Blue Horse

By Orleta Slick

A story told about Navajo children during a traumatic period in history, whentheir people were captured, marched hundreds of miles, and were imprisonedin a camp for four years. Their strong foundation is what kept them going andhelped some of them survive. The story concentrates on a clan whose youngest being a three-month-old baby andthe oldest a sixteen-year-old. The children endured the harshness of the elementsand the US government. The children created a bond that would last foreverwith an elderly Navajo woman, who became their anchor when they could not find their loving parents. While the children were held captive, they carried onthe legacies of their clans. Some reunited with their parents and returned totheir homeland. With promises of better lives, the Navajo people were releasedto a land reserved within the four sacred mountains. They were forced to lead a different lifestyle, less flourishing than before, but they kept their families togetherand continued their traditional ways of life. This included the introduction ofa formal education. Navajo leaders figured that acquiring an education wouldplace them at an equal advantage of the dominant society. The children, however,had a different experience. In the end, most of them found balance in their lives back on their homeland.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 29, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503581432

Orleta Slick

Orleta Slick’s passion to help children began over 10 years ago when she entered the education field upon returning to her alma mater, Shonto Boarding School now known as Shonto Preparatory School in Shonto, Arizona. She is a member of the Navajo Tribe of Arizona. She grew up in the neighborhoods of Inscription House and Shonto, Arizona. Being the youngest child in her family, her playmates were mostly animals and her adventures were contained in the books that she loved to read. Her childhood experience is what inspired her first children’s book, “Sam the Mischievous Little Goat”. Orleta has served in the Native American communities as a producer, director, educator, language consultant and writer. She has designed and implemented a national award-winning after school and summer program. She has also expanded literacy initiatives by raising funds and bringing thousands of free books into her community for students and their families. Her multi-media productions have won her entertainment awards and nominations at the Native American Music Awards, American Indian Film Festival, Big Island Indigenous Film Festival and other venues. As a contributing Board of Director for Jana’s Kids Foundation, she has helped encourage young Native Americans to continue their art, athletic, and academic endeavors beyond high school by providing scholarships. Orleta’s personal mission is to help young children develop a love for reading, develop literacy skills, and become better citizens. Her creativity and innovations are based on her combined cultural observations of the classrooms, families and communities. Currently residing on the Navajo reservation, Orleta enjoys reading and producing an assortment of multi-media pieces for young audiences.

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Copyright © 2015 by Orleta Slick.

Cover Illustration by Travis Errol Kee.

Interior Illustration by Daniel Tate.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 09/26/2015

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgement

I Harmony

II The Cry Of The Children

III Meeting The New People

IV Pleading With Nature

V Maternal Meeting

VI Winter Harvest

VII A Good Hunt Indeed

VIII Joining Other Clans To Fair Carletonia

IX Baby Blue Horse

X Who Took Our Hogan!

XI Our Paths Will Cross Again

XII Fair Carletonia

XIII Powdered Face Leads The Way

XIV Becoming A Woman

XV Family Reunion

XVI Horse Meat

XVII My Favorite Teacher

XVIII Two Red Blankets

XIX The Medicine Bundle

XX Learn The Ways Of The Enemy And Keep Them Close

XXI Twenty Horses

XXII Cut In Half

XXIII Grandmother Exits

XXIV Chief Blue Horse

About The Author

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

T his book is dedicated to all my relatives from the Bitterwater clan. Their strength and stories is what inspired me to write this book. I want to recognize my mother Cecelia, grandmother Madge, and all the aunts and sisters. They are the hardest working women I have ever known. They molded me into a culturally informed individual and taught me that everyday life is always a learning experience. Also, I acknowledge my late brother Jimmy who worked tirelessly to help carry on the legacies that we will strive to continue.

I also want to thank my friends who have supported me on this endeavor. I appreciate the candid feedback from Marlita, Susette, Vaneza and Diane along the way. Every thought, criticism, and recommendation was considered. Daniel, whose artwork I trust and cherish adorns every chapter of this book. Thank you!

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I

HARMONY

O n a cold winter day in 1864, a young Bitter Water clan was preparing cornmeal, meat, and tea for their meals in the coming days. The younger family members were left by their elders above the canyon, where there was ample firewood. The forest was thick enough to hide in from the raiders or slavers. The adults ventured below into the canyons to hunt and gather, leaving their babies with other responsible children for days at a time—children not older than sixteen summers. The older Bitter Water clan was not due back for two more days.

By the light of the small fire in the middle of the hogan, Tall Girl was rhythmically working at the grinding stones, preparing the cornmeal for tomorrow’s breakfast mush and corn patties for lunch and dinner. The grinding stones had a certain clanging noise and scraping sound that echoed inside the hogan. Just past the shadow of her thin figure, Ashkii was pounding on a rabbit carcass, turning the whole rabbit. Several times he stopped to pick out the bones, leaving them in a separate pile. It would be tomorrow’s lunch.

Meanwhile, Yellow Girl was sitting at the fire occasionally turning some leaves of random herbs to make a concoction of tea for everyone at tomorrow’s meals. She was telling the emergence story of the Blue World. Very animated and varied in tone, all the children respectfully listened. Yellow Girl and Tall Girl tried a new recipe earlier that day by making a paste of cedar and sumac berries. The four younger children were scooping out the paste with their little fingers and expressing their delight with the sweetness. Thin Boy, however, tried the paste on a piece of corn patty and was raving about the combination. The rest of the children tried it and agreed. Ashkii brought down the gourd from the ceiling that now contained water. The gourd was hung to collect the melting snow from the top of the hogan.

