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In This Issue: Current Features
Boston Red Sox phenom traces his roots to Navajo Nation
by Jacoby Ellsbury
It took 75 years for an African-American baseball player to reach the major leagues. It took another 60 years for a Navajo Indian to get there.
On the sprawling Navajo Nation, home to the largest Native American population in the United States, Jacoby Ellsbury is now an icon: At age 24, he became the first Major League Baseball player of Navajo descent. This was no small feat -— on the reservation, the traditional sports have long been basketball and rodeo. Baseball is played only in small pockets. No Navajo had ever gone far in the professional ranks, much less starred in the World Series -— which rookie Ellsbury accomplished last October.
It all happened so fast. Ellsbury, a lanky, intense,left-handed outfielder, began the 2007 season playing Double A ball for the Boston Red Sox’s team in Portland, Maine. Quickly, he moved to AAA ball in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and made two brief trips up to the majors, only to be sent right back down again. Finally, on September 1, he arrived at Boston’s historic Fenway Park for good. In 33 Red Sox games last season, Ellsbury hit a sparkling .353 and stole nine bases. The New York Times called him a “cult hero.”
Then came the World Series. If you missed the 2007 Series, you missed the Jacoby Ellsbury Show. Few fans had heard of Ellsbury outside New England, and even fewer in New Mexico. But by the time Boston had swept the Colorado Rockies in four games, just about everyone knew him, and some even recognized him as “Tacoby Bellsbury.” When Taco Bell announced free tacos to everyone in America -— a “steal of a deal” to commemorate the first base stolen in the World Series —- Ellsbury rose to the occasion by swiping second base in Game 2. Suddenly, the fast-food franchise had a stream of hungry fans, and Ellsbury had a national following and a crazy nickname. He went on to sock four doubles and hit .438 for the Series. Some suggested he should have been named Most Valuable Player.
Before the World Series had ended, the Navajo Nation had joined the impassioned Red Sox Nation. These days, you can spot dark blue Boston caps, bearing their distinctive red gothic “B,” from Shiprock to Sanostee, from Newcomb to Nageezi.
“We can’t keep Red Sox gear in stock,” says Richard Ruybalid, who runs R Sports in Farmington’s Animas Valley Mall. “Jacoby’s become a role model for Navajos, and they’re a major part of our business.”
Ellsbury is looked up to by Navajos because he achieved success the old-fashioned way: through a profound work ethic and with great humility. Then there’s his astonishing foot speed. As a boy, he really did chase a deer and catch it, he says.
“Jacoby had a dream and he stayed with it,” says Dineh Benally, who coaches youth baseball in Shiprock, and has known Ellsbury since he was 15.
“We always knew how determined he was,” adds Shawna Bicenti, Ellsbury’s cousin and the athletics director at Navajo Preparatory Academy, in Farmington.
Still, Ellsbury’s swift success caught many by surprise. “Never in my wildest dreams,” says Benally, “did I think a Navajo would make the major leagues.”
Ellsbury is not the first Native American to play professional baseball. That honor belongs to Louis Sockalexis, a Penobscot tribe member from Maine who played for the Cleveland Spiders from 1897 to 1899. The great Jim Thorpe, a Sac and Fox from Oklahoma, put in six seasons in the big leagues, from 1913 to 1915 and from 1917 to 1919.
One reason Ellsbury initially was not well known on the reservation is that he grew up elsewhere. In fact, he was born in Oregon, and reared there. Even so, he clearly has an attachment to Diné. Margie McCabe Ellsbury, his mother, is a full-blooded Navajo. As a young woman, she joined a sister who was living at Oregon’s Warm Springs Indian Reservation, the home of the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, Wasco, and Paiute. There Margie met and married Jim Ellsbury, an Anglo who worked as a forester for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Jacoby, who went to school in nearby Madras, Oregon, is the eldest of the couple’s four sons.
