I'm going to be in New Mexico and Arizona in a few months, and I was planning on doing some exploring around reservations. They're interesting to me, because they're sort of like sovereign states with their own government and culture.
But I've run into stuff about permits and photography. Mostly I was going to see Oak Flat and Baboquivari Peak, Sierra Blanca Peak and maybe interview some locals on their thoughts on a land seize.
I know that Sierra Blanca requires a tribal pass (it's sacred ground), but I don't know what else does, where to find them, how much they cost, or what their opinions are on two tourists walking around and taking photos are.
How closed-off are Indian reservations, exactly?
>>1113035
>How closed-off are Indian reservations, exactly?
In a way, they are like visiting foreign countries.
I am not familiar with that region, sorry, but if I were you, I'd think about looking at if there are any indian "concessions" that operate any exclusive tours to sites of interest. I'd also see if the state guides from the typical series like Fodors, lonely, whatever, has the research already done for you.
If you are a REAL enthusiast, accomplished photography buff, what have you, wouldn't hurt to email a guy there, pour on the compliments, might luck in a tour and personal friend for the day.
>>1113063
Thanks for the advice, I'm looking up some info online now. Most of the reservations have Facebook pages. What's so strange is exactly how different some tribal laws are from others. The Navajo Nation is absolutely fine with photography and letting whoever walk in and explore, but there's certain Pueblos that don't even allow visitors except for one day a year - and even then no photography.
As far as being an accomplished photographer, I'm pretty much just a rubbernecker who's curious about weird cultural and political goings-on. There is a land-grab outside a reservation on federal land that was promised to the Apache in AZ that will make a 7,000 foot strip mine on sacred land, and supposedly there's a sort of an occupation there at Oak Flat.
At this point, why not just declare them separate countries? I guess that's more of a /pol/ question, but interesting still.
>>1113065
Hi OP, I'm from this part of the country. Some ideas to keep in mind.
1) photography and recording can be sensitive matters. i've heard people say that these kinds of technologies (and especially their proliferation in the digital age) are the new anthropologists, i.e., just like anthropologists showed up and took off with all their artifacts back in the 1880s-1940s ish, now people show up and record their ceremonies/ways of life/lives generally and put it on the internet. ask first, and err on the side of not getting too nosy with the camera.
2) I am going to disagree with this anon >>1113063
who said they are like visiting foreign countries. in my experience (though it may vary by reservation) you won't know you are on one except for by the sign you pass on the highway. like going into another county, not country. again though, may vary by country. you make a good point about the Navajo Nation vs. other reservations, but consider that Navajo is the largest, most well-funded, most populous reservation in the USA, and the Pueblos are small.
3) as for tours/things to do, again i hope you will be respectful when visiting oak flat. sure a political going-on, but it's rooted in long running histories that i won't get into explaining both for my only intermediate knowledge, but also for its depth as a subject. you'll find certain tours run at the tourist spots -- monument valley, betatakin/keet seel, antelope canyon, canyon de chelly, etc... but don't think there will be zoo-like exhibits for daily life.
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>>1113086
4) why not make them separate countries? there's a lot more to it than this, but the us gov has what's called a special trust relationship with tribes, and their semi-autonomous status is created in part by the tribes deciding what services they would like to provide to their people, and letting the federal government take the rest. so say a tribe can't afford to do X for their people, they can let the government take care of it and put their own money to whatever other better use. unfortunately, the treatment of indians in the USA and the conditions on reservations mean that "x" is never one item, but ususally a long, sad list. personally, i am conviced that a lot of the indian reservations out there are the worst off people in the united states. for the government's part, they of course gain taxpayers, resources, land, etc etc etc.
enjoy it out there. one of the most beautiful parts of the world if you ask me. i'll check back in on this thread over the next few days and can answer any other questions
>>1113087
Thanks for being so helpful! I'm actually going to be in the southern parts of the four corners, from White Sands to Oak Flat and maybe south on the NM border, so I know I'll be missing a lot of reservations (mostly they're farther north, I thought.)
I'd mostly be interested in sacred sites and political matters like activism or separatism (I hear that's a real issue in places), so I don't think I'd find myself in the position of filming any cultural acts, but maybe some adobe huts or something. Indians do seem marginalized, like how drinking water on reservations is worse than Flint, MI, and the murder by police rate is higher than for blacks. It is pretty sad.
And I always try to be respectful. I've been to a powwow in the southeast, it was a scam. At least half of the people selling items weren't even real Indians, they were just mountain guys from the Appalachias selling flutes and rattlers made in China. I can understand them being weary of people photographing their dances and posting it online where people can copy it and claim to be spiritual leaders.
My girlfriend is Navajo. She keeps telling me "you need to see the rez, you'll think it's so weird!" so I guess I'm hyped for whenever that will happen, even though she's continually trying to convince me how dreadful and full of Mormons it is. We live in New York so I don't think we'll get around to visiting soon. I'm part native too, though not from a US tribe, so US Indian policy and life is pretty new to me. I'll be watching this thread.
>>1113131
what part of the rez is she from? she's right, it's a fucking trip. 3rd world. it's fucked up.
>>1113139
>>1113087
Not OP but very interested. How would I go about going into Navajo Nation and seeing how things are and meeting people without seeming like an average shitty tourist looking for noble savages? It seems like there's something automatically arrogant about exploring such a poor area of a wealthy country, but I want to know how to come off as genuinely respectful.
>>1113155
I dunno myself, I've driven through the reservation but that was years ago, most of what you'll see is small shacks and dusty roads full of potholes. A powwow or culture center might be a good place to ask the locals, but remember that it's basically a city. You wouldn't go to Detroit and interview just any local. Maybe something like a Mormon missionary? I mean they're there to try to make an impact on poverty and spread the word.
>>1113158
Yeah, that's what I figured. I guess it's just a matter of traveling through there and hoping to meet people who I can talk to. Either way I'm sure the landscapes are beautiful.
>>1113160
Plus it's like traveling to a lot of new countries but never leaving the US. I guess you could get a tribal permit from the gas stations or sports stores, which is basically like a passport stamp.
Gotta catchem
>>1113139
Her parents are teachers so she's moved around a lot in and out of the reservation. She's spent the most time in the Farmington/Kirtland/Shiprock, NM area, which is at the edge of the reservation. She's also spent some time in Ganado and Jeddito, AZ. There must be more places that I can't remember right now. She's also lived for a while in the Phoenix area, so by this point I don't think she really deems herself as being "from" the reservation. She actually feels superior to a lot of her peers because she did well in school and isn't resigning herself to an impoverished rural life, which is why she moved to New York last year. :^) She's also inherited a plot of land on the reservation but hates that she has it because there's nothing around it for miles.
Based on things I've seen on Facebook and things my girlfriend has told me, the area and people are more or less just like anywhere else in Middle America, except Navajo obviously. Like I said, a lot of them have become Mormons, so that's sort of stripping away local culture (and of course, there's that whole Lamanite thing).
