Holbrook Indian School

A Wonderful People

If you have been keeping up with Holbrook Indian School (HIS), then you know a good bit about the culture at this unique Adventist school. To go a little deeper into learning about the background of the Native students that are served, specifically those of the Navajo Nation, we would like to introduce you to one of the teachers who is Navajo. To understand a little more of the

Navajo culture, we present to you Navajo language and Navajo government teacher Sam Hubbard. Mr. Hubbard was first introduced to HIS in the same way many

Navajos are introduced to the school—through word of mouth on the reservation. Back in the 1970s, Mr. Hubbard and his family were exposed to HIS through a former Navajo Code Talker with the U.S. military. “Teddy Draper had told my mom there was a school in Holbrook,” Mr.

Hubbard recalled. “‘You should take your kids there.’ That was the first time my mom heard about the school. So my mom sent my oldest brother,

Walter, and our four sisters to Holbrook.” Although he never attended the school, Mr. Hubbard would come to know the little school in the desert for himself later as a Bible worker.

It was several decades later, after becoming an Adventist, when he felt inspired to become a full-time missionary in 2001. Fast forward 21 years. He is now working at HIS in multiple roles. “When

I first came, I was the boys' dean,” Mr. Hubbard said. “At the same time, I was a Bible teacher for ninth grade.” Then, after the math teacher moved on to another job, Mr. Hubbard moved into that position, at which time The "Original Red Tape" is said to be the origin of the phrase "cutting through the red tape." From the Navajo Museum. Sam Hubbard

he was also asked to teach Navajo government. In April 2022, Mr. Hubbard took students on a special trip to the Navajo Museum and Navajo Nation Capital as part of his Navajo language class. “Part of the Navajo language class Kymberly and Mr. Hubbard look at photos of Navajo Code Talkers. is to learn about our culture and also to compare our culture to other tribes interview with Mr. Hubbard, in which he shares a and languages,” Mr. Hubbard said. short testimonial on why he became an Adventist, the “The tour guide told our students about our cultural similarities in the Bible and Navajo beliefs, and the significance and stories from the past. He talked about significance of Navajo culture for his students. Visit the Code Talkers and the historical Long Walk. He also HolbrookIndianSchool.org/hisnation/culture to read more. talked about the treaties between the United States and ____________________ Navajos.” By Chevon Petgrave and Sam Hubbard After the museum visit, the class went to the Window Rock Navajo Tribal Park and Veterans Memorial to prepare a favorite Navajo delicacy—fry bread. “I think [the origins and culture of fry bread] goes back to The Long Walk in 1864-1868,” Mr. Hubbard said. “The U.S. government gave us flour, and we had to do something with it. As a people, I don't think we made bread before that. I tell my students we are always creating new traditions, and fry bread is part of that.” ABOVE LEFT: Nathaniel The Navajo fry bread stands next to a photo Holbrook Indian School (HIS) is a first- through twelfthis a little fluffier than that of other tribes. It’s essentially a wheat dough of his grandfather (left) who was a Navajo Code Talker. grade boarding academy operated by the Pacific Union Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. HIS also manages a first- through eighth-grade day school on the mix made into a flattened, round bread. This is eaten Navajo reservation in Chinle, Arizona. Eighty-seven percent with meat and potatoes or sometimes with just honey of funding comes from individuals who have a desire to as a sweet snack. support Native American ministries and Christian education. As part of the Navajo government class, HIS students Your generosity makes a difference in the lives of our go inside the Navajo Nation Council Chambers in Window Rock. They learn firsthand about how its threestudents, their families, and the communities they serve. Thank you for your support. branch system of government operates. “The Navajo Nation has four sessions throughout the year where DEVELOPMENT they pass laws,” Mr. Hubbard said. “They do that in the DEPARTMENT Nation’s capitol at Window Rock. We usually go there to P.O. Box 910 • Holbrook, Arizona 86025-0910 watch them give their speeches and see the procedure.” (928) 524-6845 (Ext. 109) • Development@hissda.org You can read more about Navajo culture and the HolbrookIndianSchool.org school’s incorporation of it in the full HIS Nation blog BELOW RIGHT: Students making fry bread at Window Rock Navajo Tribal Park & Veterans Memorial.