In the late 1940s, Margie Ellsbury’s father, a farmer, moved his large family from near Ganado, Arizona, to the Colorado River Indian Tribes Reservation, in Parker, Arizona, for better opportunities.That western Arizona reservation counts Navajos among its members. Many of Jacoby Ellsbury’s clan relatives live in the Southwest, particularly in New Mexico -— he has aunts, uncles, and cousins scattered across Farmington, Gallup, Albuquerque, and Belén. As a boy, Ellsbury often came to the Four Corners area during summers to visit kinfolk, who taught him how to build fires and cook outdoors. And when he was 12, his mother brought the family to the Southwest for a year. “I wanted him and his brothers to experience their heritage,” says Margie, who works as an early childhood interventionist at Warm Springs.
“I know some [Navajo] phrases, like ‘Come eat,’ or ‘Go to bed,’ which are what my mother and grandmother were always saying,” says Ellsbury. “I know some Navajo songs. And I can count to 10. That’s my ancestral home down there.”
Ellsbury’s most recent visit to New Mexico took place in November 2005. He came to see his maternal grandmother, Alice Curley McCabe, a shepherdess. She was 85 at the time, and dying. Much earlier, Ellsbury had lived with Alice in Parker, helping her shear sheep and eating five or six of her Indian tacos at a sitting.
While his grandmother lay ill in a house in Fruitland, New Mexico, Ellsbury sat by her bedside. He had been drafted by Boston earlier that year, out of Oregon State University, and had played just part of one season of minor league baseball. The old woman held his hand. She called him tsuie (grandchild) and told him she was proud of him, that she was a fan.
Now he has several million more.
-- Toby Smith
The Power of Three
For centuries, Native peoples have relied on a diet of the Three Sisters—corn, squash, and beans. Anthropologist, photographer, and chef Lois Ellen Frank explains why this tradition is good for the body and the planet.
Indigenous peoples’ understanding of sustainability is based on the philosophy that all things are integrally connected. Here in New Mexico, it is often said by the Native communities that a healthy environment means a healthy culture, which means a healthy people. Likewise, corn, beans, and squash, also known as the Three Sisters, are considered by many tribal communities to be sacred gifts from the Great Spirit. The way these vegetables grow in the garden exemplifies this notion of interconnectedness, as do the complementary nutrients they provide.
The Iroquois of the Northeastern U.S. refer to the Three Sisters in their creation stories, describing how the plants emerged from the first garden as sisters to help and support each other. They believe that the well-being of every crop is protected by the Sisters, spirits collectively referred to as De-o-ha-ko (“those who support us” or “our sustainers”). The term Three Sisters also refers to the practice of planting of corn, pole beans, and squash (such as pumpkins) together in mounds. Traditionally, the planting season honors the Three Sisters with ceremonies, and the first harvest of corn is celebrated by the Iroquois’ Green Corn Festival.
Across the continent, in a completely different climate, the Ancestral Puebloans of the Southwest learned how to cultivate corn, developing varieties that could grow under many desert conditions. Here, corn became a sacrament and a representation of life itself. Pueblo peoples have grown corn, beans, and squash for thousands of years; even today, the technique of planting the three types of vegetables in the same row or mound is found at many Pueblos and on some smaller New Mexico farms. This sophisticated, sustainable system cares for both the people and the earth, providing a healthy diet and long-term soil fertility.
Clayton Brascoupe, a Mohawk-Algonquin of the Iroquois Six Nations, is the Program Director of the Traditional Native American Farmers’ Association (TNAFA), at New Mexico’s Tesuque Pueblo. He has practiced traditional agriculture here in the Southwest for many years, and emphasizes that there have always been multiple varieties of corn, beans, and squash planted together in fields. Chiles and tomatoes were also planted in traditional fields, alongside the Three Sisters.
The Three Sisters provide an important lesson in environmental cooperation. Corn draws nitrogen from the soil, while beans replenish it. The tall corn stalks provide climbing poles for the bean tendrils. And the broad leaves of squashes grow low to the ground, shading the soil, keeping it moist, and deterring the growth of weeds.
