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thebravecowboy
Social climber
Colorado Plateau
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Gordon goodkarma bump for the best photos in a bit.
the two-horse blue mesa, the smiling navajo boy, the hippy and the sandstone.
Gordon, you are the chit. Thanks for sharing.
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Dave Evans;...sandstone connoisseur........Round Rock, Ariz.
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crunch
Social climber
CO
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Point taken, Ron.
I agree that there's been long history of "negotiations" between Anglos and the Dine. Historically, the anglos have had the money, guns, accountants and lawyers to get the better end of the bargain. The tribes, historically, could barely understand/read whatever treaties they were told they had to sign.
But this is changing and has been for some time. In the 1970s the first generation of college educated Native Americans graduated college.
For several decades now, there are increasing numbers of Native America lawyers, writers, accountants. The tribes are generating money from gambling and tourism, they have their own lawyers/accountants--experts--who can understand the fine print and create much better, fairer outcomes in modern "negotiations" with Anglos.
How does this affect climbing?
In the past, negotiations over climbing access on the rez have been very much a Navajo vs anglo affair. The heavy shadow of 150 years of bad-faith treaties and abuse always colors negotiations. No one on the rez has had much idea about what climbing is, what it might mean to an individual, how it's done, what impacts it might have (and even how it's changed from the 1960s when Fred Beckey and Layton Kor used to hammer pitons all over). We can make claims about low impact, or respect, or safety, but why should we be believed?
But now we have Navajos who enjoy climbing. I think that is very cool. It also means that the tribe now has members--people they can trust--who are knowledgable about what climbing is, how it's done, what impacts it has.
That right there, and in the future, is a game changer.
Not because climbing access might get easier but because the tribe can better understand what's at stake in any future climbing access negotiations.
Worthy of an article in Rock & Ice, I reckon.
Best of luck to Alex Pina and his friends.
ps. Hey Alex. I wrote a book about the history of climbing in the desert, which involves, as it had to, some of the history of climbers on the rez. Send me an email: click on "crunch" on the left, send me an email with your address and I'll send you a copy.
Crusher
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BASE104
Social climber
An Oil Field
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You have to treat the res like it is private land with an owner. The owner is the tribe, and ask permission.
Normally with BASE it was the other way around:
It is easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission.
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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My Navajo climbing buddy Francis;......he lives in Yucca Valley, but lived and worked in Canyon de Chelly........another Navajo climber;.......getting after it.....
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Look what those dang Indians did in MY neighborhood;........talk about leaving a mess..........sheeeh......
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Navajo sport climbing rack.....
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Arachnid Mesa;....9 pitches.......hasn't had a 2nd ascent in 30 years....
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Todd, you just have to stop!!!! (I wanna climb some of those
places sooooo much)!!!!1
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Dave Evans on The Pope;......Round Rock, Ariz.
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