers World War II Memorial.

Tuba City is located in Coconino County, Arizona on the southern edge of the Kaibito Plateau. This town is one of the largest communities on the Navajo Reservation but it also has a small Hopi population. During the 1870s, Mormons briefly resided in Tuba City. At that time, Mormons named the community after a Hopi headman named Tuvi, who converted to Mormonism. Mormons later sold the town, which they claimed to be their property, to the U.S. Indian Service (in later years known as the Bureau of Indian Affairs). Mormons had been encountering increasing levels of antagonism from the Navajo, the original inhabitants of the area, which may explain why the Mormons sold the town and left the area.

One Navajo word for Tuba City is Tö Naneesdizí, which means “Place of Water Rivulets,” referring to the irrigation ditches used by Mormons during their occupation.

Teec Nos Pos is a small community located six miles southeast of the Four Corners Monument in Apache County, Arizona. Teec Nos Pos has shifted north from its original location, closer to the Junction of U.S. Highway 160 and 64. The community is composed of a trading post, a chapter house, and a school. The Navajo name for this community is T’iis Názbad which means “cottonwoods in a circle.”

The state capital of New Mexico, Santa Fe (meaning “holy Faith” in Spanish) is the oldest capital in the United States. At an elevation of over 7000 feet, it is also the highest one. The city was founded in 1610 by Don Pedro de Peralta as the capital of the province of New Mexico under colonial Spanish rule. The lands surrounding the town were occupied by indigenous peoples for centuries before the arrival of the Spaniards, and in fact today’s downtown area sits atop at least two Pueblo ruins.

The city remained small and fairly provincial through the transition from Spanish, to Mexican, and then American rule, but in the early 20th century it established itself as a cultural hub that celebrated a mix of indigenous histories, Hispanic traditions, and modern American influences. The community of artists and writers who were attracted to the area, the most famous of which is the painter Georgia O’Keefe, contributed greatly to the city’s growth and development as a tourist destination.

Santa Fe’s economy has come to rely heavily of tourism, promoting a romantic, somewhat exotic image of a small city that boasts numerous attractions such as museums and art galleries, a historic plaza at the heart of downtown, old churches, Pueblo architecture, and high-end boutiques and restaurants. The upscale attractions, along with the area’s natural beauty, have attracted a wealthy population that has gradually displaced many of the city’s original residents. Today Santa Fe stands in stark contrast to the neighboring small towns and even the bigger city of Albuquerque, communities that struggle with stunted economic development and a lack of resources.