Native communities that grew and honored the Three Sisters were well aware that they were nutritionally rich and complementary. Corn supplies a variety of important amino acids and carbohydrates. Beans are extremely high in protein (I call them sustenance in a pod), and supply two essential amino acids not found in corn. Squashes contain vitamin A, and their seeds have high-quality fats that are important to a healthy diet and are not found in corn or beans.
These days, the conventional American diet is linked with an increasing prevalence of obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. As obesity and type 2 diabetes explode in the general population, the time is ripe to return to the wisdom of the Three Sisters. These three vegetables support a diet rich in high proteins and low in fats and sugars, and are delicious, inexpensive, easy to grow, and sustainable.
Spicy Pinto Bean Ravioli with Corn-and-Chile Cream Sauce
Tip: Blue cornmeal and bean purée are unexpected twists on an old favorite. Vegetarians will appreciate a meat-free ravioli, while non-veggies will find this combination hearty and satisfying.
Spicy Pinto Bean Ravioli Filling
2 cups dried pinto beans
1 teaspoon toasted dried oregano
1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon red chile powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 recipe Blue Cornmeal Ravioli Dough (see recipe below)
1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
Corn-and-Chile Cream Sauce
6 New Mexico or Anaheim green chiles
4 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
3 serrano chiles, seeded, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 cups heavy cream
chopped red and green chiles for garnish
Filling: Soak beans overnight in water to cover. Next day, drain, rinse with cold water, and place in saucepan with enough fresh water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer several hours. Add water as needed, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Cook until beans are soft and skins begin to split. Remove from heat.
Toast oregano and cumin in a dry sauté pan over medium heat, until lightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Add unpeeled garlic to pan and roast over medium heat until cloves are soft and blackened in spots. Let cool, then peel and mash with a knife.
In a saucepan, sauté onion in 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat until lightly browned. Reduce heat to low, add mashed garlic, and cook for 1 minute. Add oregano, cumin, red chile powder, salt, beans, and just enough water to cover (2–3 cups). Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes.
Purée bean mixture in a food processor until smooth.
In a cast-iron skillet, heat remaining oil over high heat until it just begins to smoke. Add bean purée and stir 1 minute. Lower heat to moderate and cook 5 minutes, while stirring, until purée is a medium paste. (It will thicken as it cools.)
Raviolis: Prepare dough as instructed in Blue Cornmeal Ravioli Dough recipe. Divide dough in half. Roll out each half into a rectangle 12 by 15 inches by 1/8 inch thick. Use the back of a knife to lightly mark 3-inch squares into each rectangle. With a basting brush, spread a thin layer of egg wash about 1 inch wide along these lines. Place 1 tablespoon of bean filling in center of each square.
Lay second rectangle of dough atop first rectangle. Press down with fingers around each mound of filling to release air and seal ravioli. Use a pasta crimper and sealer to cut between the mounds, making sure individual ravioli are well sealed. Place ravioli on a baking tray dusted with flour so they don’t stick; set aside while you make the sauce. (At this point, ravioli can be frozen for later use.)
Cream Sauce: Roast green chiles. Remove skins, seeds, and veins. Dice. Combine 3 cups corn kernels, 2/3 of diced chiles, serrano chiles, salt, and pepper in a food processor and process about 2 minutes, until smooth. Scrape sides of container and process another 30 seconds. Strain through a fine sieve; discard bits of skin.
Place mixture in a saucepan over moderate heat for 3 minutes, slowly adding cream while stirring. Add remaining corn kernels and diced green chiles. Reduce heat to low, simmer 5 minutes, until corn is tender. Set aside to keep warm.
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a low boil. Place ravioli in water and cook 3–5 minutes, until tender. (Ravioli takes longer to cook at high altitudes. Add 1 minute of cooking time for every 1,000 feet above sea level.)
Serve: Drain ravioli and serve immediately with Cream Sauce. Allow 2–3 ravioli per person. Garnish with red and green chiles.
Serves 6 as an appetizer.
