Navajo Festival, Quite a Tradition

On the way from Santa Fe to Flagstaff, we stumbled upon quite a scene in tiny Window Rock, Arizona. The street was lined with vehicles and tents. It was the 62nd Navajo Nation Festival, and festival-goers were ready to camp out overnight along a parade route. We didn't have time to stay for the parade (or the rodeo, beauty contest, mud-bog, or concert by country band, Sugarland).

But we did have a moment to chat with a 41-year old truck driver named Cameron Wauneka. Without hesitation, he said his leaders are his parents, both of whom passed away in the last three years. He told us they had a strong sense of family, which they exhibited each year when they brought their Navajo kin together for the festival -- setting up tents and seeing family members they rarely had a chance to visit. It's a tradition that Cameron said he was carrying on as he erected the tent and waited for the rest of his family to arrive for the festiviites in Window Rock.

-- David Greene

9:51 PM ET | 09- 6-2008 | permalink

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