Straddling the Arizona-Utah border, Monument Valley is one of the US’s most recognisable landscapes. In fact, it’s one of the most photographed sites in North America. This is thanks, in large part, to its role as a backdrop for Hollywood films, from genre-defining westerns like Stagecoach (1939), to contemporary classics like Forrest Gump (1994).
But, as any visitor to this terracotta-colored corner of the Southwest US will attest to, Monument Valley is much more than just a spectacular piece of scenery. Sited within the bounds of the Navajo Nation reservation, it belongs, and serves as a home and site of special cultural significance, to the Navajo population.
To understand more about what Monument Valley means to the Navajo, and why it is so important to the ongoing preservation of their culture and way of life, we spoke with local Navajo guide, and this week’s Insightful Destination Expert, Larry Holiday.
Hello Larry. Can you tell us a little about yourself, and the area?
“Yá’át’ééh. My name is Larry Holiday, I’m a Navajo and I live in Monument Valley, part of the Navajo Nation.
“The size and the population of the Navajo Nation makes it the largest reservation in the US, at 16 million acres, about the same size as the state of West Virginia. It stretches into Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, and the population is over 200,000 Navajo.
“The Navajo name for Monument Valley is Tsé Biiʼ Ndzisgaii. Tsé means rocks. Biiʼ Ndzisgaii means the light, lighting up the valley. When you come here, you’ll see the way the sunlight comes down to the sand, making it glow and lighting up the valley.”
Experience the natural drama of Monument Valley for yourself on Enchanting Canyonlands
Does Monument Valley hold a particular significance for you?
“Yes. This is where the Navajo live (in this area). This area is where our ancestors have moved around for years – say, since around 1,200 AD.
“Our people, when they’ve been in this area, they went through the valleys, the mountains, round the mesas, and they move around – where they can do hunting, and then they move around where there’s firewood, or where there’s vegetation. Not just for the animals, but for themselves too.
Even to this day, we do the same thing. We move twice a year, we have summer camp and winter camp, just to keep the vegetation balanced. We still do a lot of hunting.”
What is life like here today, for residents of Monument Valley?
“Traditional in many ways. Some still live in a traditional Navajo dwelling, called a hogan. In there we have a kitchen, we have a living room, a dining room, we sleep in here. It’s all in one living area. After dinner, we go out to watch the sunset over the valley.
“Some of the homes here (in Monument Valley), don’t have running water. You can see with a lot of the families here, they have a lot of these big trucks – to haul water home. There are natural springs here, water holes, but they get dried out. So they haul water, not just for their families, but for their animals too.”
Further reading: 6 Reasons Why Monument Valley is Utah’s Most Underrated Sight
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