Blue Cornmeal Ravioli Dough Tip: Traditionally, Native women would get together to prepare dough for a special gathering or feast. Today, Walter Whitewater, a contemporary Native American chef, also makes dough regularly. He believes that whatever you’re thinking as you knead enters the dough through your hands. This is why Native cooks say that you should never make dough when thinking negative thoughts.
1 cup blue cornmeal flour, finely ground
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
5 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Pour flours into a mound on a flat work surface. With your hand, make a well in the center that reaches almost through to the board. Crack eggs directly into well and, with a fork, whip in salt and oil, mixing in flour from the edge of the well.
Mix and knead dough with your hands 8–10 minutes, until it has a smooth, elastic consistency. If dough seems dry, add a little more water; if too moist, add a little more flour. When dough has the desired consistency, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Divide dough into handfuls. Roll out each handful to an even, almost translucent thinness. If you have a hand-cranked pasta machine, start at the lowest setting, and keep running the dough through the machine until you reach the highest setting. Use your imagination: cut dough into any size or shape. Although this recipe calls for the Spicy Pinto Bean filling, ravioli can be filled with almost anything.
Makes 12 large or 24 small ravioli.
Print Edition Exclusive: Want to plant your own Three Sisters garden? See page 45 of the May issue of New Mexico Magazine for easy step-by-step instructions.5 Cool Small Towns
Aztec: Rolling on the River
Fun and a sense of humor are what come to mind as you stroll the streets of Aztec, a small community of “6,378 friendly people & 6 old soreheads,” according to the welcome sign at the city limits. The town sits along the Animas River in the Four Corners region of New Mexico, just 15 miles east of Farmington and 30 miles south of Durango, Colorado. Aztec continues to be discovered by folks who appreciate its native history and contemporary, upbeat festivities. Since locals posted their campy sign, the town has grown to more than 7,000.
The first stop for any visitor is Aztec Ruins National Monument, on the edge of town. These ruins aren’t as extensive as those in the famous Chaco Canyon, but they’re not as remote, either —- a cup of coffee is only minutes away, and no camping is required. Crouching low to get through small stone-framed doorways or walking the circular dirt path of the Great Kiva, you can’t help but feel drawn to the world that flourished here nearly a thousand years ago. Then you can head to downtown Aztec for a contemporary fix at such artisan studios as Feat of Clay Artists Cooperative, with its broad spectrum of paintings, pottery, and metal craft. Or chill out at Rubio’s, a bar and restaurant known for laid-back live music and tall margaritas served in big beer mugs.
All this said, the best part of visiting Aztec, hands down, is the community itself. Sidle into any place of business -— from the Maiden and the Crone, a new-age gift shop complete with a warm, inviting reading room, to the Bistro, a brightly painted coffee shop and café —- and people want to talk about their town and the things to do here.
“We’ll have a parade at the drop of a hat,” cracked one local, while another spoke wistfully of potlucks, open to the public and hosted by the local San Juan Scottish Fiddlers -— they sound like riotous occasions of dancing, music, and food that happen fairly regularly. Festivals abound, from the UFO Symposium (Aztec was visited in 1948) to Fiesta Days to the Fantasy of Lights Holiday Show. And for those who prefer a quieter way of enjoying a vacation, take this tip from Rubio’s waitress Shaydee Hudson: “Come in the spring, when the river is flowing and the cottonwoods are green.”
-—Shawna Bethell
For info: www.aztecnm.com, (505) 334-9551
Red River: Escaping into the Evergreens
The town of Red River lies high -— 8,650 feet above sea level —- in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northeastern New Mexico, yet is still thousands of feet below the surrounding pine- and fir-covered peaks.
Barely 100 miles northeast of Santa Fe and about 40 miles northeast of Taos, Red River has managed to remain a world all its own —- a mountain world of sharp morning air and wind in trees. Laid out along both sides of one mile of the serpentine N.M. 38, and home to about 500 permanent residents, this little town at the junction of Bitter Creek and the Red River lures visitors from all across the American West —- and has for decades.
