Navajo Nation, Arizona -

The north eastern corner of Arizona is American Indian land or a 'reservation'. The Navajo people however prefer to call it the 'Navajo Nation' and this is how it appears on the maps. In a treaty in 1868 this land was given back to the American Indians and is now the largest reservation in the USA at 25,000 square miles. Though a lot of poverty is evident with the amount of pre-fab style trailer homes people live in etc the heritage is strong and every small town has Indian crafts and jewellry for sale. As white people we really stuck out and the only white people you see are tourists. I doubt there would be any white people permanently living here. While the Navajo drive their pick up trucks and have their McDonalds you feel like you are travelling through a foreign country. While everyone speaks English the Navajo language is still alive and strong and the supermarkets mark their prices in Navajo and English. The nation also is on a different time zone to the rest of the state. We had dinner tonight at a fast food restaurant and a young boy of about 12 came up to sell us Indian trinkets. The parks have Indian vendors at every viewpoint etc. A great cultural and learning experience for us all!