Of Apaches, More Birds and a Library

In which Moominmama visits the White Mountain Apache Culture Center and enjoys the birds, and library, of Portal, Arizona...

One day, long ago, Coyote's wife asked Coyote to go to the salt lake and pick salt crystals from the shores to flavor their food. Coyote set out with a bag for the salt, but it was a long walk and when he arrived, he was tired. He lay down to rest and quickly fell asleep. Butterflies came upon him and decided to play a trick on him. They lifted him up by his hairs and flew him home. When he awoke he was confused, and his wife was angry. He had not brought home any salt.

He set out the next day only this time he ran the whole way. Now he really was hot and tired. He had plenty of time, so he stopped to rest. He fell sound asleep, and the giggling butterflies lifted him up and took him home again. He awoke outside his den, as confused as ever, and with his wife still angry. He had no salt.

On the third day, Coyote ran to the lake but this time he set straight to work to collect the salt. He did not rest until his bag was full. But after all that hard work, he was tired, and sat down to rest. He fell asleep. The butterflies played their trick on him once again, but they also carried back the bag of salt. Coyote awoke none the wiser how he got home, but his wife was happy to have the salt. She cooked a big, flavorful meal and invited all the animals to attend, including the butterflies.

The butterflies enjoyed the meal, but they enjoyed even more laughing at Coyote for the trick they'd played on him. And that's why butterflies do not fly in a straight line. They flutter about because they are all laughing so hard.

Moominmama heard this story told in Apache (with subtitles) at the Apache Culture Center, where among other things, they are working hard to preserve and pass their native language on to the next generation. For the record, it's not clear if this story about Coyote is an Apache story, but it is Native American. 

Arizona is quite a crossroads for native tribes - that's in part thanks to rivers like the Salt River below, which extends 200 miles from the eastern mountains, through this canyon, all the way to Phoenix. 

The White Mountain Apache have Zuni ruins on their land and a long history of interactions with other tribes. And while the White Mountain Apache say their Creator made them here in the mountains of Eastern Arizona, anthropologists tell a slightly different story. The Apache language is Athabascan (as is Navajo), a language group that traces to Alaska and Canada. The Arizona Natural History Museum places their arrival between 1100 to 1500.

This makes the Ancient Puebloans much longer residents, including their descendents, the Tewa, Hopi, Zuni and others whose ancestors appear to have migrated from Mexico and further south. Migration has always been part of the human experience, no matter who tries to deny it.

The White Mountain Apache cultural center is in Fort Apache, which dates back to 1870. The White Mountain tribe worked with the U.S. Army as it fought with other tribes and sought to move them onto reservations. A team of Apache Scouts from this tribe is credited with tracking down Geronimo, a Chiricahua Apache. While the scouts were honored by the Army for their bravery and skill, it's a mixed history for sure. The White Mountain Apache benefitted from their status by being able to keep some of their original homeland and provide for their tribe. It's hard to criticize people who had few good options. 

The presence of Fort Apache meant they lived with soldiers in their midst and ended up hosting an Indian boarding school where Navajo youngsters were brought to separate them from their families and culture. 

Fort Apache today is a mix of tribal offices, the cultural center and a U.S. Army history museum built around what must have been the original parade ground. General Crook's log cabin is open to visitors, and this one here, the former adjutant's office built in 1876, is now the Fort Apache Post Office. The boarding school is now the local public school for the reservation.

The White Mountain Apache are only one of several Apache tribes that called this region home. There are also the San Carlos Apache who have their own reservation nearby. Other groups like Geronimo's Chiricahua people were moved to reservations elsewhere, including Oklahoma.

Moominmama is now in Chiricahua territory, in the small town of Portal, a popular spot for birders in March. Unlike the serious birders here seeking out the rare migrating species, I am happy to watch whatever flies in my direction. And I am overjoyed that this year, the Cave Creek has water running through it. When I was here last year, it had run dry. All I need to do now is sit at my campsite by the water and watch what comes to my site -- like this common Mexican Jay who stopped by for a drink of water. I require nothing exotic in my feathered friends.

Portal also has a lovely library, which used to be the town schoolhouse. After the decision was made to bus students to a bigger community, a woman named Myrtle Kraft organized local volunteers to operate the building as a library. And while it's now part of the county library system, it retains all of its old-school charm! 

Locals walk in here throughout the morning to chat with the librarian, Kathleen, and pick up books they've requested! Everyone knows everyone else - and if they don't, they ask questions. It is a warm and welcoming place. And once I wrap up here, I'm off to find more birds!