The grinding, pounding, and roasting were complete. The story was finished in time also. It was time to rest. The boys and girls went to their respective bedding areas inside the hogan and covered themselves with the different animal hides and blankets. Ashkii fed more firewood to the open fire. Yellow Girl and Tall Girl took turns nursing Baby Blue Horse. Although they were not mothers, the two girls provided enough milk for one baby. Tall Girl laid next to the baby after rewrapping him in his cradleboard and watched the dancing flames on the hogan walls until she fell asleep.

II

THE CRY OF THE CHILDREN

T he next morning, the children woke up at dawn. It had cooled down considerably inside the hogan overnight. Ashkii quickly stepped into the goatskin boots that he had constructed himself last fall. He had traded his stick game kit for goatskins with a member of the Reed clan. He covered himself with a saddle blanket and went outside to bring in more firewood. He was quickly greeted by the bitter cold air that he started shivering as he collected the dry wood. Yellow Girl poked at the fire, looking for any burning embers left. She made a small pile as she found them and placed a clay pot of water over it to begin boiling for the mush. Tall Girl unraveled Baby Blue Horse’s cradleboard to change his bedding—it was very wet. She laid fresh warm bedding of Mexican cliff rose on the cradleboard and rewrapped the baby. It was a little cold to leave him uncovered. As the fire lit up the inside of the hogan, Yellow Girl brought out the shell that contained white cornmeal. After the children wrapped their feet in a selection of leaves, barks, cloths, and hides, they were ready to go outside to meet the dawn. All the children lined up and took a small handful of cornmeal to make their early morning offerings. They all wished for a good day, a good hunt, and a safe return for their parents. They also remembered to rub snow on their faces as advised by the elders to keep their youthful looks. When they reentered the hogan, Yellow Girl started preparing the mush and tea. Tall Girl was nursing the baby while she combed her long thick dark hair and finally putting it back up in a bun. Everyone sat around the fire. The older children talked about their plans for the day. Gray Boy and Thin Boy were going to go with Ashkii to grandparents’ place to check on their hogan. They planned on making a pile of firewood for them before they returned. Little Girl and Dark-Haired Girl would stay behind to melt some snow and wash some of their clothes.

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While they were eating breakfast, the children suddenly heard the pounding of hooves, guns firing, and shouting coming from outside. Ashkii quickly ran to the door to see what the commotion was about. As he drew the hanging door open, gunfire was heard and Ashkii collapsed to the ground. The rest of the children darted to one side of the hogan and pulled a hide over their heads. Tall Girl and Yellow Girl rushed to Ashkii’s side. There was a lot of shouting coming in from outside, but no one understood what was being said. It was a foreign language! They pulled Ashkii aside by his armpits. When they rolled him over, his cotton shirt was soaked with blood. All the children were screaming and crying hysterically. Ashkii spoke to his sisters, I don’t know what this is about. I don’t even know the people that are attacking us. I’ve never seen them in my life. They will kill us all! Save yourselves! Save the children! We must live on!

III

MEETING THE NEW PEOPLE

T he hanging cloth door came tearing down. Three men in blue outfits barged in. They were soldiers of the U.S. Army! The Navajo men would talk about them and warned that they were going to come one day and take them away as they did with their Apache cousins. Ashkii attempted to fight, but he was shot again. He stopped moving after a couple of twitches, taking his final breath. The small children were pulled from under the hide. They kicked and screamed while they were carried outside. The two older girls tried to defend the children, but they were knocked down. Tall Girl wrapped her arms around Baby Blue Horse’s cradleboard and hugged with all her might. She managed to grab a blanket before she was yanked outside. A third man entered and started terrorizing the interiors. He kicked over the pots that held the breakfast. Yellow Girl charged the man and wrestled him to the ground, but the man was stronger. He hit her so hard behind her head that she nearly blacked out. When she fell, the man continued to kick her a few more times in the lower abdomen, back, and thighs. All the men were still swearing and shouting, but no one understood. It was obvious that they were extremely upset about something. Where were the elders? Did they do something to these people to provoke this attack? One man started throwing all the belongings into the fire; thus the fire was growing bigger. Yellow Girl decided to run outside to make sure the rest of the children were all right. She grabbed her blanket and jumped over Ashkii’s lifeless body to exit.

Outside, the smaller children were being whipped. The men in the blue outfits were forcing the children to one area and the mounted men were firing their guns into the air or cracking whips. Tall Girl was cornered between two mounted riders who were kicking her sides, but she did everything to defend the baby in her arms. The frozen snow was biting at their feet. The bruises on their faces and blood spots on the snow became visible. Once the mounted riders started pushing them toward an easterly direction, the clan members succumbed to the harshness of the strangers and the weather.

They started walking between the men with the blue outfits. As the children looked back, they could see that the fire had expanded to the entrance of the hogan. A huge plume of smoke was rising from where the chimney was and flames were spitting out the front doorway. The children thought that this was the end of their lives. They knew that they would never see Ashkii’s body again because it will be burned to ashes and be carried off by the winds. They continued to sob.

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IV

PLEADING WITH NATURE

A horse led the way. The crunching sound of each step came with a grunt from the horse. Its breath trailed a scent and steam toward the walkers. They tried to follow in the footsteps as the snow was waist deep for the little children. They held on to Yellow Girl’s blanket as she led the group right behind the front horse. The tears they cried stopped flowing because the wetness was making them colder in the face. Their noses were stuffed up, so they started hocking back the mucus and swallowing it because if they decided to spit, they figured that they might offend the officers and get whipped. None of the younger children had blankets, so they each took turns walking under Yellow Girl’s