We were able to join our dear friends, Tomi Folk and Hank Bruce on a trip to one of the Navajo Chapter houses (a local government division of the Navajos). This one was Ojo Encinas, quite a ways away from the larger cities of Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Tomi and Hank do work on eliminating hunger and helping to teach gardening in some really wonderful, therapeutic and sustainable ways. They have worked with many of the New Mexican Indian people on projects, including this group. Often there is an intergenerational component, with elders getting the chance to teach young people about the traditional ways of growing food and stories about plants.
It was a pleasure to meet some of Hank and Tomi's friends, and hear some presentations about the work that is happening in that corner of the Navajo nation. One of the really impressive things was a project where young people in high school and college get the chance to work and become erosion specialists. They earn money, gain expertise and protect the land. Win, win, win!
We joined them for a delicious potluck brimming with food like mutton stew (butchered the day before), elk posole, Indian fry bread, and some amazing corn and squash. No one left hungry! We were sorry that we didn't get to try Hank's famous tumbleweed soup (the plant below the what tumbleweed looks like before it tumbles...it's supposed to taste great!)
We drove back through beautiful red rock scenery, in the monument area. Everywhere you look it is gorgeous!
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