Chief Clah had presented us with two old papers. One certified the maker’s mark that was on it belonged to Tse Nez. So, we now knew that the unknown maker’s mark belonged to a Tse Nez. But, who is this Tse Nez? The second paper answered that question. The second paper certified that the maker’s mark on that paper belonged to Kilchii Nez, the son of Tse Nez. So, Tse Nez is my great-great-great- grandfather.

Chief Clah also had two almost identical pieces of Tse Nez’s work with him. They were silver bracelets with turquoise inlays and had Tse Nez’s marker’s marks. One was hand engraved, and the other had been made with a tool. He even sold us one of the bracelets. And we gave him the lone Concho as a thank you for the papers.

And, later the Chief treated us to a nice dinner, and we met his wife.

The next day was not so good. After we’d done our usual things, and also gotten a safe deposit box to keep the two papers in that we’d obtained from Chief Clah safe, we’d gone for a walk along the Rio Grande. This walk along the Rio Grande started out as all the others had. We’d walked two miles to the bench there, and sat. And, we waited for the Eagles to show up. We waited an hour for the Eagles, and they never showed. Were we worried? Yes.

Sleep on Tuesday night wasn’t very good. We both tossed and turned. And, somehow we made it through our classes on Wednesday morning. Luckily I don’t have a grad-level class on Wednesdays. So, Amy and I only taught our two sections.

Amy was back at the apartment before I was, so when I walked in she was already dressed in hiking gear, and she asked, “Are we going before or after lunch?”

“As soon as I change.”, I said.

“I figured that. So, I made us peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and we can eat them at the reservoir.”

As I ran up the stairs, I said, “Good thinking, love.”

As I expected Amy had laid out my hiking gear. I quickly changed and was back downstairs. Amy was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for me, and the backpack was on the table. I asked, “So what do you have in the backpack?”

“Two water bottles, the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, the binoculars, one of the pistols, and the blanket.”

“It sounds like you’re prepared for anything.”

Amy smiled, and said, “Yes, anything.”

“No first aid kit?”

“That’s in the car.”

“Is the blanket to keep warm?”

“Ah. Maybe.”

“It’s almost too cold for the other reason for the blanket.”, I said.

“I know.”, Amy said. “But just in case … ”

“Come on let’s go.”

We drove north to the reservoir, and when we got there, there were no other cars in the parking lot. We parked the car, got the backpack and first aid kit out of the trunk. And, put the first aid kit in the backpack. And then we started walking the trail.

When we reached the side trail, we took it. When we reached the gate, we noticed that it was open. “That’s unusual .”, Amy said.

“I know.”, I said. “Give me the gun.”

As Amy unzipped the backpack and handed me the gun, she said, “Do you think you’ll need this?”

As I slipped it into my coat pocket, I said, “I sure hope not.”

We walked through the gate, closed it, and walked the three-quarters of a mile down the trail to the nest site. And, there wasn’t anyone around. We looked at the tree and nest, and it appeared to be okay. If you didn’t know the nest was there, you probably wouldn’t see it because of all the trees around it.

And, I don’t think even if someone found the nest that they could climb up there if they wanted to. There were no limbs on the lower thirty or so feet of the dead tree, and if you did get up to where the nest is, then there’s the problem of getting around the nest and into it. I figure that it would be impossible.

The only thing that looked different was the nest was bigger.

We moved to where we usually stood when we came here so that we could see a good part of the nest. At first, we didn’t see anything, then Amy noticed a slight movement. She took the binoculars out of the backpack and looked at the nest. After a short time, she said, “I saw a head moving around. Take a look.”

I took the binoculars from her and looked at the nest, and sure enough, I saw the head of an Eagle. I said, “Yeah I see it.”

Just then my view was blocked, I took the binoculars away from my face, and looked at the nest, and it was the other Eagle carrying a fish. He dropped the fish in the nest, walked over to the edge of the nest, looked at us, and gave out a squawk. The other Eagle came over to the side of the nest and looked down at us.

We looked at each other for a short time, then the Eagle that had flown in disappeared into the nest. The other continued looking at us for a little while, then let out a squawk and took off.

I looked at Amy and said, “Well, they look to be okay. I wonder why they didn’t come to visit?”

“I don’t know.”, Amy replied. “But, it looks like one of them stays at the nest.”

“It does. At least they’re safe.”

“That’s the important thing.”

As we were getting ready to head back to the car, we heard voices, and it sounded like they were coming down the trail. Amy and I decided to wait and see who was coming.

