7 minute read
One in a Million
By Nerizze Pauline L. Tan
As soon as the mahogany doors open, leading into his humble abode, the brightest grin in the whole city will greet you wholeheartedly. His cheeks, tinted rosy, glow a healthy 63 years young. The tranquil, clear blue waters float in his hypnotizing eyes and if you’re lucky, maybe he’ll allow you to dive into the depths of his old soul that is filled to the brim with a thousand life stories. He stands with an air of authority surrounding him, but do not be fooled, he is the biggest teddy bear with a heart too big for his body.
A man of wisdom and knowledge, Carl Granfors was born in Pontiac, Michigan. He originally graduated from the University of Michigan, where he took his undergraduate degree in General Studies. “I thought I was going to be a lawyer at that time. I couldn’t handle it. I couldn’t do math! Math sucks!”, Carl jokingly said, as he thought about his early math skills equating to his admission test woes. He is one of the few people whose laugh is so contagious, but genuine at the same time. He is also a proud Master’s Degree holder from the Northern Arizona University, in Flagstaff, Arizona.
He is living his life and not just existing. That is what most of the human population tends to forget. After spending a year and a half in Tucson, 1977-78, as a kindergarten teacher, Carl decided to move and take on one of the most challenging experiences that would change his life.
Not everyone is mentally and physically fit for struggle. Not everyone can jump head-on into the pitfall with full determination. He isn’t a superhero who saved the world from impending doom, but having a profession as an educator is almost as close to that. “I was absolutely stark crazy! I was a madman!” His laugh resonates deep within his belly and bounces around the adobe walls. “Tucson was too hot to tell you the truth. I saw an advertisement for a teacher on the Havasupai Indian Reservation in the paper. I knew I wanted the experience of teaching in the bottom of the Grand Canyon, as soon as I saw the ad. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass on.” He allowed himself to sink into his memory lane and travel nearly forty years back; back to where there was no television (in Supai), no cell phone, “no nothing”, as he said- only books and videos. Back to the old days, back to 1978..
“It was the most unusual work experience I’ve ever had in my entire life. I remember the night I walked into Supai for the first time, it was on a full moon.” He was lost in thought as he attempted to relive his first experiences in Havasupai. “I could hear Bob Marley and the Wailers music playing in the distance, as I walked into the village.” He drifted off again, “Living in such a remote place is really an indescribable experience, understanding the isolation and the remoteness, part of a process.”
The Tribe he worked for is The Havasupai Tribe, translating to ‘People of the Blue-Green Water.’ There are books, videos, etc. of the famous Havasupai people and waterfalls on social media and elsewhere. The only way to reach the village is by walking the 8-mile trail from your vehicle, riding a horse, or hitching a ride in the helicopter. “If you need to jump in the car to go get something… forget it. It isn’t going to happen, so you had better be creative. Plan ahead and be creative in problem solving.” Carl didn’t have to worry much about it though, when he did go out of the Canyon. He owned a cool horse named Show Low. (Named for the town or after a gambling term!). He packed Show Low with food, vegetables, fruit, etc. for a week or two, or more. “You mostly had to carry it in yourself.” Since Havasupai is a small community, the teacher housing consisted of just two houses- for the principal and teachers. The town of Supai had 500 or so people at the time. The tribal council was also the school board back then. Usually, with the other Native American tribes, the council was different from the one overseeing the school. Carl interacted with them often as he worked at the Havasupai School. He was a teacher at times for 42 children, all under one roof, with a big bell in front, which used to ring every morning.. (Right after he left, a new school was built, which is being used today.) Communication was also one of the issues Carl had to face when working there. “Once, the telephone line broke, up in Havasu Canyon, during a storm. The maintenance crew needed to go up the Canyon to fix the line. I figured…the sooner it gets fixed, the sooner we will all have service again. As it was a Sunday, help was needed. I actually went with the electricians and the maintenance workers to help them fix the broken line. Communication out was always difficult, it seemed.” It was a struggle- not only with technology but also with language, since the tribe has their own language
and customs. “The Havasupai are a proud, friendly and welcoming people. Although the Havasupai language is difficult to understand and learn, most of the members of the tribe were dual-language speakers.”. Carl did not see this a hindrance, but as an opportunity to see, learn, experience and support the language and traditions of the Havasupai. For example, he visited a sweat lodge with other Havasupai men, near Havasu Creek. He participated in singing songs as a part of the experience. Carl often participated, when invited, in rituals and ceremonies. “The sweatlodge was a really cool (and hot!) , spiritual and cleansing experience,” he reflected.
Although Havasupai is a major tourist attraction, surrounded by the monumental walls of the canyon, winter isolation can take a toll. “The most challenging times were from November to March, when very few visitors and tourists would come through. Fewer people means less income and entertainment for the locals. It’s darker, sometimes seemed dark most of the time, a cabin fever type thing, during winter.” A lopsided smile played on the edge of his lips. “In winter the sun rose over the Canyon walls at around ten in the morning, then set at around four in the afternoon, making for much shorter days!”, he mused. “Those shorter days were a big surprise the first winter!”.
Carl is an innate wanderer; his mind and ideas never really settling. He has seen, felt, and reached half of what we only wish. “We used to hitchhike out by helicopter when opportunity the presented itself. We would hitchhike to the Grand Canyon South Rim on weekends just to hang out and do something different.” He would sometimes get lost in his own trail of thoughts, opening another world full of adventures.
Teaching there for three years, Carl described it as, “ like being in a National Geographic article at times.” It is safe to say that he fell in love with Havasupai and stayed longer as a result. In 1981, all his collections in his three-year stay were hauled out by a friend with access to a flatbed trailer and a helicopter. “I was lucky in a way, as the alternative would have been a large pack horse team,” he sighed.
After teaching in Havasupai, Carl attained his Masters degree, then crisscrossed the Navajo Indian Reservation teaching and administrating. His last job, at Bread Springs / Bahaali Day School, he worked as the school principal; helping coordinate the move to a new school, providing the community with better educational opportunities. He retired in 2014 after working for the Bureau of Indian Education for 25 years, and over 38 years as an educator. He now resides in Gallup, NM, where he has lived for the last 16 years.
He plans to write and speak more about his experiences in Havasupai and elsewhere. He also hopes to raise awareness and attention to the continuing need for teachers in Supai and on Native American Reservations and Schools. “Native American Schools, all schools, for that matter, still need teachers. I hope that by telling a story about a place like Havasupai would inspire someone; because today, it’s hard to find teachers to teach in places like this, harder than ever. “Unfortunately, it’s still difficult to teach in these areas.”, he acknowledged. His eyes tell the purity of the message he wants to convey, that this is happening, and we can do something about it. “If your heart is in it to help people, you can make the world a better place!”
Indeed, Carl Granfors is one in a million.
About the Author:
Nerizze is presently a student at the University of New Mexico in Gallup, where she is pursuing her undergraduate degree.
