White Mesa
Much to the Mesa's beauty. This red base is evident in all canyons of the mesa cut below the level of the surrounding plain. While the road we took to the Arch is passable after the sands become wet from rain or snow, it is much more advisable to use a road turning west from the TonaleaKayenta road, six miles north of Tonalea. Subsequent investigations from the air and from the ground proves this road to be the safest and shortest. It is about six miles from this turn-off to a point one-half mile from the Arch. The view from the window of this arch stretches south to include the San Francisco Peaks and to the east to include Black Mesa, Blue and Coal Canyon and the mesas of the Hopi country. The background is always the sheer white walls of White Mesa.This short visit but increased the itch to see all of this strange place. Not many people know about it. The traders living around it, knew of the Arch, but only one had seen it. Gregary, in his report on the Navajo Country, mentions two springs on it but no one even the Indians -seem to be able to add anything. Then on my next visit, which was in the summer of '46, a strange accident occurred. My oldest son and I were on a leisurely camping trip when by fate we had to camp near the base of the Mesa. Heavy rains had filled a wash to overflowing, making a long cross country detour in our jeep necessary. It became apparent that darkness would overtake us so we selected a camp site, cooked our supper and retired. As the sun sank behind the Mesa, my son said, "Daddy I see a bridge." On following his gaze I saw what he referred to, and it certainly looked like a bridge outlined in the sinking rays of the sun. What could this be I thought? Something no one had ever seen before? I never had heard of two bridges in White Mesa. One, sure I'd seen it, but two? Oh well, the sun was playing tricks so off to sleep we went. In the morning there was no sign of our "ghost bridge," so I concluded my retiring thought was correct.
I could never satisfy my son nor myself though, so many months later on a flight to Rainbow Lodge, I flew low over the Mesa and explored its canyons and rocks from the air-There it was! Right where we had seen it. A perfect small white arch perched saucily on the top of a very narrow and deep canyon. Thoroughly memorizing every wagon trail that showed, and every possible land mark, I sailed back to Phoenix wondering how this had gone unseen or unphotographed. Into my library I went and into every book that might contain pictures or a story of this bridge, but evidently I had stumbled onto something.
Weeks went by before time allowed the opportunity of another land visit to White Mesa, but one February morning my wife and I drove north in the jeep, which is a dandy way to get over the eternal sand of Navajo Land. Stopping at Tonalea I asked Mr. Boyle, the trader there, if he had ever heard about a second bridge, and he said the Indians had told him of it but that he had never found it. He did supply the information that the wagon trail across the top of the Mesa was passable, and that he had driven over it the week before. Thanking him for this information we drove on. Turning off toward the mesa, six miles from the post, it wasn't long until we reached the first land mark seen from the air a deserted hogan and sheep corral. From there it was mostly cross country to the mouth of the canyon of the long rocks where the bridge is located, and after bump-bumping across sandhills and sage brush we saw it. It was a thrill never to be forgotten, to see such a lovely white arch that as far as we knew no white man had ever seen before. Its small round opening showed the brilliant blue of an Arizona sky, and its white arch formed by two tall spires rising from the ever present red of the mesa's base into minarets made a picture even prettier than I had hoped for after seeing it from the air. One can drive a jeep to within a mile of the closest point; one can reach the bridge from the southwest side, and it was a short walk to the top of the Mesa to a point directly across the Canyon from the bridge where photographs could be made. The canyon cutting through the Mesa here is about 300 feet deep and very narrow. Its walls are white with practically no vegetation. The bridge itself can be reached from the northwest side of a long canyon emptying to the west, and on another trip this will be done.