We waited, and it wasn’t long until we saw three people. One was Iz from the Santa Ana Pueblo’s Parks Department. His name is actually Izusa Yupanqui, and he is the whole parks department. Another was Miss Rankin who is a naturalist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The third, a man, I’d never seen before.

As they walked up, Iz said, “I thought that was your car. What are you doing here?”

“Hello, Iz. It’s nice to see you too.”, I said.

“I’m sorry Kai. It’s that I was surprised to see you and Ajie.”

“That okay Iz. We hadn’t seen the Eagles for a while, so we came up to check on them.

“And, Miss Rankin, it’s nice to see you again.”

“And, I’m happy to see you, Miss Nez.”, Miss Rankin said. “Now, we might have a chance of seeing the Eagles.”

“Barbra.”, the man said. “If the Eagles are there we’ll see them. We don’t need them.”

“Sir.”, Miss Rankin said. “Believe me. We’ll find the nest site. But, without them with us, we won’t see the Eagles.”

“If there are Eagles here. We’ll see them.”

“Sir, there are Eagles here. But, there is a connection between these two girls and the Eagles. If the girls aren’t with us, you won’t see them.”

“That can’t be true. Eagles don’t have a connection with anyone.”

“I thought that too. But, the first time I was here with Mr. Yupanqui we found the nest, but no Eagles. As we were leaving the girls showed up, and after talking with them, they took us back to the nest, and the Eagles were there. And, you could see the connection between them.”

“Barbra, I’ve studied birds for years, and I’ve never heard of anything like that with wild birds.”

“I know sir. But, … ”

“I can solve this.”, I said as I looked at Iz. I knew Iz knew I wasn’t happy with this guy. And I continued with, “Ajie and I are just going to leave, and let you go and look at an Eagles nest without Eagles.”

As I started walking away, I said, “Coming Ajie.”

“I’m right behind you, Kai.”, Ajie said.

As we walked away, I said, “Oh. Iz, we found the gate open.”

“It was windy last night.”, Iz replied. “And, the latch on that gate isn’t good, and it gets blown open.”

“You should fix it.”

“I will.”

As we walked, Ajie said, “That guy sure came across as a know-it-all .”

“He did.”, I replied. “But, I didn’t feel anything bad from him.”

Ajie and I walked to the parking lot, sat at the only picnic table, and ate our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It wasn’t much later that we saw three people walking up the trail. As they walked up to us, Iz said, “Kai, you were right. We only saw a very nice Eagle’s nest and no Eagles.”

I just sat there. Then I looked at Miss Rankin and the man and didn’t say a word.

I finally said, “Sir, you said that you’ve studied birds for years, and have never heard of any connection between wild birds and people.

“It’s apparent that you’ve never spoken with any of the native people. We believe that everything, including birds, have spirits. But, the Bald Eagle is special. We believe that the Bald Eagle is the messenger for the Great Spirit.

“And, these two Eagles are special to us. We have a connection with them.”

“So.”, the man said. “What is this connection?”

“That’s a long story, that I’m not going to tell you right now. But, I’ve told the story to Miss Rankin, and I see no problem with her telling you later.

“There’s a lot that you’d have to understand about the native people and the relationship that we have with nature, to understand the relationship that we have with the Eagles. It’s special, and we are very protective of this pair.”

“I see. This is getting interesting.”

“Kai, why are you here?”, Iz asked.

“You know that the Eagles always visit us along the Rio Grande near Albuquerque when we walk the trail.”, Ajie said.

“Yes.”

“Yesterday they didn’t show up when we were at the place that we usually visit. And, we were worried, so we came up here to check on them.”

The man said. “You say that they always visit you.”

“Yes, this was the first time in six months that they have never shown up when we’ve walked the river trail.”

“You didn’t walk that trail before that?”

“No, we lived in Ohio before that.”, Ajie replied.

“No Eagles there.”

“Yes, two Eagles also visited us all the time at a lake that’s in a large park.”

“Oh.”

“And,
when we were back there for Christmas, there was only one Eagle. And, it was an immature Bald Eagle.”

“You don't think that the Eagles here are the same ones from Ohio?”

“Yes and no. Yes, we think they might be. But, no we’re not sure.”

“I’ve got to ask this.”

“Will we take you back to the nest?”

“Yes. I’ve got to see this connection between you and the Eagles.”

“It’s important to us to protect them. So, we will take you if you agree to the same condition that Miss Rankin did. And, that’s you tell no one that they’re here.”

