One again, the NYT lists their places to go for the upcoming year. I always like to look at it and see how many places I have been to that are on the list (12 this year) but it's also fun to see all the places listed that I would never have thought of going to (and quite frankly, will probably never get to). But I can dream...
Gifted so no paywall: 52 Places to Go in 2023
I saw this a couple days ago. Interesting article, with some surprises. Always inspiring.
Only 5 for me (my husband has been to 6, though, as he went to Taipei annually for work for several years). In many cases, I've been elsewhere in that country, but not to the specific locale in the article.
I'm so happy that Monument Valley is getting the attention that it deserves. I'm surprised by how many Americans have never heard of it, probably because it's on Navajo land and not technically a National Park. Each time I've been there it's mostly been fellow European tourists, including running into Stephen Fry of all people.
Last time I went I stayed at the View Hotel which is magnificently perched on a ledge overlooking the valley below. It's run by the local Navajo tribe and is actually inside the Tribal Park. It's so fun to visit the Navajo Nation, it's like traveling to another country within the United States.
"It's so fun to visit the Navajo Nation, it's like traveling to another country within the United States."
It is a sovereign nation.
I was surprised I hit 9. They mentioned The Allman Brothers in relation to Macon but didn't mention Rose HIll Cemetery where the Allmans and band member Berry Oakley are buried.
It is a sovereign nation
Well perhaps one day they'll put it on the map of the USA, I certainly did not know that before visiting.
I just read this over coffee this morning , Eastern Quebec caught my fancy .
"Well perhaps one day they'll put it on the map of the USA, I certainly did not know that before visiting."
Many Americans do not know this either. Unless a person in an enrolled tribal member, has lived near a reservation or worked for a tribe most people are unaware. The governing bodies of some tribes certainly make this a point as do many tribal members although probably not those depending on tourist income.
Thank you for sharing that! I've only been to 2 of those places but funny enough came close to considering 3 others on the list this year. My yellow lab will be 15 in July & I'm too afraid to travel so far away from her this year so no European destinations for me for right now.
We are planning on Quebec the 1st week of October. And I'm going to Monument Valley in mid September. Very excited for both!
I am happy to make 10. Very close to some…but didn’t count. Loved Monument Valley! Hiked around the “ Mitten”. And the famous Forrest Gump road view is awesome in person!
Without naming names, 2 of the 6 I've been to are not places I would go for a vacation and one of the others already has enough tourists. The opening of the African-American Museum in Charleston has been delayed with no new date given, as far as I know. There are issues with the climate control, including humidity-duh.
Yes, First Nations are sovereign nations. We made treaties to share the land. We never gave up our sovereignty.
Pam, that's interesting - I did not know that either. I have never been there (although I've been close) but maybe on my next western road trip, I will head that way. I was surprised I had been to so many places this year - usually it's only 3 or 4.
Thank you, Mardee always enjoy seeing this list and you made it so easy!
It's been decades since we visited Monument Valley and neither of us remember much about it to be honest. On the same trip we visited the Painted Desert and that is what is most vivid in our minds. I don't know why, but perhaps it's because you have heard and seen so much about Monument Valley before you go there that it is really only confirmation of what you expected, where at the Painted Valley was so unexpected.
I have been to 13 of them, but I find this list kinda random. These are not the best places, just some places you may not have thought of - and the photos are amazing but not indicative. It's a little US-centric too and nature-centric. I am not sure I would include any of these places in my top 52 places.
It would be interesting to see top 52 places for food, top 52 places for historical ruins, top 52 places for modern new attractions, etc.
It's been decades since we visited Monument Valley and neither of us remember much about it to be honest.
There are very few cities in that area and very long driving distances, so you mainly see it from a car at 60 mph as part of a day long drive. Although I did camp overnight in the area one time in October, and it was below freezing at night with a wicked wind. Probably the best views would come from flying a drone.
"It's so fun to visit the Navajo Nation, it's like traveling to another country within the United States."
It is a sovereign nation.
I am no expert but I believe they have limited autonomy under various treaties. They have their own police force and laws, however, I believe they vote for the US congress and president. In driving down the highway, you see all kinds of isolated homes along the scrubby high dessert - not particularly connect by roads at all - and apparently without any formal addresses. Famously in some of the past elections, volunteers rode on horseback to pickup ballots, and then later Arizona passed some laws that seemed to be targeting the helpers and people without clear addresses - possibly related to the fact that they usually vote for one particular party, and these laws were passed by the opposing party. They can get scholarships to go US universities. I don't know all the details, but they are Americans. In fact, they have a museum for the Navajo code walkers used in WWII to send messages over the radio which could not be understood by the other side. Nicholas Cage starred in a movie about them too.
Right, AMann. The drive through Monument Valley Tribal Park is a slow, sometimes bumpy, very dusty adventure! As a hiker, I had wished there were more trails visitors were allowed to do on their own but there's only one (which we did): the nearly 4-mile Wildcat Trail. We stayed at Gouldings, which was the only hotel at the time, and spent a few hours horseback with a tribal guide. LOL, my assigned mount was one very stubborn, ornery thing!