Evidence of former civilizations are everywhere. There are countless caves showing former use as dwellings and pottery shards are more plentiful than rocks. This should prove a veritable heaven for the archeologist in addition to the explorer. If this bridge has never been seen or photographed by white man, and an Indian at the foot of the canyon told us this is so, then on my maps it will be called the Margaret Arch in the name of my wife who was with me when it came into view. These two bridges are not the only attractive points of White Mesa. Driving around the north and northwest sides on the Inscription House-Kaibito road one passes Thermos Butte. This butte is a land mark plainly seen from Rainbow Lodge and the north side of Navajo Canyon. It rises about 500 to 700 feet above the surrounding plain and marks the extreme north end of the Mesa. While this road is not of the best, careful driving will allow safe passage. In the northwest side one comes to the intersection of the Navajo Canyon Wagon road which leads to the very bottom of this little known canyon. It is not advisable to attempt this in its entirety but a jeep or station wagon will have no trouble getting to within five miles of the end of this road. This Kaibito Plateau is little explored and offers an unlimited view of the majesty of Navajo Mountain. It is fairly well populated by Navajos, unspoiled by contact with white man. Toward the western end of the White Mesa large expanses of drifting sand occur, and if one didn't know one would feel he were on the desert near Yuma. Here in places the road might be covered by drifted sand, but it is by no means impassable. The road parallels White Mesa which continues to present its alabaster loveliness to the awed traveller. Many canyons empty from this side, and their mouths are guarded by large imposing pinnacles of rock.Kaibito (Willow Water), the post at the western end of White Mesa, offers the tourist cold drinks and gasoline plus excellent Indian articles. One can drive from here back to Tonalea (where the waters end) or to the Gap. Either road is excellent and affords never-to-be-forgotten views of White Mesa and this little visited section of Navajo Land. White Mesa must surely become, with the advent of good roads, a haven for the person seeking something different. Here on a sandy plain is located a sandstone structure yearning for exploration. It reminds one of Zion and Bryce Canyons of Coal Canyon but its lofty white walls defy comparison with anything the writer has seen in years af travel over the Southwest. Include it in your trip this summer-you'll never regret it.
The Devil Dancers are regarded with great respect by the Apache Indians, whether they dance as pleasing entertainers or to cure.
"Spirits which come out of the Mountains"
Like a great magnet the bonfire drew gaily dressed brown figures out of the darkness. Quietly the Indians gathered a safe but warm distance from the blaze, expectantly chatting away the uncounted minutes.
Out of the darkness, too, came the Mountain Spirits of the Apache Indians. Devil Dancers, white man prefers to call them, and well he might if he labels them by the noises they make as they enter the bright circle between the Indians and the fire. Eerie cries, jingling bells, the shaking of rattles mingle to make these dancers seem out of this world.
It is the last night of a four day ceremony, a rite of presentation of a young Apache girl to tribal life. There have been four days of ritual for her, four days with the medicine man who tells her of the Mythical White Painted Woman who sets the standard for the perfect Apache woman's life. Four serious days has it been for the young initiate.
But for the crowd which has come from miles about to attend this tribal affair, it has been four days of visiting, entertainment, gambling, and games. It has been a time for making new friends and renewing old acquaintances. Now, this night, comes the peak in entertainment, the appearance of the Devil Dancers.
Not everyone can be a Devil Dancer. Not all men have the courage to associate themselves with the spirits of an unknown world, nor the sense of responsibility to perform on these ritual occasions. Others have not only these requisites, but also a yearning for the silent applause of their fellow tribesmen, and they also receive great pleasure for the dancing itself. Then, too, one is often handsomely compensated for services of this nature.
On a hillside a safe distance from the campfires of the crowd gathered for the ceremony, Apache men, young and old, gather to prepare for the dance. A recognized shaman paints the four Devil Dancers and their inevitable companion, a clown. Of course, if time creeps upon the men as they are painted and dressed, one dancer may help another. Sacred though they may be, the symbols painted on the dancers are not the sole property of the shaman.
The impersonators of the Mountain Spirits strip in their hideout. Black, white, and yellow colors are traditionally used to decorate upper body and arms with equally traditional stepped lines, zigzags, triangles, narrow bands, and stars. We concluded that the dancers we last saw (and picture here) were less conventional than some of their fellowmen, for the designs on their bodies were larger and more spectacular than usual.
