Desert View Watchtower, where the demonstrations are held, is shown at the top of this map, adjacent to Desert View Point.
Directions to Desert View
The settlement of Desert View is located, 23 miles (37 km) east of Grand Canyon Village on Desert View Drive (Arizona State Route 64), and 30 miles (48 km) west of Cameron, Arizona, on Arizona State Route 64.
Starting from the main Desert View parking area, a short .25 mile (.4 km) walk takes you past the restroom building, the Market/Deli and the Trading Post.The four story watchtower is located at Desert View Point.
Desert View Campground The campground is open April 13 through October 13, 2024. Reservations are required and may be made 6 months in advance..
Desert View Watchtower
About the Program
Grand Canyon is the ancestral homeland to numerous tribes and is considered a sacred landscape. There are 11 federally recognized tribes that maintain cultural connections to the Grand Canyon today.
The purpose of the Cultural Demonstration Program is to elevate the voices of members from the traditionally associated tribes. Demonstrations allow visitors to Grand Canyon National Park the opportunity to meet Indigenous Artists while they practice traditional and modern crafts. The program began in 2014 and continues to grow to this day.
We gratefully acknowledge the tribal communities on whose ancestral homelands we gather, as well as the diverse and vibrant Native communities who make their home here today: Diné (Navajo), Havasupai, Hualapai, Hopi, Yavapai-Apache, Kaibab band of Southern Paiute, Las Vegas band of Southern Paiute, Moapa band of Southern Paiute, Paiute Indian Tribes of Utah, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, and Zuni.
Demonstrations are free and open to the public and take place at various Desert View locations, most often in and around Desert View Watchtower.
This program is made possible by grants from Grand Canyon Conservancy to cover costs like supplies, demonstrators' travel, and their time.
Enjoy these vignettes of the Cultural Demonstration Program, filmed on location, to further understand the spirit of the program. Be sure to experience Grand Canyon's robust culture's through the Cultural Demonstration Program when you visit the park. To watch as a playlist, visit the park's YouTube channel.
Leo Chee has lived in Cameron, Arizona, a small community on the Navajo Nation just east of Grand Canyon, his whole life. He is self-taught in many traditional crafts such as silversmithing and wood-carving. "It's a lot of work. Especially the polishing, polishing a bracelet like this. Because that polisher spins real fast, and if you make a mistake it'll grab it and throw it at you!" Spend a Minute Out In It watching Leo work at Desert View Watchtower as part of the park's Cultural Demonstration Series.
"Fetishes are part of our religious culture. The six directional animals--the mountain lion, the bear, the badger, the wolf, the eagle and the mole--these animals have the most significance to Zuni." Jeff Shetima has been carving fetishes since he was twelve years old. Held by the Zuni as sacred icons for centuries, fetishes have since been secularized and sold as a way to celebrate their rich culture with the world. Spend a Minute Out In It watching Jeff carve a mountain lion, the guardian of the north.
"All the materials I use come from the Earth. I don't buy anything in stores to make pottery." Darlene James is a descendent of Nampeyo, the famous Hopi potter who revived the traditions of ancient pottery at the turn of the twentieth century. Nampeyo demonstrated her craft in the Hopi House on the South Rim from 1905-1907. Over 100 years later, Darlene keeps the tradition alive, demonstrating her masterful craft in the very same building. Spend a Minute Out In It making art from the clay of canyon country.
Aaron White is of Northern Ute/Diné descent. He is an award-winning Native American flute-maker and lecturer on the history and culture of the flute. Aaron believes music is medicine that can help heal and mend the spirit of people around the world. "We all carry that gift in our heart and soul, our ancestors figured it out long ago--may we continue to pass it along whole-heartedly." Spend a Minute Out In It with Aaron at Yaki Point, as he and the Sun converse through sound and light.
"Kachinas are spiritual deities. This kachina doll represents the Manangya (lizard), one that I saw on my last pilgrimage through the Canyon. The design shows the South and North Rims, as you're at the bottom looking up into the night sky. Every night you'll have that experience. During our prayers when we talk about the day's journey, we look up, and the stars show themselves to you." Spend a Minute Out In It listening to why Cory Ahownewa puts his heart into carving traditional Hopi Kachina dolls.
For James Uqualla, a Havasupai religious practitioner, the hike from the Rim to Indian Garden (aka: Havasupai Gardens) is a pilgrimage. Dressed for ceremony, Uqualla walked to his ancestors' traditional farming lands, where he reconnected with them through ritualistic song and prayer. The procession marks a renewed relationship with lands taken from the Havasupai by the NPS in the 1920s. Listen to chant, smell burning sage, and feel the spirit of Grand Canyon through its original protectors.