“I can agree to that. Bald Eagles are rare in this part of New Mexico and need to be protected.”

I looked at Iz, and asked, “What do you think, Iz?”

“I think that we should take him.”, Iz replied.

I looked back at the man, and said, “First, who are you?”

“I’m Donald McMasters, and I’m an ornithologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.”

I got up from the picnic table, as did Ajie. We cleaned up our mess, and then I said, “Let’s go.”

We walked back to the Eagle’s nest. At first no Eagles. Then one flew in, and landed on the edge of the nest, and looked at us. Shortly from the nest, the first Eagle was joined by the other Eagle who squawked at us.

Mr. McMasters took out a pair of binoculars, as did Miss Rankin. Mr. McMasters then said, “That is a gorgeous pair of Bald Eagles, they look to be in good shape, and I don't see leg bands on either of them.

“So, Miss Nez, usually a pair of Eagles like this would only take a passing interest in us being here, and ignore us. But, these two appear to be more than interested.”

“Yes.”, I said. “They always have.

“Now, Mr. Ornithologist. Do you have any idea why the Eagles didn’t visit with us yesterday?”

“Miss Nez.”, Mr. McMasters said. “I’d bet that there is at least one egg in that nest and maybe as many as three. It’s the breeding season. One will sit on the eggs, while the other one hunts.”

I looked at Ajie, and said, “Why didn’t I think of that!”

“I don’t know, Kai.”, Ajie said. “I didn’t either.”

“And, Miss Nez.”, Mr. McMasters said. “You may not be visited for the next few months. It’ll take about five weeks for the eggs to hatch and the eaglets will be in the nest for another two to three months.”

“Well.”, I said. “It sounds like we’ll be making some trips up here.”

“I’d like to come back regularly too. If Mr. Yupanqui is all right with that?”

“I’m okay with it.”, Iz said. “If Kai is.”

“Yes, I feel good about you Mr. McMasters. I feel that you are interested in the well being of the Eagles.”

“I am, Miss Nez.”, Mr. McMaters said. “That’s my job.

“I would like to band the eaglets, but looking at this tree and the nest I think it would be impossible to get to them.”

“Good.”, I said. “I wouldn’t like to see them disturbed that way.”

“Miss Nez, realize that it helps us learn about them. If your two Eagles had bands, we could have learned where they’re from. And, if they migrated out here from Ohio, it would be something of note.”

“So, banding the eaglets would be helpful?”

“Yes. But, I don't see a way to reach the nest.”

One of the Eagles took off, and the other one went back to sitting on the eggs. And, we headed for the parking lot. As we walked, I asked, “So, the eggs should hatch about a month from now?”

Mr. McMasters said, “Yes. Then both of the Eagles will be busy feeding their young.”

“It sounds like we’ll be making some trips up this way.”, I said.

“And, I have to admit that you two do have a connection with the Eagles. It’s unheard of, but I saw it.”

I just smiled.

Later as we were pulling into the apartment, Jackie was coming back from the university. She walked over to us, and said, “From the way you two are dressed you did go see the Eagles. Is everything okay?”

“Yes.”, Amy said. “More than okay. It appears that they have laid some eggs?”

“That so cool. How many?”

“We couldn’t see them, so we don’t know. But, the ornithologist that we ran into there said it could be anywhere from one to three.”

“So.”, I said. “It looks like we’ll be visiting the Eagles for a while.”

“How, long before they hatch?”

“About five weeks, then mom and dad will be busy feeding them.”

“That is so cool. Wait until I tell Charlie.”

We chatted for a little while and made arrangements to get together this coming weekend. Then we went our separate ways.

As we walked into the apartment, I glanced at the answering machine, and I noticed that the light was blinking. I walked over, pressed rewind on the tape recorder, then pressed play, and heard, “Kai. It’s Uncle Gaagii. I sure wish we’d had answering machines at the police department. Anyway, give me a call. I have some information on the Peshlakai thing. Ah … Goodbye. I guess I say that when I talk to a machine?”

I chuckled over Uncle Gaagii’s comment, then Amy said, “Call him!”

“I will.”, I said. “Don’t be impatient.”

I picked up the phone, dialed my Uncle Gaagii’s number, and waited for someone to answer. Finally, my Aunt Ginny picked up the phone, and said, “Hello.”

“Hi, Aunt Ginny.”, I said. “It’s Kai. Is Uncle Gaagii there?”

“Hello, Kai. Yes, he is. Hang on a minute.”

