The Long Walk of the Navajo People, 1864-1868

In 1864, Navajo people were forced to walk over 450 miles to Fort Sumner in eastern New Mexico. Imprisoned on a 40-square-mile reservation for four long years they suffered from hunger, loneliness, illnesses and severe environmental conditions. The Long Walk has been collected in historical literature by non-Navajo authors. Absent from the literature is the Navajo perspective. Visitors will hear the Navajo elders’ version of the Long Walk in this presentation by scholar Evangeline Parsons Yazzie.

Boarded Up: Social and Historical Interpretations of the American Indian Boarding School Era

American Indians are the only ethnic group in the U.S. who were subjected to forced education by the federal government for generations. This presentation will impart a social interpretation of how life among Indian Nations began to change due to the plight into which American Indian people were forced in the name of education. The presentation, led by Yazzie, is from an American Indian perspective and will include the experiences of other community members.