Volunteer with Navajo and Hopi Peoples | Study Abroad with the Indigenous Peoples on a Carpe Diem Program

Indigenous Americas

This we know; the earth does not belong to man; man belongs to the earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. - Chief Seattle, 1854

In heeding the call of the Indigenous America semester, you will have the opportunity to delve into the more critical questions of our time through the lens of the native cultures of our land. As a small group, we will travel together through southwestern US, embarking on a series of journeys through Hopi, Navajo, Zuni, Laguna and other Pueblo Indian cultures. Some of the projects in which you will take part include:

Hopi Tutskwa Permaculture

Tutskwa means "the life ways and knowledge of," of which we will gain insight by working alongside youth and other community members of Kykotsmovi, the capital of the Hopi Nation, as we engage in projects including orchard restoration, natural building techniques, seed-saving and more.

Preserve the Tradition

Living on the remote land of a Navajo elder and healer, we will experience several aspects of Navajo, or Dine, culture hands-on: plant medicine, traditional cooking, weaving, fire-starting, arrowhead-making, Navajo language, as well as the sweat lodge ceremony. In the spirit of reciprocity, we will assist elderly families with urgent projects.

Ganado

The site of the establishment of one of the largest Christian missions in the United States, we will peer into the history of the area as a means of gaining understanding of the dynamics of the present. We will have the opportunity to learn from a former President of the Navajo Nation about what it means to live in "two worlds": rooted in the ways of seeing and understanding life as is uniquely Navajo, while concurrently grappling with the influences of the surrounding US culture. During our time here, we will also visit Hubbell Trading Post, the oldest trading post in the nation, and Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation.

Black Mesa Indigenous Support

In participating with this volunteer-run collective, we will live with homestays in the Black Mesa/Big Mountain area of the Navajo Nation. Navajo people in this region have been struggling for decades with threats to their land principally by the enterprises of mining companies. As we assist families with tending their sheep and other basic household chores, we will have the opportunity to explore up-close the profound layers that compose the intense environmental questions of our time.

Pueblo Indians of New Mexico

There are 19 Pueblos of New Mexico, and we will journey to a number of these, to varying degrees of depth. For example, we will spend time with a leading Zuni artist, educator, farmer and activist as we work with the land and experience the natural and unique wonders it holds. We will also meet two young artists from the Laguna Pueblo and hear their stories and insights.

Santa Fe Indian School

Continuing our exploration of the Pueblos, we will meet with a diverse group of Pueblo students who have won awards for their powerful abilities in Spoken Word. We will consider how art may allow us to express all the confusions and illuminations of our semester's travels. (watch a clip on youtube.

BorderLinks

Based out of the diverse city of Tucson, we will consider the complexities of border issues, which affect indigenous peoples throughout the Americas. We will travel to the Tohono O'odham Nation and consider again, through a new lens, the challenges that arise from two very different paradigms, or perceptions of reality.

Throughout these projects, we will be meeting with many of the leading Native American visionaries of our day, and with them exploring the dynamics of present-day Indigenous Peoples as well as considering the interconnectedness of their stories with our own.

Also, surrounding these experiences will be our immersion in the power and mysteries of the natural beauty of the southwest, particularly in spaces of sacred value for reasons of which we will begin to glimpse. Among the places we will experience include the San Francisco Peaks, Canyon de Chelly, Chaco Culture National Historic Park, Bandelier National Monument and Havasu Falls.

We anticipate that you will emerge from this semester with a more expansive sense of this land of 'America'-- what it's been through, what it's going through, and what it's up against, and your unique place within that story. Drawing from your own lived and felt experiences, we will break apart the stereotypes associated with words such as "Indigenous", "Native American", "Indian", and "reservation" and, in doing so, open up to entirely new ways of seeing and perceiving ourselves and our relationship with the natural world around us.

Program Details

Program Dates:

Beginning in the Fall 2012: September 18 - December 11th
Spring 2013: February 6 - May 1

Group Size:

A maximum of 10 Students & 2 Adult Leaders

Eligibility:

Ages 17 and Up

University Credit & Federal Financial Aid:

FAFSA & Up to 18 credits available through Portland State University: www.pdx.edu

Language Requirement:

None

Admissions:

No deadline - applications accepted on a rolling basis until 2 weeks prior to start date.

Program Fee:

$10,900 program fee includes all food, accommodations and scheduled program activities for the duration of the program. Airfare, health insurance and spending money are extra. For information on Financial Aid click here.

Program Policies:

For a detailed description of our Program Rules & Policies - The Sacred 6 - please click this link. These are the rules that we expect of all of our students for their overall safety and to provide the best possible program.

Carpe Diem offers exciting opportunities to travel, study and learn about the native peoples of the US, all while making a difference in the communities in which you'll stay. By volunteering with these indigenous peoples you'll scale mountains, work on meaningful construction projects and experience their wisdom and cultural heritage. Take your Gap Year with us on our Indigenous Americas program and transform your relationship to the world and mother earth.

During many of our semesters you can count on teaching being one of the many types of volunteering that takes place. This video is from our South America program group teaching English to some of the local school kids using the old standby of "Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes." For more videos please visit our You Tube page.