I waited a few seconds, and heard, “Hello, Kai.”

“Hello, Uncle Gaagii.”, I replied.

“Do you have a few minutes. I have some information on this Peshlakai thing.”

“Of course.”

I listened as Uncle Gaagii told me what he’d found out. I’d toss in an “Okay”, or a “Yes”, or a “No” from time to time as he talked. Finally, he asked if we could come to Window Rock this weekend and spent Saturday night. I said, “Hang on, and let me check with Amy.”

I looked at Amy, and said, “They want us to come over this weekend. Are you working?”

“No. But, what about the plans we made with Jackie?”

“Maybe see if they want to go along?”

“Good thought. Check and see if they could stay in the hogan.”

Then I said into the phone, “Uncle Gaagii, we’re free this weekend.”

“Good.”, Uncle Gaagii said. “We’ll see you for lunch on Saturday then.”

“Sure thing. Would you mind if we brought some friends with us.”

“That should be fine. Who?”

“Our friends Jackie and Charlie. We were thinking of having them stay in your hogan.”

“Sure thing. Your Aunt Ruth and Uncle Paul will be here too.”

“A family meeting?”

“No, a little more. Chief Kinlicheeny will be here, maybe Naainish, maybe even Chief Clah.”

“Oh. A meeting of the minds.”

“I guess you could call it that. How close are you with these friends of yours?”

“They’re our best friends here in New Mexico. You’ve met them. They were at the meeting at the resort when I had the problem with the universities Board of Regents.”

“Oh. I remember them.”

“So, it would be okay for them to come?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll let you know for sure if they’re coming.”

“That would be good.”

“We’ll see you on Saturday. Hágoónee', Uncle Gaagii.”

“Hágoónee', Kai.”

And, we hung up.

Amy was standing there with her hands on her hip, and she said, “Well.”

With a little smile, I said, “Well. What?”

“Kai, you’re a brat! What did Uncle Gaagii tell you about Peshlakai?”

“Oh. That.”

“Yes, that!”

“He said that it wasn’t the ex-Chief Peshlakai. But, someone by that name that works in the security department at Los Alamos. He works in their uniformed division at the visitor's entrance. Do you remember the woman from the New Mexico Board of Nursing that gave you such a hard time?”

“Of course I do. How could I forget her? It was Mrs. Richardson. And, that’s right. She’s married to someone by the name of Peshlakai.”

“Was married.”, I said.

“Was married?”, Ajie replied.

“Yes, was. After she found out the truth behind ex-Chief Peshlakai, she divorced his brother.”

“Oh, so we’re now getting blamed for that.”

“I don’t know. But, maybe. I guess he recognized my name when I visited Los Alamos and put out the word to his superiors.”

“Did Uncle Gaagii say he was going to do anything?”

“He didn’t say. I hope he doesn’t and waits to see what happens this weekend.”

“Me too. Shall we go next door to see if Jackie and Charlie want to go along?”

A minute later I was knocking on Jackie and Charlie’s door. Charlie opened it, and he said, “Hi guys. I hear the Eagles are parents.”

“Not quite. The eggs haven’t hatched yet.”

“Come on in.”

We walked into their apartment and said hello to Jackie. Then we chatted about the Eagles for a second. Then I asked, “You two doing anything this weekend?

“I don’t think so. Are we honey?”, Charlie asked.

“No. Nothing.”, Jackie replied. “What’s up?”

“Would you like to run over to Window Rock with us?”, I asked.

“Window Rock?”

“Window Rock, Arizona.”

“Isn’t that a long way?”

“Only two and a half hours. And, you’d be able to see part of the Nation. But, we’d also be spending the night at my aunt and uncle’s place.”

“I thought they lived at the resort?”

“No, we’ll be at my Aunt Ginny and Uncle Gaagii’s place.”

“Oh. That’s right. We did meet them.”

“Yes, you met them when I had that mess with the Board of Regents.”

“What’s at this Window Rock?”

“First, it’s the capital of the Navajo Nation. And, second, we have some information on who stirred up things at Los Alamos. And, we’re having a little meeting about it. You’ve met most of the people who’ll be there.”

“Like who?”

“Like my two sets of aunts and uncles, Chief Kinlicheeny, and Naainish. The only one that I know you haven’t met is the War Chief.”

“War Chief!?”

“Yes, he’s really the Attorney General of the Nation. Chief Clah.”

“Why so many high-end people?”

“I guess to see what legal steps we can take on this.”

