Long Walk of the Navajo

The Long Walk of Navajo

The “Long Walk of Navajo” or, in other words, “Long Walk to Bosque Redondo” covered a roughly 300 or 500 km journey on foot over a period of two years, from 1964 to 1966. The ongoing disputes between the Navajo ancestors and the Native Americans led to the deportation of the Navajo people by the government of the United States of America.

The Attacks on Navajo

Following Colonel Edwin Sumner’s execution of Narbona, the well-known and beloved leader of the Navajo people, the attacks intensified around 1849. Having killed the Navajo leader, Colonel built Forts Defiance in Arizona and Fauntleroy in Mexico used by the American government to protect their people and oppressed the Navajo. Navajo became frustrated and rose against the American rule prior to civil war. Then later the American force led by Kit Carson defeated the Navajo and deported them from their ancestral land, forcing them to settle to futile terrestrial in Bosque Redondo. Many succumbed on the way from diseases, hunger and attacks from the hostile communities and those who made it, were later resettled back to their native land. The story is about the oppression and deportation of the harmless community of the Navajo by the powerful government of the United States of American. American rule was not fair to Navajo ancestors, because they were the legal owners of the land and did not deserve the inhuman treatment from such a respectable government.

Navajo Settlement in their Native Land

Navajo settled in their native land that ranged from Arizona all through to the western parts of Mexico. They practiced farming whereby they kept and planted crops, the built good houses and lived peaceful on their land. Although there some cases of raiding and trading between them and their neighborhoods comprising of the Pueblos, Mexican, Comanche, Ute, Apache and the Spanish, they interacted well by signing treaties and at times breaking them. Life advanced well until the American government intervened led by Colonel Edwin Sumner, Colonel Christopher Carson, Colonel Canby, Major General James Carleton and Agent John Ward.

The American Intervention

They deployed several troops of the American Army into the land of Navajo, and when the leaders of Navajo such as Narbona, Manuelito and Barboncito heard the information, they alerted their people. The American government convinced to the Navajo they had come in one peace and the Army troops would protect them. They signed treaties and truces with the American government to stay and work together and safe gourd their people. Although, the Navajo leaders doubted the mission of their new companions, it was already late; the American government had already taken control of the land collaboration.

The American Takeover

The American leader started establishing Castles in the land of Navajo and began to take over the Navajo territories. They scalped and eventually killed Narbona who was the most powerful leader the Navajo had. They took over the fertile grazing land, raiding and killing Navajo livestock and looting their crops. The American Army raped women, allowed the Native Americans to steal, and enslaved the Navajo. The subjugations were too extreme that the Navajo people could not bear it anymore, the decided to face them. Manuelito and Baborcito gathered strong and energetic warriors and attacked the Forts, the American territories. The American called for reinforcement and the marked the beginning of the civil war between the Americans and the Navajo. In 1962 under the command of Major General Carleton, American government deployed more Army troops led by a great fighter by the name Colonel Christopher Carson and Colonel Carby. They were heavily armed with guns and all other kinds of weapons against the inferior community who depended on the few warriors with spears and machetes. Carson and his crew rampaged on the Navajo, killed, seized men, raped women and destroyed their property. Americans finally won the war the and took over the whole of Navajo`s home land 1964.

The Deportation of Navajo

In August the same year 1964, the American government under the authority of Major James Clerton, organized for the deportation of all the Navajo people. They had no powers again or strength to subdue the fiercen authority, and therefore, they had no other option other than being submissive and save their lives. They were forced to leave their innate land in Arizona and trek all the way to a futile and small piece of foreign land in Bosque Redondo. They killed those who refused to a bid by the order and threw their remains in the sea. The Navajo began their devastating journey; they made their way through without any support from the American Army. A good number of Navajo died on their way to the “land of death”, it was so cruel that the American government who sent them out did not care about them. Given they, they had not prepared for such a long journey, they had not stuffed enough food for themselves neither they had proper clothes; there was no aid from the American rule. They passed through harsh conditions, suffered from different diseases, attacks from the hostile communities and molested by the brutal American Army troops who escorted them to the land, soldiers shot at those who became weak. For example, the army short at a young pregnant girl because she was weak and could no longer move with their pace. “Go ahead, the daughter said to her parents, ”things might come out right“ but the poor thing was mistaken my grandparents used to say that. Not long after they hand moved on, they heard a gunshot from where they had been a short time ago”. The army did not have sympathy on the pregnant woman and murdered her in cold blood; it showed how heartless the Army were.

Survival and Resettlement

Navajo struggled and finally some of them made it to Bosque Redondo, the journey estimated to be 300 miles or 500 kilometers, had made them feeble and eventually had claimed at least two hundred lives. They continued to suffer while on the small piece of land of their refuge, until June 1968, when the Treaty between the government of the United States of America and the Navajo leaders was signed and allowing Navajo ancestors to go back and resettle to their homeland in Arizona. The United States offered to build good school and reservations for their crop plantations and livestock farming, impose laws that restrict raiding, supply them with seed, compulsory provision of education to Navajo and compensate the tribes for the loss caused during the civil war. Therefore, as the sun sets and rises again, the Navajo ancestors got a breadth to life again.

The Lingering Memories

In summary, it is worth noting that despite, Navajo resettlement to their inherent land and all the provisions made in the Treaty, none would wipe out their haunting memories in hands of the merciless American Army. The civil war between Navajo and the American Army, emerged diseases and famine reduced Navajo inhabitants from an estimate number of 25000 to around 2000; this was the greatest nightmare to the harmless people of Navajo. Although, the American government and its Army realized their mistakes and tried to nurse the sorrowed peasants, they would never forgive themselves for their inhuman actions. Navajo still live to heal their wounds.

Bibliography

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Hornsby, Sarah, and Robert McPherson. ”‘Enemies Like a Road Covered with Ice’: The Utah Navajos’ Experience during the Long Walk Period.” American Indian Culture and Research 33, no. 2 (2009): 1–22. http://www.books.aisc.ucla.edu/aicrj.html.

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