Go-Jii-Ya runner

This is Frank, a fellow teacher. You wouldn't know it from his paint, but he's a Dayton boy. Because he's a fast runner, he was blessed by the White clan to run at Go-Jii-Ya. Note the yucca fibers tied at his wrists and throat. (Despite four hours of instruction last week on the history and meaning of Go-Jii-Ya, I can't remember what the yucca signifies). Note the shade structure he's sitting under--all woven, not nailed. Note the bread and soup.

When the Apaches were free, the White clan lived in the hills and mountains and were mainly agricultural. The Red clan lived on the prairie and were Buffalo hunters. The reservation where the Jicarilla Apaches live now is not their ancestral land. That land was further north and east in the San Luis Valley.

The White clan lost the 3-hour relay race at Go-Jii-Ya this year, notwithstanding Frank and many other really fast runners.

(Photos are not allowed at Go-Jii-Ya, especially by gawking white people. This one was a gift from another tribal member.)