8 GENERATIONS OF TADIDINII
As direct descendants of Hastiin Tádídínii, we are a Diné (Navajo) family excited to share our story and emergence as the eighth generation of the Tadytin’s, aka Tadidinii’s of Antelope Canyon.
THE LAND OF LECHEE
This area, within the Western Navajo Agency on the Navajo Nation, is known as LeChee. As we are told in oral history, a certain kind of red-colored plant that grew abundantly here was called łichí’ii in Diné bizaad (the Navajo language). It has since disappeared along with other fauna and plants of the region. As the story is told, the plant was known to blossom in the morning hours of sunrise and created a vast color of orange-red in the area. The plant was known to grow everywhere around LeChee Rock.
While the plant has disappeared, the natural colors of the land are painted across the sandstone buttes, imbuing a serene welcome to an area we call home.
THE DARK HISTORY HISTORY OF ANTELOPE CANYON
Hastiin Tádídínii hid in the canyons of Antelope Canyon X and Cardiac Canyon to avoid capture during the 1860s, a period known as the Long Walk. During this time, U.S. soldiers burned villages, slaughtered livestock, and terrorized the local Navajo communities. Due to these actions, thousands of Navajo surrendered and were forced to march up to 450 miles to the Bosque Redondo Reservation in New Mexico. The march was harsh, with soldiers showing no compassion, often shooting prisoners instead of offering rest. Over 200 Navajo lost their lives on the Long Walk, with an estimated additional 2,000 perishing at Bosque Redondo.
Because of Hastiin’s knowledge of the local canyons, he avoided capture and helped others do the same. After four long years of suffering, the Bosque Redondo Treaty was signed, and Diné made the Long Walk home. The U.S. government continued its harsh treatment of the Navajo, including forcing children to attend federal boarding schools.
Known as the Corn Pollen Man for his daily habit of placing a streak of yellow corn pollen down the spine of his sheep, Hastiin became another victim of the U.S. government’s brutal policies. His daughter was forced to attend one of the newly formed boarding schools, where she and other children were punished for speaking their native language and maintaining their Indigenous traditions. When she ran away to return home, Hastiin refused to make her return to the school. The superintendent had Hastiin murdered for simply trying to protect his family.
For a deep dive into history rarely shared, view our recent documentary “Bad Indian: Hiding in Antelope Canyon.”
OUR FAMILY TODAY
Through the brutal interactions with the U.S. government, the Tadytin family showed our incredible resilience, continuing to make this homestead a legacy to pass on through generations.
At Taadidiin Tours, we share our family oral history with our guests. While on tours, you’ll hear the names of family locations in our language and see them. Each generation that followed Hastiin Tádídínii carried on his legacy and added their contributions to our story.
Each tour reminds us of where our ancestors thrived and practiced an ancestral way of life that has sustained us since we called this land home. We do so that those yet to come will be able to see the lands of those who came before them and hear their stories.
Our family matriarch, Rita Tadytin-Tsinigine, leads Taadidiin Tours.