“Won’t we be in the way?”, Jackie asked.

“Not at all. You’re our best friends. You know what’s going on. So, why not go along. We might even stop at the Four Corners Area on the way back on Sunday.”

“Four Corners Area?”

“It’s where you can stand in four states, Arizona, Colorado, Utah,
and New Mexico, all at the same time. And, it’s only about two hours north of Window Rock.”

“But.”, Ajie said. “It’s four hours from the Four Corners to get back here.”

“You know.”, Jackie said. “It sounds like fun. Besides we’ve wanted to see more of this part of the country.”

“It’s desolate in places, but there are communities along the way. And, the scenery can be good.”

“You’ve been there?”

“We took a trip over to the Grand Canyon, and stopped there on the way back.”

Jackie looked at Charlie, and said, “Let’s do it. It sounds like fun.”

“Fine by me.”, Charlie said.

“Great.”, Amy said. “We’ll let Aunt Ginny know that you’re coming and you can sleep in the hogan.”

“On the floor!”, Charlie said.

“No, this is a cushy hogan. It has electric lights and a nice bed. But, there is a fire pit and kerosene lanterns if you want to rough it a bit. But, you’ll have to use the bathroom in the house.”

We talked a little more and then went back to our apartment.

As we ate dinner, I said, “You know, love. I feel good.”

“You do.”, Amy said.

“Yeah. The Eagles are fine and are having young. There might be a light at the end of the tunnel with this Peshlakai thing. And, I have a good feeling about the thing with Los Alamos. And, most important of all, we have each other.”

Amy sat there, looked at me, and smiled. Then she said, “Kai, I couldn't be any happier with anyone else.”

Thursday and Friday were just average days. On Thursday I did stop in and see Dr. Joe, and I told him about the Eagles and what I knew about how Peshlakai figured into the Los Alamos mess.

After classes on Friday, I took the car for an oil change. At home, I’d do this myself, but here it was easier to take it to the local service station where I bought gas and watch as they did it. Of course, they checked over everything and talked to me like they would a woman. But, I guess I am one, or at least I look like one.

After I finished at the service station, I stopped at the bank and picked up the two folders and the bracelet. And, back at the apartment, they went straight into the safe.

Saturday morning Jackie and Charlie joined us for breakfast, and the last thing I did before we left for Window Rock was to remove the two folders and bracelet from the safe and put them in the camera bag, and the folders just fit. Then just before we headed west towards Window Rock, I put the camera bag in the trunk with our suitcases.

Of course, Ajie and I were dressed as we usually were when we were going to the Nation. We were both in long skirts, fancy blouses, and wrap moccasins. Ajie had her hair in a single braid and wore a simple braided leather headband. I had my hair in two braids and also wore a simple braided leather headband. We went light on the jewelry, no choker or necklaces other than the meteorite necklaces. We each wore a couple of rings and one bracelet.

As we drove west on I-40, I could hear Jackie taking pictures through the window of the car. So, I said, “Jackie, if you see something that you want a good picture of, tell me. And, if we can, we’ll stop so that you can get out of the car and take a good picture.”

“Really?”, Jackie said.

“Sure. We have time. And, once we’re off the interstate, it’ll be easier to stop.”

“Thanks, Kai.”

When we reached Gallup, New Mexico we headed north on Route 491, and I said, “From now on everything is within the Nation.”

Charlie asked, “Just how big is the Navajo Nation?”

“It’s a little over 27,000 square miles. If you could drive straight across the Nation west from here, it would take you about five hours.”

“Wow. I never realized.”

“Today and tomorrow, you’ll see maybe ten percent of it.”

When we reached Yah-Ta-Hey, New Mexico we turned west on to Route 264, and twenty minutes later I said, “Welcome to Arizona and Window Rock.”

“These rock formations are cool.”, Charlie said.

We drove past the Navajo Nation Council Chambers. I knew the building wouldn’t be open, but I wanted to show it to Jackie and Charlie. Charlie was impressed that it was made of adobe.

Then we drove over to the Window Rock Tribal Park, parked, and got out of the car. I retrieved the camera bag from the trunk, slung it over my shoulder, and we walked into the park. There were some people there, and since Jackie and Charlie were Anglo, we got looked at. Then I explained that the Navajo call this Tségháhoodzání which means perforated rock, and it’s where Window Rock got its name. And, Jackie was taking pictures.

I noticed that a small group of older people was paying an unusual amount of attention to us. Finally, they walked over to us, and one of the old women asked, in Navajo, “Why do you bring Anglos here?”