Bryan Joe is a second-generation silversmith, having learned the trade from his father, and now teaching it to his son. "The craft has been in the family since my dad started 50 years ago. He learned the basics from his uncle, who in Navajo I call my 'Nali,' and from there went on to start his business. He was only 23 and ran with some of the best galleries in the Four Corners. Not a lot of people know that." Spend a Minute Out In It with Bryan in the Hopi House, passing down tradition one bead at a time.
The Yavapai-Apache Nation (YAN) is located in the Verde Valley, Arizona, and is comprised of 5 tribal communities: Tunlii, Middle Verde, Rimrock, Camp Verde and Clarkdale. With 2,596 total enrolled tribal members, the YAN consists of two distinct people, the Yavapai and Apache. The Yavapai refers to themselves as Wipuhk’a’bah and speak Yuman, while the Apache refer to themselves as Dil’zhe'e, and speak Athabaskan. Spend a Minute Out In It with Jerry Whagado, a member of the Yavapai, "The People of the Sun."
Grand Canyon has been home to the Havasupai since time immemorial. They're still here. The removal of the Havasupai from their homelands is a difficult history we must all acknowledge. Together with the Havasupai, the NPS is taking steps to rectify this troubled past. The first step is to rename Indian Garden to Havasupai Gardens, initiating an ethical relationship with the tribe to include the traditional name and its true history. Take a Minute Out In It to hear Ophelia talk about this important change.
Sunny Dooley is a Diné storyteller residing in Dédeez’á’ Bigháá Ní’didhchíí’byildiz - High Ridge Pine Tree Valley. She shares Hane', or Blessingway stories, and is a former Miss Navajo Nation, 1982. As a storyteller, Sunny shares what has been passed down through generations, having learned the skill from her mother. Spend a Minute Out In It walking to the Canyon with Sunny, as she imparts the wisdom of preserving language and the oral tradition, in one of the most complex and beautiful languages on Earth.
Laverne Greyeyes is a Navajo rug weaver. Her clan is the Deer Water, and her paternal clan is the Mexican. "I learned weaving from my mom. Through the years, when I was small, that's when we had sheep. We would sheer the sheep, card, spin, and dye the wool. We were doing it very traditionally growing up. The way my mom tells me, weaving has been in our family at least four generations." Spend a Minute Out In It listening to the soothing sounds of wood padding wool--the sound of Laverne's childhood.
The Apache Crown Dance is a ceremonial dance that "celebrates ancestors, community, and traditions while honoring gifts from the Creator." The dancers embody the Gaan (Mountain Spirits), wearing masks and ornate wooden crowns replete with deep symbolism. The dance is done with five members, each with a specific role. Spend a Minute Out In It with the Apache Crown Dancers, from White Mountain Apache--one of the 22 federally recognized tribes in Arizona--as they conduct ceremony at the Grand Canyon.
On May 4th, 2023, Grand Canyon National Park hosted a dedication ceremony for the renaming of Indian Garden to Havasupai Gardens. The Havasupai had lived in the beautiful riparian land, 3000-feet below the South Rim, since time immemorial. They were forcibly removed by the National Park Service in the 1920s. The Ram Dancers came to celebrate the name-change, and to spark a new era of collaboration between the NPS and the Havasupai tribe. Spend a Minute Out In It listening to songs of transformation.
The Dupkia Hoyam Dancers are a group from the Hopi Tribe who perform traditional dances in and around the Grand Canyon. The name Dupkia Hoyam means "Children of the Canyon" in the Hopi language. Singers Fred Nanacasia and Michael Wadsworth are also National Park Service employees for the park. Here, the group performs the Invading Young Buffaloes Dance. Spend a Minute Out In It with Dupkia Hoyam, whose families have been traditionally affiliated with the Grand Canyon since time immemorial.
Demonstrations take place at Grand Canyon Visitor Center on the South Rim between 10 am and 4 pm, during December, January and February.
Directions:
From the South Entrance Station, continue following the road you are on for 5 miles, and it will lead you to the Visitor Center.
Just before the parking areas, the road curves to the left. You can park your vehicle in one of four parking areas and find your way to the Visitor Center, within the large, open plaza.
In the plaza are stand-alone restroom buildings, the park store and a bicycle rental/coffee bar with grab-and-go sandwiches and snacks.