Only the supernatural could dictate the paraphernalia worn by a Devil Dancer. A plaid blanket-kilt or buckskin shirt is held in place by a leather belt mounted with Navajo silver conchas-or dime store glass. Native buckskin moccasins are always worn. Green juniper boughs and feathers generously adorn the persons of the dancers -tucked in at the waist, tied to long buckskin strips at the elbows, fastened to the bottoms of the skirts and the buckskin masks. Bells attached at waist and knees will aid in announcing the approach of the dancers and make music while they perform.
The dancer is readied for his appearance by the final donning of a spectacular head decoration. To the top of a buckskin hood which covers the face are attached spreading pieces of carved and painted yucca slats. Designs on these vary from sun symbols to snakes. This head gear simulates the horns of game animals with which the Mountain Spirits are associated.
A pair of long slender sticks with four short cross slats on each is carried by every Devil Dancer. These are also painted. In the dancing, they are used continuously, held up or down, crossed, or hit together.
Mention might be made here of a fifth member of the dance group, the clown. Although he plays a secondary role at the time of the appearance of the masked dancers at the Apache girl's puberty rite, he is of first importance in some other ceremonies. In the dances the clown is a clown in every sense of the word, present for the entertainment of the crowd and fulfilling their every wish even to rolling in the dirt!
In legend the clown is referred to as "Grey One," or "Long Nose," or "White Painted. Hence his body is generally painted white (though the last one we saw was spotted!), and he wears nothing but a gee string and moccasins. To live up to his legendary name, the clown sometimes adds a big nose or great ears to the otherwise plain buckskin mask. Like the Devil Dancers, the clown wears a smaller but similar slat headpiece.
Quietly but carefully the dancers pick their way down the hillside. Guided by the light of the fire as they approach, their steps quicken. They enter the great circle to perform on this last night of the girl's puberty rite. They are fully prepared to entertain the crowd. Coming in from the east, they give the call of the Mountain Spirits just as they break into the light of the great campfire. They circle the fire. Then, in response to the drummers and chanters on the northwest edge of the ring, the Devil Dancers perforın several steps, gyrating, stomping, twisting, shaking hips, gesticulating heads to the rattle, rattle, of bells and jingles, to the throbbing of drums. As the crowd is more responsive, the tempo of the music and dance rises. On and on they dance, disappearing into the darkness only for a brief respite.
Soon the bells of the dancers again alert the crowd. In they come for a repeat performance. And so their dancing will continue far into the night as the crowd visibly approves, as the dancers themselves warm up to their task, as the drummers and chanters become more active.
There is a more serious performance in which the Devil Dancers of the Apache Indians appear, a curing or preventive rite. Although they may sometimes "blow away" disease from an ill child before dancing in the firelights at a puberty ceremony, this would be the full extent of a Devil Dancer's curing activities at such a performance. A curing rite is quite another matter, for in it appears none of the levity described above.
In the more serious affair, the shaman first directs the building of a corral of juniper and other growth. To this he brings the sick man. The masked dancers and the clown enter from the east, circle the fire, and give the Mountain Spirit call. They worship the fire in the east, circle, call, then worship in each direction in like manner. Before the sick person, the dancers perform. From the four directions they blow away his illnes. For four days they do this.In case of failure to cure on the part of the masked dancers, the clown performs. He too gesticulates and blows to frighten away sickness. So powerful is he that he al-ways succeeds says Apache tradition. The clown who is a powerful ritualist here stands in vivid contrast to the accommodating entertainer in the puberty rite!
Thus the Mountain Spirits of the Apaches, or the Devil Dancers, can be pleasing entertainers or they can cure the ills of tribe or tribesman. In gaudy and noisy costume, the dancers can make the crowd chuckle with their ridiculous posturing and strange calls. Or the same Mountain Spirits, with similar but more restrained and traditionalized actions, will win the everlasting gratitude of a sick man as they dance to cure him.
So, whether they dance to roll back threatening clouds, to stave off an epidemic, to cure a sick man, or to entertain, the Devil Dancers are regarded with great respect by the Apache Indians. Such is the faith of these Indians in the Spirits which come out of the Mountains!
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