In English, I replied, “We brought them here because they are our friends, and are interested in our people and our history. And, it’s not polite to speak about someone in a language that they can’t understand.”

As she gave me a nasty look, the old woman replied in English, “You shouldn’t talk to your elders that way.”

“When they do something improper I will speak to them however I feel it is necessary.”

“Who are you!? I never saw you here before.”

“I’m Kai Nez.”

You could see some signs of recognition from the members of the little group. And, one of the other women, asked, “Are you the Kai Nez that we’ve heard so much about.”

“Yes.”

The first woman looked at me in shock, then she said, “Oh! Miss Nez. I’m sorry that we’ve disturbed you.”

“It’s not a problem.”, I replied. “Just don’t assume that someone is here for something that isn’t good for the People just because they’re not a Diné - (Navajo).”

“Yes, Miss Nez.”

With that, the group of elders started walking away, and I heard one of the men say in Navajo, “Now you’ve done it, Yanaba. You’ve upset the spirits by talking that way to a Nádleeh – (two spirit person).”

I smiled, and yelled after them, “Yá’át’ééh, t'áá ájíltso - (It is good, everyone).”

They turned looked at us, and a few repeated, “Yá’át’ééh.”

Jackie asked, “What did the man say to her?”

“He told her that she angered the spirits because of the way she talked to me.”, I said. “And, I told them that everything was good.”

Then as we drove out of the park, Charlie asked, “Are all of these buildings part of the government.”

“Yes.”, I replied. “Most of them. Realize that like the United States the Navajo Nation is a democracy.

“We call Chief Kinlicheeny chief out of respect. But, he’s the President of the Navajo Nation, and that’s an elected position. Just like the Clan Chiefs are elected.”

We drove north to my aunt and uncle’s house and pulled into the drive at about eleven. I grabbed the camera bag out of the trunk to take into the house. As we walked up to the door, it opened, and my Aunt Ginny and Uncle Gaagii met us with a “Yá'át'ééh, nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí.” - (Hello! It is good, and all is harmony around us.)

Ajie and I repeated the greeting, “Yá'át'ééh, nizhonigó íiná aadóó hozhónahasdlíí.”

Aunt Ginny then said, “It’s good to see you again, Jackie and Charlie.”

Jackie said, “It’s good seeing you also, Mr. and Mrs. Biakeddy.”

“You remembered.”

“I’m good at remembering names.”

We went into the house and to the kitchen. It seems that the kitchen is the usual gathering place for my family. As we sat, Aunt Ginny offered us something to drink, and we accepted. And as she was getting the drinks, she said, “Everyone else will be here at Noon, so we have time to talk.

“And, Kai, I’m excited. Do you have something to show me.”

I grinned, and said, “I don’t think so, Aunt Ginny.”

“Don’t mess with me, young lady. If you don’t show me what you have, I won’t show you what I’ve found.”

“Oh. Okay, Aunt Ginny.”

I reached down, opened the camera bag, took out the two folders and the bracelet. I laid the folders on the table, opened them, and slid them in front of my aunt and uncle. Aunt Ruth looked at me, and said, “I take it that we shouldn’t touch these.”

“Not unless you're wearing special gloves.”, Ajie said. “And, we can’t copy them, because the bright light will cause them to fade more.”

Aunt Ginny and Uncle Gaagii looked over the two papers, then Aunt Ginny said, “Kai this is wonderful.”

“I know, Aunt Ginny.”, I said. “It was an amazing find on Chief Clah’s part.”

I slid the two folders over in front of Jackie and Charlie, and as they looked at them, then I unwrapped the bracelet and set it on the table, and said, “This is an early piece of Tse Nez’s work.”

“Can I touch this?”, Aunt Ginny asked.

“Of course.”

Aunt Ginny picked up the bracelet and looked at it. Then Uncle Gaagii looked at it. Aunt Ginny then again looked at the folder with Tse Nez’s paper in it. I saw a little smile on her face, then as she got up, she said, “I’ll be right back.”

When she came back, Aunt Ginny was smiling and carrying something. As she sat down, she set a Squash Blossom necklace on the table, and said, “Kai, will you look at the maker’s mark on this necklace?”

As I picked up the necklace, I said, “Of course.”

I looked at the back of the necklace, found the maker’s mark, and looked at Aunt Ginny. She asked, “Well, Kai. Is it?”

“Yes, it is, Aunt Ginny. This is Tse Nez’s maker's mark done with a tool.”

