Redwing Ted Nez wants to restore the Bitahochee Trading Post so that Navajo traditions and arts can be preserved and taught, especially to the youth. He envisions a place where all people can come to learn and enjoy Dine (Navajo) culture:The Bitahochee sits on eight acres of beautiful land at the base of a red rock butte (Bitahochee is a NAVAJO word meaning red rock running through). The morning sun warms the shoulders of the great trading post as it faces west, waiting for the coming day.
A car enters the parking lot; the first visitor of the day. A woman looks up from the car and sees a tall man standing on top of the red butte behind the trading post. She begins to wander the grounds, finding a walking trail and encountering a garden area. This is not a typical garden with potatoes, tomatoes, and lettuce, but a garden thriving with specially chosen indigenous plants. These specific plants are used by the medicine men throughout the reservation for their ceremonies. It is the only medicinal garden in existence on the reservation.
The woman approaches one of the buildings, and peeks through a window. She sees children learning to weave, paint and speak Navajo. She enters the building and is engaged and welcomed. She is shown how to hold strands of wool as it is laced through a loom. A young boy demonstrates how to hold her fingers, and together they practice making lines in a sand painting. She leans against the doorway of another room, and watches a young girl write a story on a black board in the Navajo language.
The lady wanders the area a bit more and begins to feel hungry. She enters the main building and finds a café. A well prepared meal of all natural, native foods piques her interest and satisfies her appetite. The next stop is the art gallery and bookstore. She purchases a few books, a pair of hand wrought silver earrings, and walks to her car. As she leaves she looks over her shoulder. The man on top of the butte is gone. She pauses for a moment at the car door, then she turns and walks back into the main building. She approaches the main desk asking "May I book a room for a few days? I need to know so much more."
Come and join us. Be that visitor and become a part of the restoration and re-creation of the Bitahochee Trading Post. There is so much more to do and learn. Help us make this vision a reality.