Red River was founded in 1894 as Red River City, and by 1900 the discoveries of gold, silver, and copper had brought more than 3,000 residents, who homesteaded in tents and cabins and set up stores, newspapers, hotels, and 10 notoriously rowdy saloons. Outlaw Black Jack Ketchum allegedly patronized Red River’s dances, and Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa purportedly gave his spurs to a local man, whose wife used them to tie back her drapes
From the 1920s on, mining gave way to tourism, and Red River soon became regionally famous as a four-season mountain playground. In colder months, skiers and snowboarders fly down the 56 trails of the Red River Ski Area, and every Thanksgiving they’re invited to sled down on frozen turkeys. In summer, guests at hotels such as the rustic and welcoming Arrowhead Lodge can step out their doors, walk a minute to a chairlift, and ascend the slopes for startling views of the state’s tallest mountains. There are hiking and horse trails, jeep tours to mining ruins, and aspen groves and high-country lakes. There are also nightclubs, bars, and restaurants — such as Capo’s Corner, for great Italian, and Roberto’s Fiesta, for spicy green chile. Each May, tens of thousands of motorcyclists gather here for the Annual Memorial Day Motorcycle Rally, and each September, thousands of bicyclists arrive for a 100-mile-long loop race.
There’s no shortage of things to plan to do in Red River, but in such a setting, plans can sometimes be forgotten. Here, the timeless mountains suggest a slower pace, and following a schedule may become less important than sitting down to watch the sunset.
-—Mike Smith
For info: www.redriver.org, (575) 754-2366
Corrales: Horsing Around
Nestled between Albuquerque, that teeming metropolis of a half-million souls on the south, and Rio Rancho, that mecca of subdivisions and shopping centers on the north, is the tiny village of Corrales, population 7,300.
As you drive north on Coors Boulevard through Albuquerque’s west side, Corrales comes up suddenly -— the transformation from city to rural village happens in less than five minutes. Coors narrows into Corrales Road, the village’s main thoroughfare, and the traffic falls away, the speed limit drops to a leisurely 30 mph, and car dealerships and strip malls give way to green pastures, eclectic galleries, and dirt roads where dogs are still allowed to sing the town’s residents to sleep at night.
Situated along the Río Grande, Corrales is one of the few places in New Mexico’s high desert where there’s ample pasture for grazing horses. In fact, the town was named for the corrals built here by Spanish settlers in the early 1700s.
Today, that agricultural tradition continues with vineyards, fields of green, apple orchards, and stables. Along the bosque -— the shady woods that line the river —- horseback riding is a favorite pastime; check out Lazy River Pony for rides around town.
But don’t think of Corrales as a dusty agricultural backwater. Half latte, half red-chile burrito, the village is a fusion of pastoral New Mexico charm and artsy funk. You can consult a psychic at the Moon Dancer Book Store, then wander over to Casa Vieja, a bistro and tavern housed in a 300-year-old adobe, for dinner and live music. Bed-and-breakfasts take the place of motels, and galleries featuring local artists dot Corrales Road. Check out the Corrales Bosque Gallery, where you’re sure to find one of the 23 local artists who cooperatively operate the gallery and show their work there.
The old San Ysidro Church, built in the 1800s (the original church was destroyed in a flood), was bought by the Corrales Historical Society in the 1970s. On the first weekend in May, community volunteers come out for “Mudder’s Day,” when they perform routine maintenance on its adobe façade. Throughout the year, the church hosts many local events, including the Music in Corrales series. Watching a jazz band or a bluegrass group perform within the old church’s three-foot-thick adobe walls is just one more of Corrales’s timeless pleasures.
-—Heather Apodaca
For info: www.visitcorrales.com, (505) 350-3955
Mesilla: Making a Run for the Borderland
Just 27 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, Mesilla sits comfortably between the outskirts of Las Cruces and the Rio Grande. Because it was part of Mexico until the Gadsden Purchase in 1854, this town of about 2,000 retains the vibe of Old Mexico—albeit with fun shops, restaurants, and nightlife that make it a favorite day trip and gathering spot.