“That’s wonderful!”

I showed the necklace to Ajie, and she smiled. Jackie then said, “That necklace is just gorgeous, and so is the bracelet. So, these were made by Kai’s grandfather.”

“Yes.”, Ajie said. “It was made by Kai’s Great-Great-Great-Grandfather Tse Nez.”

“That’s amazing.”

I asked Aunt Ginny, “Was this what you were going to show me,
Aunt Ginny?”

“Yes, honey.”, Aunt Ginny said. “And, I looked through all of my notes and couldn’t find a thing on Tse Nez, so this piece of paper is the only document that I know of. But, I’ll keep looking.”

“I’m glad Chief Clah found it.”

Just then there was a knock on the door, and as he got up, Uncle Gaagii said, “I’ll get it.”

A minute later we heard voices, and Uncle Gaagii returned with my Aunt Ruth, Uncle Paul, Chief Clah, Chief Kinlicheeny, and Naainish. After all the greetings and introducing Jackie and Charlie. Everyone looked at the two folders with the maker’s mark’s registration in them, and at the two pieces of jewelry. Chief Clah was taken by the Squash Blossom necklace and said so.

Aunt Ruth then said, “You know. I’d better check my silver and see if I have anything like this. And, Kai, you should have your mother check hers too. A while back your grandmother was given some family jewelry, and she gave each of us girls a piece. And, it may have been some of Tse’s work.”

“I’ll get some tracing paper.”, I said, “And make two tracings of Tse Nez’s maker’s mark. And, I’ll get one to my mother and one to you, Aunt Ruth.”

“I have some tracing paper and a soft pencil.”, Aunt Ginny said. “You could trace it before you leave tomorrow, and give one to Ruth and send one to your mother when you get back to Albuquerque.”

I looked at Chief Clah, and asked, “Chief, do you think it would hurt the old paper if I carefully made a tracing of the maker’s mark?”

“I don’t see why it would, Kai.”, Chief Clah answered. “As long as you’re careful.”

I carefully put everything but Grandpa Tse Nez’s folder back in the camera bag, and Aunt Ginny put the Squash Blossom necklace away. Then Aunt Ginny got me the tracing paper, and I quickly made three tracings of Grandfather Tse Nez’s maker’s mark. I gave one to Aunt Ruth and put the other two, that was for my mother and Mr. Yazzie, in the camera bag along with the papers and bracelet. And, Uncle Gaagii let me put the camera bag in his gun safe for the night.

Then the women, including me, put together lunch. Aunt Ginny had made a large taco salad, so all we had to do, was set the table for eleven people. Get drinks. Put the taco salad on the table along with bowls of taco chips. And, then get everyone to the table, which didn’t take much doing. Then after a prayer from Naainish, we enjoyed a nice meal.

As we ate, Uncle Gaagii told everyone what he’d told me about who caused my problem with Los Alamos. And, how it wasn’t ex-Chief Peshlakai, but his brother that works for Los Alamos in their security department. And, that he is the ex-husband of the woman that had given Ajie a hard time over her New Mexico nursing license.

And, that his wife had divorced him after she found out what his brother, ex-Chief Peshlakai, had done. And, that this Peshlakai had recognized Kai’s name when she’d visited Los Alamos, and had given his superiors some false information about her.

Then I said, “We’re wondering if he’s blaming me for his wife divorcing him.”

We discussed this for a while then Chief Clah said, “We could bring him up on defamation of character charge. But, that would mean a trial.”

I shook my head, and said, “A trial would probably not be a good thing for obvious reasons.”

“What if we turn the tables on him.”, Uncle Paul said.

“Turn the tables?”, I asked.

“Start some rumors about him. Like who his brother is.”

“If he works in their security department, believe me, they have done an excellent background check on him, and they know who his brother is.”, Uncle Gaagii said. “What we could do, is what we did to his brother. Have a talk with him. Remember that once the ex-chief understood what he was doing could cause him some real problems he stopped all his messing around.”

“I didn’t hear that.”, Chief Clah said.

“I know you didn’t.”, Uncle Gaagii said. “Why don’t you, and the young people, take a walk out back.”

Chief Clah got up, and said, “Kai. Ajie. Why don’t you and your two friends join me.”

As I got up, I said, “Jackie. Charlie. Come on.”

Ajie, Jackie, and Charlie got up and walked out back with Chief Clah and me.

