Native Primer For Indigenous Lands
by Glen Rosales for New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division and Photos by Roberto E. Rosales
Diné guide Kialo Winters crests a small, sandy rise covered in short scrub brush deep within the Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness, smiles and turns to a group of people lugging pounds of camera gear. “Prepare to be amazed,” he says with a grin. “Sensory overload.”
Shortly the stunning Guardians formation looms into view as a jumbled and weather sculpted collection of prehistoric rock art. “That’s Mother Nature’s humor,” says Winters, who operates Navajo Tours USA. “These are the Guardians. The Guardians of the Valley of Dreams, all in the background there.”
A former teacher in Navajo communities in New Mexico’s Four Corners area, as well as a salesman in educational technology tools used to “creatively bridge Navajo language and Navajo culture into an online space,” Winters kind of fell into being a tour guide by accident. “It was during the end of my time in sales that Terri, my wife, came up with the idea for this business,” he says. “It was a big leap, and, like many small businesses, I got the phone call informing me of my layoff. That moment pushed me, and I fully committed to what had been a side hustle – our tour guiding business.”
This was in 2019 and despite the looming pandemic, that side hustle quickly turned into far more. The Winters are steadfast in their belief that outdoor recreation can be not only a full-time avocation and passion for them, but for the state, as well. As a matter of fact, the couple recently doubled down on that commitment with the opening of the Bisti Campground, a four-acre site currently set up for dispersed camping in Nageezi, New Mexico, with plans to expand services in the future.
READ FULL ARTICLE: https://nmoutside.com/outdoor-ventures/native-primer-for-indigenous-lands/
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