Just how many children did Lorenzo Hubbell
father?
Indian trader's womanizing is detailed in new book
Bill Donovan
Diné Bureau
GALLUP — Someday, someone will write a book on sex and the Indian
trader and detail what Anglo traders on the reservation did to keep
themselves entertained on those cold Navajo nights.
But until that day, historians will have to rely on a biography recently
written by Martha Blue, a former DNA attorney, concerning the life
of Juan Lorenzo Hubbell, the father of the trading post system on
the Navajo Reservation.
But the most provocative portion of the book deals with Hubbell's
rumored liaisons with many young Navajo women in the Ganado area and
sheds light on a question that many reservation residents have pondered
for the past 70 years just how many Navajo children did Hubbell father?
Blue, who now has a private practice in Flagstaff, devotes a section
of her book "Indian Trader: The Life and Times of J. L. Hubbell"
to the subject of his reputed womanizing.
If you talk to Ganado area residents today, they will list the number
of Hubbell's descendants in the hundreds, if not the thousands. Blue
indicates in the book she doesn't know and says the subject is worthy
of further study.
She writes that several elderly women remembered the trader "went
for young Navajo girls" and "sired sons."
"Indeed his predilection led to many local stories," she
writes. "In one, all the blue-eyed Navajo children in Ganado
are Hubbell descendants; in another, his burial site on Hubbell Hill
was chosen to keep all his 'Navajo beauties' in sight."
She said in Navajo culture, a woman who has a child by a man who is
married, as Hubbell was, is referred to by other Navajos as a "stealing
wife."
"(Hubbell) must have done a lot of stealing," she writes,
since records kept by the Franciscans at St. Michaels Mission list
six Navajo women as Hubbell's Navajo wives. Other women she interviewed
also reported that their grandmother or great-grandmother who were
not among these six also had children by Hubbell.
Hubbell's womanizing apparently took on more uncomfortable aspects
at times, since some women interviewed on the subject talked about
feeling awkward going to the trading post and having Hubbell stare
at them.
One of the granddaughters of another trader on the reservation, Sam
Day, said when she and her sister visited the trading post when they
were teen-agers, they would be chased by "Old Man Hubbell,"
who kept teasing them by saying he was "going to pinch their
t (breasts)."
Blue's book reports that Hubbell was generous with Navajo women and
that there was a possibility that this generosity which included gifts
of food led to sexual liaisons.
"Since the spelling of early Navajo names varies so, trading
post account books, which could indicate preferential financial treatment
for specific individuals, are inconclusive," she writes.
All of this talk about illegitimate Navajo children has not set well
with Hubbell's non-Navajo descendants, Blue writes.
"There is also some bitterness about non-Navajos'
lack of formal recognition of these Hubbell Navajo children and grandchildren,"
she wrote. "At the Hubbell family reunion in Arizona in the late
1980s, conference organizers discouraged Hubbell's Navajo descendants
from publicizing their claims to be added to the formal family tree
until Dorothy Smith Hubbell (wife of Hubbell's son, Roman) died."
Dorothy Hubbell died in 1993.
These tales of Hubbell's womanizing, which up to now have just been
rumors, brings up the question of womanizing by other old-time traders.
Ellis Tanner, a fourth-generation trader, said that while "these
things happen," he doubts it was common.
He said Navajos who say they believe they are descendants of an Anglo
trader occasionally come into his trading post in Gallup.
Usually, the name that is mentioned most in the Gallup area is Dan
DuBois, a contemporary of Hubbell who operated a trading post in the
Vanderwagen area and who was reported to have three Navajo wives roughly
at the same time.
Martin Link, former director of the Navajo Tribal Museum and a writer
and teacher of Navajo culture and history, said the number of traders
on the Navajo Reservation who were womanizers was small and may have
consisted almost entirely of two names DuBois and Hubbell.
Any reading of the dozen or so books that have been written by or
about some of these old-time traders would lead one to doubt the Anglo
traders had either the opportunity or the strength to fool around,
he said, since they spent long hours working at their posts.
He also pointed out that most of the traders had wives who worked
alongside them and who would have objected to any extramarital affairs.
In Hubbell's case, his wife was probably like "Italian wives
who would rather be ignorant of what their husbands were doing."
Bruce McGee, who runs the Heard Museum Gift Shop in Phoenix and formerly
operated a trading post in Keams Canyon, also comes from a long line
of traders.
