My wife and I, my sister and four of our children (ages 17, 7, 5 and 3) travelled to Arizona this summer. We made our base in Sedona and did day trips to the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, the Verde Canyon and in and around Sedona. We really wanted a Native American experience and reached out to the Navajo Village Heritage Center when on our way to Lake Powell for a day trip. Wally Brown, who created the village, took my call and was extraordinarily accommodating and gracious in receiving our group. Our tour of Lake Powell took longer than we had anticipated and we did not arrive at the Center until close to 8pm. Wally, his wife, niece and two grand nephews gave us unbelievable lectures and demonstrations. Wally welcomed us to the village and then turned us over to his wife, who spoke to us about Navajo art and jewelry. Wally's niece then gave us a very engaging and informative presentation on Navajo weaving. Wally then took us on a walk through the village and introduced various of the traditional structures, explaining their purpose and architecture in great detail. We were finally treated to two riveting dances by Wally's grand nephews. The boys, we were told, had placed second and third in their respective ages at the recent world dance competition held at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. One of the boys did the grass dance and the other the hoop dance.What stuck with us was Wally's utter dedication to his culture and its perpetuation. He is highly intelligent and well read, served our country in the US Marines and, beyond that, was able to relate to every member of our group.We saw some of the world's most beautiful nature on the trip and this was really a rich and beautiful added highlight to a great trip.Thank you again Wally!
I love native people ,they music art ,food ,craft ...Anything from indian I love . They are real people and I enjoy absolutely everything !
Wally is a Navajo grandfather and former US Marine. He created this display to keep the culture alive. You can get a demonstration on Navajo rug weaving, native dances, native lifestyles and traditions, and Navajo tacos made by Navajos! This is a wonderful cultural experience from the Dine point of view.
It is a deserted collection of huts that may perhaps be activated for prearranged groups but has nothing to offer to people who just stop by. In speaking to people in Page it seems to be a project that has gotten off the ground after its start. Sad and disappointing as while I grew up in the States and has some minimal knowledge of Navaho ways my partner is tabla rasa.
It won't take you long, traveling through this region to see there is a historical mixture of traditions, white and indian. Some families on either side hold fast to thier own traditions, and some have mixed the traditions within their families. The family that started the Navajo Village Heritage Center is such a family. Coming from a background in education, Wally Brown has tried to create an experience of the Dine for his family to hold on to and you to learn about. By reservation only, it is well worth it.
Hi I am 10years old my name is kytona Ross I am 25% Navajo so is my little brother. I have never been to a place about my cloture but I have looked up thing about the Navajo past and presents I dream that one day I will go and learn more about the Navajos. I would love to meet another Navajo that nose a lot about the nation.
Our tour group visited the Navajo Village Heritage Center. We really enjoyed the presentation and tour by one of the tribe elders and his daughter, along with the Navajo dancing demonstration by several of the tribe's youngsters.
It took us awhile to locate it (address wrong on Trip Advisor). It was pretty abandoned when we got there, but free and interesting to roam through.
Having Navajo elders talk to you about their culture and heritage is very interesting. Learning how they weave the rugs, and how they always hold the #4 as very important in their culture. Seeing the Hogun (sp) and learning about their every day life helps to make us more accepting of others and more gracious with the differences of other cultures.
Frankly, I thought this was one of the more "commercial" parts of our visit - I don't know the fees as it was part of our tour. We shared a dinner outside during the hoop dance. The dinner was cold and not very tasty. The elder lectured quite a long time, even though our group was getting "antsy" - I felt he was a bit disingenuous and a few time he mentioned some famous sports people with whom he'd rubbed elbows. The young girl who talked about the rug weaving was interesting but the loom was broken so demo wasn't totally effective. The elder's wife was lovely and the tour of the Hogan's was interesting. We all learned things that we mentioned later on the trip, so I suppose it was worthwhile but if I had to leave something off my tour, this would have been it. BTW, bathroom is a port-a-potty.