We stood and looked out over the desert to the mountains for a minute or two, and then I pointed at the old hogan made entirely of mud over a wood frame with a blanket over the door, and said, “Jackie and Charlie, that’s your hogan over there.”

Jackie looked, and just said, “Oh!”

“Jackie, ignore her. She’s just being a brat.”, Ajie said. Then pointing at the other hogan, Ajie added, “This is your hogan over here.”

“Oh. Good.”

“Let’s see if the door is unlocked.”

The newer hogan was six-sided and built out of logs with a mud-covered roof. The east facing door wasn’t the traditional blanket, but a real door.

The five of us walked over to the newer hogan and tried the door. It opened, and we went in. I switched on the lights, and Chief Clah said, “Electric lights in a hogan. That’s sacrilegious.

“And a wooden floor! With a brick-lined fire pit!”

“Oh!”, Jackie said. “I love the bed.”

“Not a couch, and a table and chairs, too!”, Chief Clah exclaimed.

“All the comforts of home, Chief.”, I said.

“Except the bathroom is in the house.”, Ajie added.

The Chief just shook his head, and said, “Too many comforts for a proper hogan.”

Jackie in looking around noticed the smoke hole, and asked, “Won’t that hole in the roof allow rain in?”

“Jackie.”, I said. “A while ago we asked the same question. And we had an old Navajo man tell us, that some consider the smoke hole a nuisance. But, it’s felt by the Navajo that when there are no more smoke holes that the old religion will disappear.

“Besides, if there are no smoke holes the medicine men couldn’t chase away the ghosts using the proper chant.”

“Ghosts!”, Jackie said. “There aren’t any ghosts around here. Are there?”

“There’s a smoke hole. Isn’t there?”, Chief Clah asked.

“Yes.”

“So, there are no ghosts.”

We walked back outside and again looked at the scenery. And, I said, “I’d love to have a house with a view like this.”

“Someday, Kai.”, Ajie said.

“What’s the other hogan?”, Jackie asked.

“It’s sweat lodge.”, Ajie replied.

“That doesn’t sound like fun.”

“I couldn’t tell you. I’ve never tried one.”

There were some chairs around the outdoor fire pit, so we walked over and sat. Finally, Charlie said, “What do you think they’re talking about?”

“I don’t know, Charlie.”, I said. “But, knowing my Uncle Gaagii, they’ll come up with something.”

“It won’t be illegal will it?”

“It’ll probably be right on the line between legal and illegal.”, Chief Clah said. Then I heard him whisper, “I hope.”

We just sat there for about half an hour enjoying the view. Then Aunt Ginny came to the back door of the house, and said, “Come on back in.”

We got up, walked back into the kitchen, and everyone was looking content. Did I want to know what they were up to? Yes. Was I going to ask? No. At least not now.

“Kids.”, Aunt Ginny said. “If you’ll help me, we have a treat.”

“What’s that, Aunt Ginny?”, Ajie asked.

“Fried ice cream.”

“I’ll help.”, Ajie and I said together.

“So, will I.”, Jackie said.

“You’ll have to tell me what to do.”, Charlie said. “But, I’ll help too.”

We started putting together the fried ice cream, with Aunt Ginny doing the frying. And, was it good. Yum.

As we were enjoying the fried ice cream, I looked at Naainish, and said, “Naainish, you’ve been quiet through this whole thing.”

“Kai.”, Naainish said. “I’m a medicine man. A spiritual person. Not a legal person. I’m here to provide spiritual guidance to the decision makers. And, listening to you makes me know how you want to handle this. You don’t want to see anyone hurt. But, you want it to stop, so that you or Ajie won’t be hurt.

“I try to advise them as best I can. I don’t know if they took my guidance to heart. But, I hope they did.”

“Naainish, all the guidance that you’ve given me has been taken to heart and has proven to be correct.”, I said. “So, I hope these elders did the same.”

“Kai.”, Chief Kinlicheeny said. “We always take Naainish’s guidance into our decisions. And, he has strong feelings for you and Ajie.”

After the two Chiefs and Naainish had left, I got my Uncle Gaagii alone, and asked, “All right Uncle Gaagii, what is going on?”

“Kai, the details you don’t want to know.”, Uncle Gaagii said. “But, if you remember when ex-Chief Peshlakai was talked to, how things stopped. It’s something like that. This Peshlakai is also a member of the Nation and will understand the problems that he will have if anything else happens.

“If he doesn’t understand, then he will be made to understand.

“Okay?”

“Ah. Yeah. Okay.”, I said. “Just don’t get into trouble.”