Because a Navajo named his or her child after a trading post owner,
McGee pointed out, didn't always mean there was some kind of sexual
liaison.
"Often times, it was done as a sign of respect," he said.
Link agreed, pointing out that a lot of Navajo families took the names
of U.S. presidents, such as Lincoln, Washington and McKinley, in the
same way.
He also pointed out that most of the children fathered by DuBois and
Hubbell never took their names.
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List of DWI offender's names irritates
many people
Zarana Sanghani
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Many readers of the Gallup Independent have criticized
the paper's decision to print the names of more than 900 McKinley
County residents who were arrested five or more times since 1984 for
driving while intoxicated.
The list was printed March 25.
The Independent requested and received the information from the Office
of Government Research at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
The office has a contract with the New Mexico Bureau of Traffic Safety
to collect and provide records.
Since then, readers have voiced their concerns.
Grady Gamble of Thoreau called when he found his friend, Gary Chandler,
in the paper. Chandler has been dead for a year.
Chandler had stopped drinking heavily a few years before he died.
He had been the umpire for the Thoreau Little League baseball team
and the chaplain for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1313, Gamble
said.
Now, Chandler may be remembered just as a drunken driver, Gamble said.
However, Gamble said he thought the story and list were important
information for readers.
"The only reason the list upset me was because there were dead
people on there," Gamble said. "There are menaces to our
society who are driving. Your article hit it on the head."
Dorothy and Tom Becenti of Crownpoint said the list should not have
been printed unless the Independent got permission from each person
on the list.
They worried about the people whose names appeared on the DWI list
whose offenses occurred many years ago.
"Some of these people 10 to 15 years ago were alcoholics, but
they have changed. They are leaders in the community," Tom Becenti
said. "Now as a father, they tell their kids what not to do.
These kids pick up the paper and think, 'My daddy said not to drink,
but look what happened in the past.'"
The list could hurt former alcoholics who have worked hard to stay
sober, the couple argued. They could lose their job or revert to alcoholism,
the Becentis said.
Kathy Yazzie, a counselor at the Na'Nizhoozhi Center Inc., said some
people may return to drinking if their self-esteem suffers.
For some former alcoholics who saw their name in the list, "it
can bring about a lot of stress that can bring them back to (alcoholism),"
Yazzie said. "For people to be put on a list I'm sure they feel
stigmatized."
Not everyone would be adversely effected by seeing his or her name
on the list, Yazzie added, but printing the list was inappropriate.
Whether the list causes any harm, the emotional pain it brought is
unacceptable, Tom and Dorothy Becenti said.
"We don't like these people to be hurt again. To me they've already
been hurt," Tom Becenti said. "I'd consider this as double
jeopardy."
The Becentis said the men and women on the list had to endure a punishment
when they were arrested, so they should not be penalized again.
Magistrate Court Judge John Carey said publishing the names might
have been insensitive.
"Clearly those (names) are public records that you have the right
to do (with) as you see fit, but I don't know that it's the right
thing for you to do," Carey said. "We (the society) have
agreed that these shall be the penalties. When an offender has paid
their debt, maybe that should be the end of it.
"As a people, we have decided collectively not to be in the business
of shaming offenders beyond what penalties there are provided in the
statutes."
The Independent's assistant managing editor, Bill Donovan, said the
list gave valuable information to the public.
The list was sought after a story by the Associated Press ran in the
paper. The story said McKinley County had the second highest number
of people, 497, with five or more DWI arrests.
(The published list contained more than 900 names. The AP said the
discrepancy in the numbers may exist because the AP got its information
from a different source, the New Mexico DWI Resource Center.)
"When people saw the 497, they thought, 'Who are those 497?'
They thought, 'I wonder if my friend is one of those 497,'" Donovan
said. "The public has a right to know."
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Driver charged with 3 deaths
Tanya Brazil
Staff Writer
GALLUP — The suspected drunk driver who allegedly led police
on a high-speed chase last month, causing the deaths of a Navajo couple
and their 8-month-old baby, was arraigned on three charges of vehicular
homicide Friday.
Johnny Cabellero, 30, who is being held in lieu of $100,000 bond,
also attended his preliminary hearing in district court, where he
was informed of the charges against him. If convicted, he faces 18
to 27 years behind bars.
According to the criminal complaint, Cabellero is facing three counts
of homicide by a motor vehicle in connection with the March 13 accident
that resulted in the deaths of Ray, Christine and Shasawn Hobb.
