We Shall Remain: Utah Indian High School Curriculum Guide - The Navajos;
Subject
Indians of North America; Children; Education, Elementary; Indians of North America--Education; High school; Culture;
Place names
Utah;
Keyword
Indians of North America; Indians of North America--Education; Education; Utah Indians, Children, Education, High School; Navajo Indians;
Tribe
Navajo;
Creator
America West Center, Univ. of Utah;
Description
This lesson outlines the Navajo Long Walk and the history of those who were able to escape to southeast Utah. This lesson provides definitions for key terms such as treaties, sovereignty, etc;
Publisher
Digitized by: J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah;
Date.original
2009;
Type
Text;
Format
applicaton/pdf;
File name
HSnavajo.pdf
Language
eng;
Rights
This material may be protected by copyright. Permission may be required for use in any form. For further information please contact the American West Center, University of Utah: 801-581-7611;
THE NAVAJOS
W E S H A L L R E M A I N : U TA H I N D I A N C U R R I C U L U M G U I D E
45
TEACHER BACKGROUND
In the winter of 1863/1864, after their crops, livestock, and homes had been destroyed by the United States
Army under Christopher “Kit” Carson, over 8,000 Navajos were forced to walk twelve-to-fifteen miles a day—
with little food and little or no protection from the winter weather—from their ancestral homelands to the
remote and desolate Bosque Redondo Reservation. The memory of the Long Walk has haunted generations
of Navajos, and the story of the Long Walk is important to the history of Utah’s Navajos. Some Navajos were
able to escape the army and moved into what is now southeastern Utah. Their continued presence in this area
eventually led the government to add additional lands in Utah to the Navajo Reservation.
THE LONG WALK AND THE ESCAPE TO UTAH
Objecti ve
The student will be able to examine United States Indian policy by understanding the events surrounding the
Long Walk. They also will be able to understand how the Long Walk and the escape to Utah serve as examples
of Navajo determination and persistence.
Student Materials
Federal Indian Policy Vocabulary
Grey Eyes Remembers the Long Walk
“The Carson Expedition—Depredations of the
Navajoes”
“Kit Carson’s Expedition against the Indians”
“The Navajoes”
Time Frame - versatile
Two standard class periods with homework
One block period with homework
Three standard class periods
Teacher Materials
At a Glance: The Long Walk and the Escape to Utah
Navajo Interactive Map (available online at www.UtahIndians.org)
We Shall Remain: The Navajo (chapter 2, 5:57–9:02)
Procedure
Using the Navajo Interactive Map, the information from At a Glance, and/or a clip from We Shall
Remain: The Navajo, introduce students to the story of the Long Walk. Ask the students to think about what
it would have taken to survive such an experience, whether they had been among those who were forced to
Bosque Redondo or whether they were part of the group that escaped north. Ask the students to consider
how these experiences might have affected the future of the Navajo. Give the students the Federal Indian
Policy Vocabulary worksheet and tell them to study the vocabulary.