Carlos:
Well perhaps one day they'll put it on the map of the USA, I certainly
did not know that before visiting.
I don't know if you meant the tribal park itself or the larger Navajo Nation? If the latter, it covers an enormous 27,000 square miles, encompassing parts of Utah, New Mexico and Arizona, and its borders are marked on the google map I'm looking at. Olijato-Monument Valley is marked on the map as well. The smaller Hopi Reservation is located within the Arizona section.
I believe the sovereignty of all tribal nations in the U.S. is protected by the Constitution.
Oh, and they more commonly identify as "Diné" versus "Navajo", a term which didn't originate in their own language. i'm happy that you found it to be a special place!
I believe the sovereignty of all tribal nations in the U.S. is protected by the Constitution.
Actually, that comes from their own inherent sovereignty and not the Constitution, although there is mention of tribal rights in it. But it was reaffirmed by Congress passing the Indian Civil Rights Act in 1968, and that applies to all tribes in the United States. Tribal rights are interesting - I was a family law attorney before I retired and dealt with those rights on a few occasions in some custody cases.
Thanks, Mardee. I'll admit that just with the bit of reading I've done on them, tribal rights don't always appear to be black-and-white. You obviously have had firsthand experience - in my own state, no less - and I'm guessing some of that was interesting/challenging indeed.
Kathy, ironically, no, it was in Ohio where I was licensed, I didn't move to Minnesota until I retired back in 2019 - my daughter and her family live here so I wanted to be close to my grandkids. :)
Both cases I was involved in dealt with kids from northern Michigan who were involved in custody battles, and each had a parent who was a member of an Indian tribe. Both cases were resolved fairly early but I was still dealing with the legal issues many months later. I swore after that I would never handle a case involving a child with tribal connections. I certainly understand why all those restrictions are in place, though.
"Tribal rights are interesting - I was a family law attorney before I retired and dealt with those rights on a few occasions in some custody cases."
Oh yes, extremely difficult. As a hospital social worker in a city located near the Nez Perce reservation we were all cognizant of issues related to newborn adoptions when a parent was a tribal member.
Treaty rights are interesting as well. My brother worked for the Nez Perce/Ni Mi'i Puu tribe and often an email would come across asking tribal members to go fish at a certain location to maintain their treaty rights.
Pam, that's interesting. I used to watch Longmire which dealt with a lot of reservation issues and now Yellowstone has those as well, although that show bends the facts so much, I'm leery of believing anything that's said on that show. I recently put a hold on a library edition of a Great Course called "Native Peoples of North America." It looks very interesting and I'm looking forward to listening to it.
I don't know if you meant the tribal park itself or the larger Navajo Nation? If the latter, it covers an enormous 27,000 square miles, encompassing parts of Utah, New Mexico and Arizona, and its borders are marked on the google map I'm looking at. Olijato-Monument Valley is marked on the map as well. The smaller Hopi Reservation is located within the Arizona section.
Thank you for the extra info. I guess I was meaning the larger Navajo Nation, which appears absent from all the "maps of the USA" that I've seen. Comparatively, micro-nations in Europe, which also rely on treaties with other countries to maintain their sovereignty, appear on most major maps. Most maps of Italy I've seen for example show San Marino and Vatican City.
Perhaps we are going too far into the rabbit hole of Nations vs Countries. Coming from Spain, for me the Indian nations seem pretty similar to our autonomous communities, as in they have their own local government, police force, education system etc. It has been a very interesting topic for me as a foreigner living in the US.
AMann, thank you for the book recommendation. I’ve just put it on hold at my library.
The use of "sovereignty" relating to tribes shouldn't be construed as independence, more like a kind of autonomy. Tribal members are US citizens and subject to all federal laws, and receive a lot of federal money each year. Sovereignty often means taking over federal programs like policing or health care delivery: taking the money but running the program tribally, this kind of sovereignty is also called self-determination.
Sometimes tribal members are exempt from state law depending upon where they are in the state, and which state. Some tribal members automatically are granted dual US/Canadian citizenship, I'm thinking members of St Regis located in NY and ONT, and the Lake Huron First Nations just east of Sault Ste Marie ONT. Some members pay state income tax and others don't, depending upon the state, the location in the state, and the employer. It's a mixed bag of different rights and situations depending upon the tribe and the state. Tribal courts may have jurisdiction over non-tribal members on their trust land depending upon the situation, but often they don't. Tribal courts may have jurisdiction over members of members of other tribes on their land. There are instances where a non-tribal member can hit a person on the face on trust land and there's no legal jurisdiction: neither the county nor the tribe has jurisdiction to prosecute. However federal courts have ruled that if the assault is a domestic violence situation then tribal courts do have jurisdiction.
Adding that there's a rogue Navajo tribe called Ramah that split off from the main tribe, and vast off-reservation Navajo trust lands in New Mexico outside the main reservation and not included on maps. The "Breaking Bad" RV meth cooking scenes were filmed on off-reservation Navajo land just outside Albuquerque.