Rich in history, Mesilla’s been visited by such area icons as Billy the Kid -— who was tried and convicted of murder here in 1881, but escaped his date with the rope, which had been ominously set for Friday, May 13 -— the Butterfield Stage, and Pancho Villa, who’s said to have occasionally rested at the long defunct Corn Exchange Hotel.
Today, the establishments that line the historic Plaza are a browser’s and diner’s paradise. For a satisfying meal in a place known for its authentic cuisine and border atmosphere, the newly remodeled La Posta is a good bet. The newer Cafe Don Felix has a relaxing vibe and features a patio with views of the Plaza.
Need a cold Corona on a warm day? El Patio, which will soon celebrate its 75th anniversary as a cantina (and was once the office of the Butterfield Stage Line) has long anchored the Plaza’s south side, and is adjacent to a Nambe store, which carries its signature tableware. Julienne Hadfield, a respected local bead artist, maintains a small shop here, and the Mesilla Book Center carries a wide selection of regional titles and bestsellers, with two gentle little dogs serving as hosts. Just south of the Plaza, the Fountain Theatre, the oldest operating adobe movie theater in the state, nightly screens foreign and independent films, as well as movies shot in New Mexico.
Recent years have seen many new businesses take root on N.M. 28, just ashade northeast of the Plaza, including the newly expanded St. Clair Winery & Bistro, which offers an international bill of fare infused with local flavors. You’ll also find shops such as LuLu’s, which carries a diverse selection of home furnishings, jewelry, and funky doodads. The recently remodeled and reopened Meson de Mesilla offers French and Spanish cuisine, overnight accommodations, an upscale bar, and nightly jazz performances by the house band, Smoke, fronted by the inn’s owner, Cali McCord.
This month, Mesilla will be ablaze for Cinco de Mayo, a celebration of a major Mexican victory over the French at La Puebla in 1862. Expect to see performances by traditional musicians, dancers, and artists.
Best of all, Mesilla manages to define cool by recognizing its roots while welcoming change.
-—Jeff Berg
For info: www.oldmesilla.org, (575) 524-3262
Cloudcroft; Moseying Down the Boardwalk
Twenty miles east of Alamogordo on U.S. 82, the air thins and the sun intensifies as the road rises to 8,600 feet. Cacti give way to towering waves of rock rising from the sea of alpine-green trees, and establishments offering taxidermy services, mouflon sheep, and homemade cider dot the road upto Cloudcroft.
With a year-round population of about 768, tiny Cloudcroft is an eclectic and relaxed mix of the rustic and the sublime. On Burro Street, the main drag, boardwalks stretch down two long blocks. Colorful signs, flowerpots, and benches dot the way, and jazzy music from outdoor speakers at the Pine Stump Mall drifts through the air.
Cloudcroft’s shops are consistent only in their uniqueness. Jamocha Bean coffeehouse serves up breakfast and lunch in a cozy, colorful nook full of plants, artwork for sale, and a couple of overstuffed sofas. A short way up the boardwalk is Cricklewood Candle Company, an exquisite shop that would be equally at home in Santa Fe, and is replete with natural home and bath products. Tear yourself away from the boardwalk and head across the highway to explore Wolf Creek Antler Works, a smoky shop of massive chandeliers, lamps, and furniture made from elk horns, 90 percent of which, says proprietor Joe Carroll, come from the nearby Mescalero Apache Reservation.
Small houses in various stages of repair, some with rental signs, line nearby streets named for mountain animals. The abundant lodging options range from Cloudcroft’s high-end haunted hotel, The Lodge Resort & Spa, to a plethora of inns, cabins, RV parks, and hotels for every budget.
Most travelers come for the mountains, which provide outdoor recreation opportunities year-round: birding, mountain biking, skiing, hiking, and ice skating. Check out the Lincoln National Forest ranger station (61 Curlew Place, 7:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday) for information, or stop by the High Altitude shop on the boardwalk for tips and outdoor gear.
This little town without a traffic light really does have something for everyone -— from rugged types to sophisticates.
-—Elaine Kaufmann
For info: www.cloudcroft.net, (866) 874-4447, (575) 682-2733
