County, Native Americans work together to create ‘cultural tourism’

Key Takeaways

Coconino County, Ariz. and the Navajo Nation have built a partnership together to create cultural tourism initiatives, both educating visitors on Native American history and traditions and benefiting the local economy. 

“When we talk about cultural tourism, there is no border, there’s no such thing,” Coconino County Supervisor Lena Fowler said July 13 at the NACo Arts and Culture Commission meeting.

NACo Arts and Culture Commission

July 13

A member herself of the Navajo Tódich'ii'nii (Bitter Water) clan, Fowler said “it’s just all about partnership and learning more about each other, so that we can create trust and understanding.”

Coconino County hosts “Navajo Bridge Star Parties” in partnership with a local observatory, tribal nations and national parks where visitors stargaze and learn about Native American teachings. The county also partnered with the Navajo Nation to create the Navajo Interpretive Museum, which sits on unincorporated county land, and the Native American Music Festival, which will be held for the first time this year. These cultural tourism initiatives not only educate tourists on the Navajo “way of life,” but also help support the local economy, Fowler said. 

“To establish that deep relationship, it takes time,” Fowler said. “And it takes a lot of desire to be able to do that, commitment, and then you’ve got to strategize for that success, and the result is economic success. That’s where our county revenue comes from — ‘How healthy is our business community?’ And ‘How healthy is our community?’ And that’s what we strive for.”

An initiative Coconino County has come to be known for is its roadside jewelry vendors. The Navajo Nation works with the county, the U.S. Forest Service, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park, among other partners, to sell handmade jewelry on the side of the road at sites across the county. Ghost beads, which are used as protection from negative energy in Native American culture, are one of the many cultural jewelry pieces sold by the Navajo Nation, Fowler said. 

“In that process, we tell the stories about what our jewelry is all about,” Fowler said. “Jewelry for us is not just jewelry, it’s actually controlling the energy around us.” 

A percentage of the profits from the roadside jewelry sales are set aside for the community and go into a scholarship fund for students, Fowler noted.   

“Through these cultural experiences that our visitors — and even us, the people who live there — experience, it creates such a wonderful memory, and it’s such a great experience that we carry with us and take home with us.”