TRIBE OF THE TURQUOISE WATERS

foreign [Music] a steady stream of cars is checked in at the gates of the Grand Canyon National Park foreign but few of the spectators realize as they gaze into the abyss that deep in one of the side Canyons is the home of a small tribe of some 200 Indians this is Havasupai which translated literally means land of the sky blue water people the valley is reached only by Pac train as the trail drops over the lip of the canyon it begins the 29 switchbacks which drop a dizzy thousand feet down the face of the Canyon from here the trail enters the inner Gorges of the Grand Canyon itself Gorges with brilliant red walls until finally turning a rocky corner it comes upon the blue green water of Havasu Creek gushing from Springs at the base of a cliff then over arrives in the trail the valley sprawls below not very big some two miles long by a half mile wide its brilliant red walls rise straight up for hundreds of feet accentuating the greenness of the valley floor [Music] in addition to the two Pentacles found at the entrance to the valley there are two others high on the top of the canyon walls called The Old Man and the old woman Legend has it that when either or both of these fall Doom will come to the tribe [Music] at the end of the valley lined by cotton Woods is what is known as the main street of Supai along here passes most of the life of a village along here plods the food train for everything which enters or leaves the canyon must enter or leave by pack train and there seems to be no end to the variety and size of the loads which these animals carry [Music] everyone in the village comes to watch the unloading even old Supai Mary said to be 102 years old and a young come to witness the arrival along Main Street passes the tractor of the tribe dismantled at the rim and packed down Wheel by wheel at the end of Main Street dwarfed by the great cliffs above sits the little church really a quonset hut lowered section by section by helicopter to be assembled here later on the valley floor an Indian stone Mason has added a stone front to the building next door sits the little white Schoolhouse complete even to the traditional Bell Tower and when the bell is rung the Echoes reverberate back and forth across the Valley from Canyon wall to Canyon wall the Havasu pies are an agricultural people having been lured to the valley originally because of its fertile soil and abundant water a few members of the tribe discovered the canyon while escaping from warring Apaches they camped here a few days then returned to the tribe to bring the rest of the members here for they have remained for all the centuries since then they grow corn and squash and beans in their fields and irrigate them from the Waters of the creek the shallow irrigation ditches reflect in their scarce three-foot winds the Beauties above high on the cliffs in natural caves and in natural Ledges such as the one here dwarfing the white figure in it we find the deep round holes dug by the earliest Havasu pies for the burial of their corn for safe keeping during raids and on the same Ledges we find the narrow walled in cells such as the one at the base of the picture with a tiny opening in here was placed not only grain but women and children in time of danger now most useful as a place to change movie film the older women of the tribe we find baskets out of the Willows growing along the blue green Creek the entire twig is used for the framework of the basket and then the long slim switches are split lengthwise by hand and by the teeth and then re-split to form the fine Supple strands that are woven in and out around the framework [Music] black design on the basket is Mesquite or cat's claw in front of their houses over an open fire the Indians prepare their meals Seated on the ground with pots and pans beside them they cook the food including the main item of diet bread a mixture of white flour salt water and baking powder formed into a flat tortilla-like cake and then baked over the Open Fire [Music] on certain days of the week sweat baby strip to breech cloth prepare the small Dugout sweat lodges for use a few heated rocks are carried one by one from the fire into the lodge to be sprinkled later with cool water [Music] when the bather enters the lodge he closes the opening by means of the blankets and inside chance to the Rocks asking that they send their healing power to prevent illness he remains inside for only a few moments in the intense heat which sometimes reaches 150 degrees he soon emerges his body glistening in the Sun from the perspiration to rest and relax in the shade before repeating the performance and then ending it all by a quick dip into the Cool Waters of nearby Havasu Creek this stream is crossed by fordings and little foot Bridges and as it approaches the Colorado River it tumbles over four Falls the first is over omasi embankment next is lovely Navajo Falls where the water Cascades over a cliff in fan shape to drop into a green travertine pool below a short distance downtrail is the most beautiful of the four cataracts Havasu Falls the water plumes over the brilliant Red Cliff in two silvery ribbons carbonate Canyon joins cataract Canyons here at the base of the falls [Music] on the face of the cliff we find the curtains and draperies of travertine deposited by the shifting mist of the tumbling water [Music] even forming caves and windows [Music] the trees and shrubs at the base of the falls are dead for they are covered with a heavy coating of this travertine or lime [Music] here are the roots of an old fig tree covered with travertine a bit of the root is removed to leave a deep pipe-like cavity below the Havasu Falls the Trail skirts close to the brink of Mooney Falls Mooney was named for an Old Prospector who lost his life in attempting to lower himself over the cliff in search of gold and silver farther down in the valley Mooney Falls are 60 feet higher than Niagara 220 feet high again on the Cliff's face beside the Falls are the curtains and draperies of travertine from the pool at the base of the falls are stair steps of the line deposited on the stream bed all along the blue green Creek there are drinking fountains everywhere on our way back to the Village from The Falls we forward the stream and arrived near Main Street in time to witness the Harvest Festival which is held each year in late August for this event a rodeo is featured and for the rodeo a small herd of cattle is driven Down The Long Trail from the river for there are no cattle in the tiny green fields on the valley floor a little parade of contestants precedes the rodeo un-draped in budding for costume and ornament under the great cliffs the little rodeo begins and dust clouds rise in the still hot air while the noisy support of the Home Folks reverberate back and forth across the canyon [Applause] [Music] we watched the riding and roping until a golden sun sank behind the canyon walls it was hard to realize that next day we must say farewell to these friendly soft-spoken people but we saddle our pack train forwarded the blue green waters of Havasu Creek for the last time [Music] that up the long and difficult trail to the far away rim it was with real reluctance that we said farewell to the Havasu pies in their hidden Green Valley the tribe of the turquoise Waters [Music] thank you