Effie & Navajo Nation
Donation protected
Monument Valley is stunning. Vast open flat lands with huge rock formations and cliffs. Rugged, serene and truly breathtaking. The valley is in the middle of the Navajo Nation and a big destination for visitors. It is a beautiful place to visit. Effie Yazzie and her family have lived in this part of the Navajo nation for more than 65 years. Effie is the matriarch of the tribe here and this is her land, her home. Her family has been in the valley for four generations. They are tied to the land. They honor and cherish it, but life in Monument Valley is hard. There is no running water. No electricity. No plumbing. No work. They drive 30 miles every day in rough terrain to collect water in a giant tank in the back of their old pick up truck. They have an outhouse with no door and no working electricity for their small house.
The Yazzie family are proud Navajo people and make a living by sharing their Navajo traditions with visitors as well as taking incredible four to five day horse journeys into the depths of Monument Valley. In a good year this provides enough money to pay for food for the family, food for the animals, water and basic necessities. Effie and her family work day and night during the busy months to save enough to get them through the harsh winter.
This year though, the year of the pandemic, there are no tourists. No cultural demonstrations, no horse tours, no income. Effie and her family have government support they use to pay for food for the family but there is no money to pay to feed the animals. The families horses, which they take on the horse tours, the sheep they have which provides the wool to make the traditional hand spun and dyed yarn, the dogs and cats which provide love and company – these creatures so essential to life in Monument Valley – are suffering because there is no local or government support money allocated for animals. This proud family works hard to be self-sufficient. The loss of the animals would not only be devastating from a personal level but would jeopardize the future of the family as well – as this is their main source of income. They need to make it through this year somehow.
Effie has now resorted to selling her family jewelry, Navajo silver and stones, to help pay for food for her animals. Things are getting desperate. Effie is a proud Matriarch and has not asked for help but we, as her friends, feel obliged to reach out to people who have the ability to help.
There is so much chaos in the world right now, so much we can’t control. But helping Effie, helping her family, her animals and helping support the Navajo nation. This we can control. We can give a little, or a lot, to help them get through this. Any support you can give would be appreciated. Please, open your heart and your wallet.
It costs Effie $ 12,000 + to feed her animals, pay for fuel for her truck to haul water and basic necessities for one year. This is our goal. Please help us.
The Yazzie family are proud Navajo people and make a living by sharing their Navajo traditions with visitors as well as taking incredible four to five day horse journeys into the depths of Monument Valley. In a good year this provides enough money to pay for food for the family, food for the animals, water and basic necessities. Effie and her family work day and night during the busy months to save enough to get them through the harsh winter.
This year though, the year of the pandemic, there are no tourists. No cultural demonstrations, no horse tours, no income. Effie and her family have government support they use to pay for food for the family but there is no money to pay to feed the animals. The families horses, which they take on the horse tours, the sheep they have which provides the wool to make the traditional hand spun and dyed yarn, the dogs and cats which provide love and company – these creatures so essential to life in Monument Valley – are suffering because there is no local or government support money allocated for animals. This proud family works hard to be self-sufficient. The loss of the animals would not only be devastating from a personal level but would jeopardize the future of the family as well – as this is their main source of income. They need to make it through this year somehow.
Effie has now resorted to selling her family jewelry, Navajo silver and stones, to help pay for food for her animals. Things are getting desperate. Effie is a proud Matriarch and has not asked for help but we, as her friends, feel obliged to reach out to people who have the ability to help.
There is so much chaos in the world right now, so much we can’t control. But helping Effie, helping her family, her animals and helping support the Navajo nation. This we can control. We can give a little, or a lot, to help them get through this. Any support you can give would be appreciated. Please, open your heart and your wallet.
It costs Effie $ 12,000 + to feed her animals, pay for fuel for her truck to haul water and basic necessities for one year. This is our goal. Please help us.
Organizer and beneficiary
Emma Malone
Organizer
Prescott, AZ
Bruce Roscoe
Beneficiary