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| Group shot at the chapel (where our hike began) |
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| Obligatory jumping pic |
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| Hikes & spikes 🌵 |
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| Chicken Point Overlook: a close-up |
After a picnic lunch at Montezuma's Castle, we continued on to the Phoenix Indian School Visitor's Center. Upon our arrival, we met Elena, the Visitor Center Specialist, who descends from four different tribes (including Navajo, Hopi and Zuni). She treated us to a compelling and informative tour about the history and legacy of the Indian School Visitor's Center. Our students were thoroughly engaged in the exhibits and asked outstanding questions; in fact, Elena said that we were the first group she has ever had in which every single student was already familiar with the Native American residential school history. Most interestingly, Elena told us that her grandmother actually attended this same school, and she only found out this fact after taking the position. She concluded the tour with a powerful enjoinder to learn about this period of history and talk to others about it, so that we can prevent it from happening again.
Immediately after the tour concluded, Walker pulled me aside and whispered, "Now that's a tour!" After an unsatisfying experience at the Museum of Northern Arizona on Wednesday, we realized that this was what we had been waiting for. Elena discussed difficult topics with empathy, humor, and wisdom. When she did not know an answer, she was honest and expressed a genuine interest in further research. She even shared some personal details about her life that made that the tour feel intimate and connected. There was a collective sense of excitement and inspiration as we looked ahead to the rest of our evening together.
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| Learning about the evolution of Native residential schools from Elena |
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| Elena fielding a Q&A session from the students |
Next, we headed into the second portion of the evening: our meeting with the F.I.N.A.L. (Future Inspire Native American Leaders) Youth Council. Led by Trevor Foster, this organization is comprised of 23 Native high school students from the greater Phoenix region. They meet twice a month on Thursday evenings, and they opted to devote one of those evenings to spending time with us! After scrambling seats so that Watkinson students were intermingled with students from the youth council, our hosts treated us to a potluck, featuring a traditional Navajo taco and an assortment of drinks.
A potluck featuring Navajo/Indian tacos
During dinner, I had a chance to connect with another leader from the organization, a woman named Melanie. While her tribe originates in Washington State, she grew up in Waterford, Connecticut! After serving in the military, her grandfather was sent to Groton to work on the submarine base, where he started a family. Two generations removed from her tribe, Melanie did not grow up speaking her tribal language. In fact, there are only about five or six fluent speakers remaining. Fortunately, she has been able to start learning basic elements of that language, thanks to an app similar to Duolingo that is enabling her language to be preserved and shared.
Melanie sharing the traditional attire of her tribe
Next, Trevor gave us a brief Powerpoint presentation about the F.I.N.A.L. Youth Council to illustrate the function and structure of the organization. He discussed their college counseling program, recent service opportunities, leadership conferences, and more with an absolutely infectious sense of humor. With a seamless transition, he asked us to push all the tables away to begin a few ice breaker games. These games got the students moving, interacting, and sometimes even colliding with one another. In no time, the games (and Trevor's hysterical commentary) had the group in stitches. Olivia said her mouth hurt because she's never laughed so hard and for so long before.
(Left) "Sweep the Teepee" game and (Right) "Musical Chairs"
We closed out with a circle of formal introductions. Students passed around the microphone and introduced themselves. Those from the council introduced themselves first in their Native language and then in English. Trevor then asked all Native students to come up and grab a gift bag to give to one of our students... as if our gift of a potluck dinner (and their company!) weren't generous enough! As we began to close out our time together, Trevor told us, "You're all Native now!" and "See you all next year!" Students began to exchange contact information, and I had to almost drag our students away so that we wouldn't miss our flight. After our final goodbyes, our students literally skipped arm-and-arm into the vans. The feeling of connection, joy, and possibility was palpable.
Our final shared moment of an unforgettable evening
This trip was incredible from start to finish, but I think there's something extra special about the best being saved for last. Our final day was full of stunning scenery, meaningful learning, authentic connection, and so much laughter. We cannot believe how fortunate we were to connect with the Phoenix Indian Center, and all we can say is thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
