Dwelling Places
In this trip to Tuba City, we were trying to find a place to stay in Tuba City or it's neighboring city of Moenkopi. It'd be great to be closer to the community where we serve, but also to bring more revenue to businesses within the Rez (both Navajo and Hopi's, since Moenkopi is part of Hopi).
Despite our efforts in tyring to reserve rooms over 6 months in advance, we were unable to find an accommodating place for our team. Thus we ended up staying in Cameron, about half-an-hour drive from Tuba City, just outside of Navajo Nation.
While located in a major tourist route between Flagstaff and Lake Powell, our lodging in Cameron doesn't have many amenities we usually have as a basecamp, such as laundromat (closest one was about 45 minutes away), and closest Walmart (a.k.a. civilization) is in Flagstaff, about an hour away.
Being a major tourist stop, this hotel is equipped with a restaurant, an art gallery/gift shop, and a convenience store.
While it's lacking a suitable meeting room for us, we just make do with what's available. There's a garden area (dubbed as "Garden of Getshemane") where we gather everyday for our prayer and morning devotion and team meetings.
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The Navajos traditionally lives in a Hogan. A Hogan is an octagon-shaped building, with a door facing east and a smoke hole in the center of the roof. Traditionally build with logs of wood and covered with dirt, brush and mud. In the modern days, although most traditional hogan is only kept for ceremonial purposes, many Navajos still preserve their way of life and kept traditional shape of a hogan. Buildings are now built with other materials and are generally larger than a traditional hogan with modern life amenities.
In Tuba City, we also found many housing style commonly found in other parts of the US. From manufactured home estates, to RV Trailers, to detached home and apartment complex
It is common for different generations of a family lives together in the same lot. That's why sometimes we see different kind of housing within the same lot. Common scenario goes something like this: Grandma and Grandpa may live in the traditional Hogan. Next to it mom and dad lives in a house they build. On the other end uncle and aunt live in a trailer because that what was given by the government at the time of the allocation. And now the newlywed couple gets to build a small modern house on the other side of grandma/pa hogan.
Keep in mind that the land within Native American reservation are owned by the reservation (in this case, the Navajo Nation) and each family is allocated a land they can live on, and have rights of use as long as they live on it. However, they can't sell or use it as an asset for lending purposes such as a collateral to get a loan.
It's a dire misconception, or generalization to think that Native American tribes live in Teepee (also written as Tipi). It really depends on the tribe and the topography of their natural habitat. Many native tribes in the Southwest lives in mud-based homes such as Hogan and Pueblo houses.
Despite our efforts in tyring to reserve rooms over 6 months in advance, we were unable to find an accommodating place for our team. Thus we ended up staying in Cameron, about half-an-hour drive from Tuba City, just outside of Navajo Nation.
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What a beautiful sunset at Cameron, AZ
This was our base camp while working on mission in Tuba City.
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And sunrise too!
Historic Tanner's Crossing Bridge in the background.
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While located in a major tourist route between Flagstaff and Lake Powell, our lodging in Cameron doesn't have many amenities we usually have as a basecamp, such as laundromat (closest one was about 45 minutes away), and closest Walmart (a.k.a. civilization) is in Flagstaff, about an hour away.
Being a major tourist stop, this hotel is equipped with a restaurant, an art gallery/gift shop, and a convenience store.
While it's lacking a suitable meeting room for us, we just make do with what's available. There's a garden area (dubbed as "Garden of Getshemane") where we gather everyday for our prayer and morning devotion and team meetings.
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The “Garden of Getshemane”
Our meeting office, morning devotion chapel and outdoor dining room.
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- - -
The Navajos traditionally lives in a Hogan. A Hogan is an octagon-shaped building, with a door facing east and a smoke hole in the center of the roof. Traditionally build with logs of wood and covered with dirt, brush and mud. In the modern days, although most traditional hogan is only kept for ceremonial purposes, many Navajos still preserve their way of life and kept traditional shape of a hogan. Buildings are now built with other materials and are generally larger than a traditional hogan with modern life amenities.
In Tuba City, we also found many housing style commonly found in other parts of the US. From manufactured home estates, to RV Trailers, to detached home and apartment complex
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A family's housing unit
Note that there are several buildings, traditional and modern in the same lot.
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A modern small house next to a tradtional mud hogan
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Another mud hogan, right in front of a common house
All in the same lot, as shown in the first picture
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An apartment/attached home complex
Just like in any other community in the U.S.
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A modern hogan with balcony.
Retains traditional hogan-shape.
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Keep in mind that the land within Native American reservation are owned by the reservation (in this case, the Navajo Nation) and each family is allocated a land they can live on, and have rights of use as long as they live on it. However, they can't sell or use it as an asset for lending purposes such as a collateral to get a loan.
It's a dire misconception, or generalization to think that Native American tribes live in Teepee (also written as Tipi). It really depends on the tribe and the topography of their natural habitat. Many native tribes in the Southwest lives in mud-based homes such as Hogan and Pueblo houses.
