DV strikes home

Louella Yazzie, Ernest Tsosie, John Tsosie and Gerald Milford of the group Walking the Healing Path walk along State Highway 491 in Gallup on Monday afternoon. The four have spent the past 35 days, or 600 miles by the time they are done, walking all over the Navajo reservation to bring awareness to domestic violence. "We've discovered we've got a long way to go in getting services to people that need them," said John Tsosie, the founder of the group. [Photo by Brian Leddy/Independent]

By Natasha Kaye Johnson
Diné Bureau

A cross hangs from the hiking stick of Ernest Tsosie as the group makes their way down State Highway 491 in Gallup on Monday. [Photo by Brian Leddy/Independent]

BLACK HAT — It was the early morning hours of mid-July when participants of Walking the Healing Path were making their way into the small community of Leupp, Arizona.

“As we were walking in (to Leupp), officers were rushing in,” recalled organizer of the annual walk, John Tsosie on Tuesday afternoon. “We were wondering what was going on.”

Shortly after seeing officers speed by, the group received word from a Leupp chapter official that there was a hostage situation. A former police officer was holding his wife and children captive. The situation occurred just shortly a week after they began their walk on July 9.

The irony of the situation caused the group to be taken aback, and became an eye-opening moment in their mission to promote domestic violence and awareness. What was particularly alarming to the group was that the situation involved an officer.

“It really points to the fact that domestic violence has no boundaries, and it doesn’t discriminate,” Tsosie said as he took a break at the Speedy’s Gas Station. When the group arrived into the community that day, Tsosie said they gathered together and prayed.

“Here is the monster that is domestic violence that is making himself known,” Tsosie remembers thinking that morning.

The group talked about the situation that morning, but gathered their strength together to say that they will not be defeated by the monster.

“We’re not going to be defeated,” said Tsosie.

For the fourth year in a row, the walk has offered strength to individuals and families who are struggling with domestic violence. The 35-day walk that covered over 600 miles of the Navajo Nation’s perimeter did not only draw local community members either.

Ms. World 2007-2008, Annastasia Anderson of Minnesota, was among 25 participants who took part in the last stretch of the walk on Tuesday. It was Anderson’s first time to the Navajo Nation and some participants were surprised that she came to the Nation to take part in the walk, but Anderson said helping to prevent domestic violence has become her life’s mission.

Anderson is all too familiar with the monster that is domestic violence. As she trekked along side the median of Highway 264, she shared her experience of being a domestic violence victim, and rape and abuse victim.

“My ex-husband tried to kill me several times with a car in front of our children,” said Anderson, as her eyes began to tear. “One time when we were in the woods he put his fist up to my face and said he would dislocate my jaw so that nobody would recognize me, and then he said he would bury me there.”

It took years for Anderson to leave the abusive relationship, but she now uses her story to teach others about domestic violence.

“From every walk of life, we’re affected,” said Anderson. “If one person stays alive because we’re here walking, then it’s worth it.”

Former Miss Navajo Nation Radmilla Cody also participated in the last leg of the walk. Cody is also a survivor of domestic violence and has been an advocate against domestic violence for over five years.

“I was ignorant to this issue,” recalls Cody upon first realizing that she was affected by the social illness. “If you grow up seeing it, it becomes a normal behavior.”

It was not only victims of domestic violence that made up the crowds of walkers over the past month, but also people who were former perpetrators.

“I beat my girlfriend before and pushed her around before,” said Gerald Milford, 43, of Ft. Defiance, who walked the entire 35 days. He said he stopped the physical abuse, but the abuse took on another face and turned verbal.

“I would degrade her, and say stuff like, ‘Damn, your stupid,’” he said. “I didn’t realize that verbal abuse was just as bad.”
Young children were among the participants, like Tyra Nicolay, 8, of Shiprock participated in the walk with her mother.

“Domestic violence is when people fight and the kids and parents aren’t together anymore,” Nicolay said. “It takes your family apart.”

Visiting the smaller and more rural areas of the Navajo Nation, Tsosie saw the great need to expand prevention services.

“My eyes were really open to how much work needs to be done,” said Tsosie. “In my mind, I’m thinking, ‘How can we get more community involvement?’”

Just as the sun was setting, the group made their way into the Veteran’s Memorial Park, where they were welcomed with applause by the crowds attending the National Navajo Code Talker Day celebration.

And though the walk across the Navajo Nation to prevent domestic violence proved to be an overwhelming task at times, Tsosie vowed to the people that he will continue to be an ally against domestic violence.

“I’ll be here fighting until the problem is resolved,” he said.