I always lumped Monument Valley in with Route 66, places on the European bucket list driven by cinema and television but of less interest to Americans.
I have visited 15 of the places on the list.
Aimee, thanks for the book idea - I will check that out!
Tom, that's interesting about the Ramah tribe. Autonomy is a good description, too, since the states, federal government and tribal governments are autonomous in that they all have sovereign immunity, and cannot be sued (there are exceptions). That includes any federal, state and tribal officials acting in their official capacity. Federal sovereignty comes from the Constitution, the states' sovereignty comes from the federal government and the constitution and the tribal nations comes from an inherent right that is based on their own laws and customs that were set in pace long before the Constitution.
It really is a fascinating subject - sorry to geek out here, but now it just makes me want to read more about this.
Tom, note that "federal money" is not quite accurate. In Canada, at least, the money we supposedly "receive" is OUR money, held in trust and (mis)managed by the government. The concept that First Nations are constant recipients of federal handouts is a harmful stereotype.
I always lumped Monument Valley in with Route 66, places on the European bucket list driven by cinema and television but of less interest to Americans.
Yes that is an interesting phenomenon that I have noticed as well, I'll also add Miami, Las Vegas, "Hollywood", Grand Canyon, and "The Alamo" to that list.
Alternatively, I'm sure there is an American bucket list driven by cinema and television but of less interest to Europeans. Salzburg, "Tuscany", various WWII sites come to mind.
BB: Your point is taken, but ultimately it is taxpayer money subject to legal restrictions and government oversight. Tribes in the US (and I assume Canada) cannot spend the money willy-nilly so yes it's "theirs" as compensation for land, but with restrictions.
A lawyer sitting next to me on a plane once told a fascinating history of the background of federal money to US tribes, and how rights to things like schools, clinics, etc. reserved by only some tribes by treaty were gradually extended to all tribes.
The whole casino world has upset native stereotypes, and I think a big distinction between the US and Canada.
Agreed. That is one of the concerns Indigenous people have and are working to change. The governments have taken a paternalistic and assimilations attitude toward us, even though we have never relinquished our sovereignty. There are some difference between the US and Canada, because we did not have the wars you had, but made treaties (which are, by definition, agreements between nations) without warring first (mostly).
Anyway, here in Canada there is a strong misconception that the government funding Indigenous nations get is welfare, instead of 1) our monies held in trust and 2) monies that are distributed to all Canadians, but through different means (such as provincial agencies) for non-Indigenous citizens. So, I am quick to jump in when there is any whiff of that sort of stereotype.
Interesting discussion, but I realize this isn't the place for it. Sorry to hijack Mardee's thread.
(Note: I am a card-carrying member of the Cowessess Cree First Nation, as well as a former instructor of Indigenous Studies at both a college and a university.)
Sorry to hijack Mardee's thread
BB, no worries at all about that! I think I did a bit of hijacking it myself. :) I find this subject very interesting and I'm always glad to get more information about it.
Anyway, here in Canada there is a strong misconception that the government funding Indigenous nations get is welfare, instead of 1) our monies held in trust and 2) monies that are distributed to all Canadians, but through different means (such as provincial agencies) for non-Indigenous citizens.
For clarity, the value of FN Trusts is approximately $650 million. The yearly financing of FNs is close to $25 Billion, the financing is because in Canada, FN people are wards of the state.
For clarity, the Canadian government spends less per capita on health and education for Indigenous people than they do for non-Indigenous people, and your figures fail to make the comparison.
Some data and discussion:
eg. Figure 4-2 shows that, in 2011-2012, federal health spending for First Nations and Inuit health care made up 1.7 per cent of total health spending across Canada. By 2018-2019, this proportion increased to 2.3 per cent. In comparison, the First Nations and Inuit population represented roughly 2.7 per cent of the total Canadian population in 2011-2012, increasing to 2.9 per cent by 2018-2019.
https://distribution-a617274656661637473.pbo-dpb.ca/9bee4c701b89b6285aa9b66e68a21806ca91473fd4d74b86d817e56ef673a89a
https://www.afn.ca/uploads/files/education/fact_sheet_-_fn_education_funding_final.pdf
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/how-does-native-funding-work-1.1301120
But if you are getting your information from the likes of the Fraser Institute, then we have nothing to say to each other.
Thank you for the generosity of gifting the link. I was really frustrated trying to read the article prior to this!
As it turns out, we're going to visit my niece in Greenville and a friend of my wife's near Charlestown in March so it's awesome that both of those cities were included in the places to go list. We won't be in either place long but we plan to take advantage of our time when we're there.
15 places in Europe, 3 places in Africa, 2 places in South Carolina (!) and 2 places in Georgia (just kidding).
Mardee, thanks for sharing such a beautiful article! While I was most interested in reading about Cuba (saw this the other day but couldn't access the detailed bits), it's put many places on my radar that were never there before.
