Navajo Nation
The reservation and the surrounding area, notably Monument Valley near Kayenta, Arizona, and Canyon de Chelly near Chinle, Arizona, are among the premier locations for landscape photography in the United States. The landscape varies from arid desert to alpine forests.
The town of Navajo featured in the film is located in McKinley County in New Mexico. According to the 2010 Census, in this county there is a Navajo population of 1,645 people with an average annual per capita income of $6,124 and a poverty rate of 65.6 percent. McKinley County has a poverty rate of 33 percent, the highest for any county in the state of New Mexico. About 30 percent of Navajo residents hold high school diplomas and 1.7 percent of the residents hold bachelor's degrees.
The language of the Navajo people, Diné bizaad, is similar to the language of tribes originating from Alaska and other northwest regions. This language in the Athabascan family is unique to North America; there are very few written texts in Diné bizaad.
Did you know...
Using the Navajo language, 29 Navajo U.S. Marines developed an unbreakable military code during World War II. Known as the "Navajo code talkers," they provided unparalleled code efforts that saved lives, especially at the Battle of Iwo Jima. According to Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division signal officer, "Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima."
» The Official Website of the Navajo Code Talkers
The Fred Harvey Company was a key player in developing the tourism industry of the Southwest. In 1876, businessman Fred Harvey opened a restaurant in the Santa Fe Railroad's Topeka, Kansas depot. Quickly, Harvey began opening other restaurant/hotel combinations, known as Harvey Houses, along the railroad's route. The Harvey Company developed into the first large restaurant chain in the nation. For tourists, a Harvey House was synonymous with good food, comfortable lodging, and friendly service. »Learning Center of the American Southwest
Caption: Asaayi Road in Navajo, NM
Credit: Photo courtesy of Anthony Thosh Collins
» Donovan, Bill. "Census: Navajo Enrollment Tops 300,000." Navajo Times, July 7, 2011
» First Voices
» Navajo Nation
» Navajo Nation. "Department of Diné Education."
» he Navajo Nation Division of Economic Development.
» Pritzker, Barry M. A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
» United States Environmental Protection Agency. "Geographic Area of Focus: Navajo Nations."
» U.S. Department of the Interior. "Indian Affairs."
» U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Indian Health Service."
» Yurth, Cindy. "Census: Native Count Jumps by 27 Percent." Navajo Times, January 26, 2012.
The Establishment of the Reservation
After the United States defeated Mexico in 1846 and took control of the Southwest, the Navajo were forcibly removed from their land. Colonel Kit Carson and his army implemented scorched-earth tactics, which included the burning and destruction of crops, homes and livestock. Many of the surviving Navajo were already suffering from starvation when they were ordered to march hundreds of miles to the Bosque Redondo reservation near Fort Sumner in eastern New Mexico, a mass movement known as the "Long Walk." The Navajos remained on the Bosque Redondo reservation for four years while the United States attempted to facilitate development of sedentary farming techniques. Many died on the Long Walk and during those four years of imprisonment.
On June 1, 1868, the Treaty of Fort Sumner, New Mexico, established a reservation for the Navajo. The treaty allowed the Navajo to return to their homeland, allotting them approximately 3.5 million acres of land around Fort Defiance on the border of Arizona and New Mexico. The near elimination of livestock, the loss of previous trade networks and difficulties growing crops on the arid land forced many Navajos into depending on rations distributed by the military. (Fry-bread, now a staple of the Navajo diet, was actually developed from those meager rations.) The U.S. government also supplied small livestock, such as sheep and goats, as well as marketing outlets for the Navajo to sell their goods.
The Navajo population on the reservation grew from approximately 8,000 after the Long Walk, to approximately 20,000 at the turn of the 20th century.
In 1969, one year after the 100th anniversary of the reservation, the Navajo Nation was granted tribal sovereignty. American Indian tribes are recognized by United States federal law as possessing sovereignty over their members and their territory. Sovereignty means that tribes have the power to make and enforce laws and to establish courts and other forums for resolution of disputes.
The Navajo Nation government has a three-branch system (executive, legislative, judicial) and is considered one of the most sophisticated American Indian governments.
Caption: Navajo, New Mexico
Credit: Photo still from Up Heartbreak Hill
» Canyon De Chelly. "The Navajo Long Walk."
» From Revolution to Reconstruction. "Navajo Treaty of 1868: Fort Sumner, New Mexico, June 1, 1868."
» United States Department of Agriculture. "2010 County-Level Poverty Rates for New Mexico<
» Volk, Robert. "Red Sales in the Sunset: The Rise and Fall of White Trader Dominance in the United States." American Indian Culture and Research Journal, 24 (1), 69-97, 2000.
Schools on the Reservation
Approximately 85,758 students attend 268 schools on the Navajo Nation reservation. The vast majority of students attend public schools, while approximately 18 percent attend schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
Consequently, the Navajo Nation has a strong interest in the federal budget as it relates to Native education funding. In March 2012, Navajo Nation president Ben Shelly testified before the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, urging Congress to forward-fund the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) higher education program as it does for other BIE programs, such as K-12 schools and tribal colleges. Additionally, he asked Congress to support a building study to determine the facility needs of two tribal colleges--Diné College and the Navajo Technical College.
In Up Heartbreak Hill, the principal of Navajo Pine High School states that the operations budget of Navajo Pine High School is $13,000. There are approximately 19 faculty and staff members and approximately 200 students. The 12th grade has the lowest number of students, reflecting the high dropout rates described in the film.
