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Show Page B7 - ffitj e tUtmeg-ffinhepenhe- -- Thursday, rtt Book Review Legacy of a Navajo Medicine Man by Marjorie Miller vajo world until Robert McPherson (of the College of Eastern Utah) and Marilyn Holiday undertook to interview and translate the medicine mans thoughts and teachings. The result is a new book from the University of o Oklahoma Press called A Legacy, the Life and contributing writer For almost 90 years, Navajo medicine man John Holiday has watched the sun rise over the rock formations of his home in Monument Valley. Unable to speak or write English, his full and engaging life to the non-N- a was Na-vaj- off-limi- ts 9ea( (Estate ngef Qock ;c Teachings of John Holiday." Its a unique and enlightening visit into the traditional and changing world of the Din6, our neighbors to the south and also here in Moab. In the first part of the book. Holiday talks of his early life herding sheep and goats for his family, wandering the desert, and apprenticing to his grandfather at a very young age to learn the Blessingway Ceremony. He relates experiences that nearly ended his young life (getting lost in blizzards, jumping off cliffs with a homemade parachute, etc.) and credits his survival to the strict discipline he received, which made him very tough. He experienced the invasion of Monument Valley by whites and later participated in the filming industry there. In the 1930s, he worked for the CCC and even served a brief stint in the military. Other work included uranium mining and working for the railroad. And of course, through it all he served his people as a medicine man, with family and tribal teachings making up the second part of the book. But what makes this book a real treasure is the oral record of what anthropologists would call Holidays worldview, his perception and advice as to what a proper life should be. Holiday deeply mourns the passing of the old 37 E. Center Street Moat, UT 84532 5 435-259-88- 888-MOAB-L- www.moatutak.com r OF FUTURE GROWTH! 40 Acres from the CO River to the Red Rock Cliffs! Zoned for almost anything commercial, camp ground, & hotels are some of the possibilities. Priced at $275,000 20 Acre Parcel you cant IN THE PATH - - jy;-- r 5 ACRES OF COUNTRY LIVING! This 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath home sits on a 5 Acre fully fenced lot with corrals already in place for your horses. With a walk-ou- t basement, woodstove, covered patio & deck, this home wont last long! $168,800 6214 a beautiful Red Rock View. New Carpet, Linoleum, and Outside Paint are . included in this great deal! Act Fast, it wont last long! $78,800 6385 AN INVESTMENT THAT WILL PAY OFF! Beautiful 3 bdrm 2 bath Condo by the Golf Course! This fully fur- VIEWS GO ON & ON! 120 Acres of Beauty in the Desert! From washes to sand stone walls, this property has it all Off the grid and tucked away, come and see it before its sold! 6482 $300,000 - RESIDENTIAL The SWIMMING POOL is one of the gems of this custom Castle Valley home. Incredible views visible from huge windows and soaring ceilings. In the sweet-watarea abutting the green belt, the location could not be better. Master bath has a skylight, custom shower, Jacuzzi garden tub, double sinks and massive walk-i- n closet. Landscaped with 100 trees & shrubs and. buried auto irrigation system on this 5 acres. $448,800 6171 ACREAGE & PRIVACY! This 3 bdrm 2 bath home sits on 1 .23 acres with a !rw-Vli- nished condo has great rental potential! Wont last long on the market! Call to take a look! $227,000 6247 WIDE OPEN SPACE, 7.98 acres of prime Navajo Heights red dirt. Picturesque views of the valley rims, red rocks, golf course & Matterhorn rock. Own your own red rock canyon! Sell- ing below appraised value at $358,800 5585 PRIME LOCATION, Exceptional - Anything Opportunity! Zone goes. Beautiful views, lots of exposure, HWY frontage. Think of that new Development & lets talk. $225,000 5570 POTENTIAL TO DEVELOP, zoned Commercial. Build Hotels, Parks, Condos! Incredible views, close to town. Dont miss out on this great hunk of land! $498,800 5689 C-- 3 "Sf. Bfif?!,k'f!r,'ixij'l'Sif(jjji in u, in ways from his people. This fact is what prompted him to agree to the series of interviews by McPherson in an attempt to pass some of the traditions down to the younger Navajos. Holiday makes no bones about the loss of Navajo tradition as being directly tied to many of the problems his people now face. Many of his teachings ap- LAND ) n i t j in vvMVi fiiPEiiiiraift :if i i) as well, ply to such as his advice about work and discipline: One has to teach and train oneself to be mentally and physically ready non-Navaj- to face difficulties in life. All I know is that life goes on each day, and I get up and face the challenges with a positive attitude and am strong in enduring hardships. If you are mad ll(r. ii am June 9, 2005 or sad, cuss or are irritable, and do not listen to others, you will have a bad time with yourself and those around you. One cannot be happy with himself or others if he has a negative pany, but John Ford would not hire him. Big Man told them, Since you arent going to hire me, there will be heavy overcast skies for a long time, and you shall lose a lot of money while you are waiting it out. He then left. Then the clouds came and lasted close to two months. Finally the movie people asked someone to get Big Man. The film crew hired him and his horses, so he made offerings to the wind, heavens, and rain. Sure enough, the next day brought sunshine. Even I do not know how or where he learned it, but he was very knowledgeable in controlling the weather. As Holiday says, Learning to be a medicine man is hard work. We who can never have that opportunity can in- - attitude." Along with Holidays wisdom, the book is filled with interesting anecdotes about his life and the natural world. For example, he talks about how his horses learned to take care of themselves when he lived near the San Juan River: They wandered around in the steep canyons and in the quicksand. If they got stuck in the deep mud, they did not stand there and struggle but immediately fell sideways and let their feet slip to the surface slowly. Then they would roll sideways to drier sand and finally stand up, shake off the mud, and walk away. (Incidentally, Ive heard this works for anyone in quicksand lie down and roll.) Holiday was part of a historical archaeology survey to determine where the Navajo people once lived, an extensive area that included the La Sal Mountains. He says, The La Sal Mountains are sacred and stead learn from a medicine man, and much of what Holiday has to teach us is timeless, a fascinating glimpse into what it means to be Din6, or Navajo. JENSEN orthodontics specializing braces in June 23-2- 4 Central Utah Insurance Alletata servin9 southern Utah over 40 years Call for an Homeowners Insurance Builders Risk Business Insurance 70 E. 100 S. Moab appointment i 259-598- 1 are called Five Mountains, while Blue Mountain is called Furry Mountain. Traditional beliefs say that all the mountains were gathered together to make one mountain, then placed to the north. This is the La Sal Mountains. It has several peaks because it comprises Alan C. Jensen, fax: John Fogg Gianne Fosse D.D.S., M.S. 570 W. 400 N. Renee Lance www.insuremoab com UT 84532 Moab, these combined mountains. The Sunshine Mountains, or Book Cliffs, was named because its ridge has no shadows, is continuous, and the sun shines on it all the time. 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