Caption:Tamara and Thomas in class at Navajo Pine High School.
Credit: Anthony Thosh Collins (Pima/Osage/Seneca-Cayuga)
» National Johnson O'Malley Association.
» Navajo Nation Economic Development "Educational Facilities on the Navajo Nation."
» Navajo Nation Washington Office.
» Navajo Pine High School.
» Schooltree. "Navajo Pine High School."
NNavajo Tradition of Running
The Native tradition of running arose out of a spiritual desire to honor the earth, the sky and everything sacred.
Up Heartbreak Hill focuses on the tradition of running that exists for Navajo and members of other American Indian tribes. Thomas grew up idolizing Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota/Sioux) and met him as a child during a local fun run.
The Native tradition of running arose out of a spiritual desire to honor the earth, the sky and everything sacred. Additionally, Native Americans have long understood and appreciated the positive benefits of running. They believe running creates a healthy and strong body, increases one's energy and drives away feelings of unhappiness. Prior to their encounter with Pueblo tribes and Europeans, they did not utilize extensive horticulture techniques or have horses and other livestock, so they also relied on running for hunting and other kinds of food gathering. Running further served as a practical means of trade and communication between neighboring communities and tribes. Today, running provides American Indian tribes a way to create pride and build cultural unity and self-esteem.
Did you know...
Raised on the Navajo Reservation in Ganado, Arizona, Alvina Begay is a long distance runner and ambassador for Nike N7; she qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials in 2012.
Caption:Thomas stretches on the track at Navajo Pine
Credit: Anthony Thosh Collins (Pima/Osage/Seneca-Cayuga)
» Access Genealogy. "Navaho Indian Tribe History."
» Barefoot Running. "The Ongoing Revival of Native American Running Traditions."
» Enochs, Ross. "The Franciscan Mission to the Navajos: Mission Method and Indigenous Religion, 1898-1940." Catholic Historical Review, 92 (1), 2006.
» Northern Arizona University. "Hopi Running."
First-Generation College Students
In Up Heartbreak Hill, the principal of Navajo Pine High School states that one in 10 students enrolled at the school will complete college and that that figure is basically the same at schools across the reservation. According to the American Indian College Fund, one of the primary factors behind the low number of college degree earners from the school is that a large portion of American Indian college students are first-generation college attendees. Despite the overall high levels of education in the United States, there are still many first-generation college students (students whose parents do not hold college degrees). According to a 2007 study done by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, nearly one in six freshmen at American four-year institutions are first-generation college students.
Research suggests that students whose parents did not attend or complete their post-secondary education face a distinct set of challenges. Such students often struggle more than their peers when applying to colleges, due to lack of family knowledge of the application process; additionally, their choices are more likely to be constrained by financial factors. These students are more likely than others to be employed while studying and are significantly more focused on college as a means to improve their economic standing.
First-generation students often feel less academically prepared as well; studies suggest that they are more likely than their peers from college-educated families to arrive at college needing remedial or preparatory assistance. Adjusting to the social atmosphere can also be a challenge for these students, who may be older than the average student, since first-generation college attendees are more likely to spend time working between high school and college. The challenges that these students face make it more difficult for some to finish their schooling, and a first-generation student is slightly more likely than the student population as a whole to leave college without obtaining a degree. Those who do graduate, however, achieve professional status on par with other graduates and have similar long-term earning prospects.
One of the most prominent obstacles preventing American Indian students from pursuing higher education is lack of the financial resources to do so. With the average per capita income of American Indian students at $8,000, there is a great need for financial support. This is one of the reasons Tamara chooses Fort Lewis College, one of five schools in the country that provide free tuition to enrolled tribal members.
The American Indian College Fund was established in 1989 in order to assist in funding the 33 higher education institutions in the tribal college and universities in the United States, as well as provide scholarships to American Indian students attending them. The American Indian College Fund reports that 36 percent of its scholarship recipients are first-generation college students. Unfortunately, only 11 percent of first-generation college students earn degrees in six years. Some factors affecting graduation rates include less college preparation compared to their non-reservation counterparts, cultural isolation in off-reservation colleges and family resistance based in fear that students will lose their tribes' customs and traditions. One of the benefits of tribal colleges and universities is the preservation of Native languages and cultures through curriculum and activities. This provides a more culturally supportive environment.
Caption:Thomas stands in front of "The Wall" at his dad, Jazz's, house.
Credit: Anthony Thosh Collins (Pima/Osage/Seneca-Cayuga)
» Ambler, Marjane. "While Globalizing Their Movement, Tribal Colleges Import Ideas." Tribal College Journal, 16 (4), Summer 2005.
» American Indian College Fund.
» American Indian College Fund. "Championing Success: A Report on the Progress of Tribal College and University Alumni."
» Higher Education Research Institute. "First in My Family: A Profile of First-Generation College Students at Four-Year Institutions Since 1971."
» Indian Country Today Media Network. "Buffalo Harvest Sparks Dialogue at Colorado College."
» Inside Higher Ed. "Aiding First-Generation Students."
» National Center for Education Statistics. "First-Generation Students: Undergraduates Whose Parents Never Enrolled in Postsecondary Education."
» Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation "First-Generation College Students: A Literature Review."
» U.S. Census Bureau. "Educational Attainment: 2000."