He is accused of causing the deaths either by driving while under
the influence of alcohol or drugs or by driving "carelessly or
recklessly," with disregard for the rights and safety of others,
the criminal complaint states.
At one point on the night of the police chase, Officer Tod Heaton,
the Gallup police officer in pursuit of Cabellero, clocked him at
speeds of up to 95 mph, a police report said. Judge Grant Foutz said
he would enter a plea of not guilty on Cabellero's behalf because
he had not been appointed a lawyer.
Foutz instructed Cabellero to fill out paperwork requesting a public
defender. If qualified, he said, Cabellero would be appointed counsel
late Friday or Monday.
Prosecutors are also looking at the possibility of filing an additional
charge of driving while intoxicated against the defendant. "I
would say DWI would be the underlying basis of the vehicular homicide,"
said District Attorney Mary Helen Baber.
Baber said she expects the McKinley County Grand Jury will not reach
its decision until Monday because there are a large number of witnesses
and evidence the prosecution has to present.
A Gallup roofer and father of two, Cabellero said he expects his family
to support him through the ordeal.
He said he was expecting family members to be in court Friday. However,
by the close of the preliminary hearing, they had not arrived. Cabellero
said he wants to wait until he talks to his lawyer before commenting
further on the case.
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Area in brief
Chapter meeting
COYOTE CANYON — There is a regular chapter meeting noon Sunday
at Coyote Canyon Chapter House.
Alcohol server class
GALLUP — There will be a McKinley Alcohol Server Training Class
9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday April 9 at the Gallup Elks Lodge, and
9:30 to 3:30 Tuesday April 11 at the Grants Department of Labor. Information:
(505)722-3222.
Cakewalk and bingo
COYOTE CANYON — There will be a cakewalk and bingo 6 p.m. tonight
at Coyote Canyon Chapter House...
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Culinary art is made of chocolate
S.J. Ludescher
Staff Writer
CROWNPOINT — Nine culinary arts students at Crownpoint Institute
of Technology combined talents to beat chefs from all over New Mexico
at the Eighth Annual Chocolate Fantasy.
More than 800 people bought the $100 tickets to attend the event,
voting the CIT students' entry as "The People's Choice."
In addition, the students also garnered a second place ribbon in the
"Best of Show" category.
The students lost the "taste test" by only a half point,
being beaten by an instructor from an Albuquerque school program.
The CIT class had provided truffles for a taste sample...
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Unlimited terms tabled by council
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — The Navajo Nation Council decided Thursday to table
a vote on unlimited terms for school, farm and land boards, making
it doubtful that two-term incumbents will be able to run this year.
By a 46-30-2 vote, the council tabled until its July session a proposal
to change the election code to remove the two-term limit for membership
on the boards plus the Navajo Board of Election Supervisors.
With the normal filing deadlines long since passed, the tabled resolution
would have allowed write-in candidates in August so that incumbents
would have qualified...
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Navajos court tourist industry
Nancy Watson
Diné Bureau
GALLUP — The Navajo tourism office is aggressively pursuing new
approaches to win the eye and capture the dollars of summer tourists.
"Tourism is a viable means to boost economic development on the
reservation," said Kathie Curly, public information officer and
marketing coordinator for the tribe's tourism office. "It's a
clean industry and everyone can participate."
Curly is charged with getting the word out about the reservation.
To do that, she is promoting the reservation and forming alliances
with organizations and other tribes interested in promoting the area...
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Pedestrians identified
Staff Report
THOREAU — State police have identified the two pedestrians killed
March 30 when they were hit by a semitrailer on westbound Interstate
40 near Thoreau.
Tyrone Day, 17, of Thoreau and Timmy Tolth, 16, of Borrego Pass were
students at Thoreau High School.
Police said the trucker, Billie Dean, 41, saw the two boys walking
down the center of the interstate and tried to swerve to avoid hitting
them, but was unsuccessful. The young victims died at the scene around
2:30 a.m., police said...
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Female officers assuming larger roles
on police force
Nancy Watson
Staff Writer
WINDOW ROCK — When Irene Six became a tribal police officer 10
years ago, few women made it through the rigors of the tribal police
academy.
But things have changed since then.
Five of the six women enrolled in the last class graduated, compared
to an overall rate of about 60 percent.
Today, more than one out of every six police officers is a woman,
and that percentage is growing...
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The road to being a police officer is
long and arduous
Nancy Watson
Diné Bureau
TOYEII, Ariz. — In a world where only 15 of every 300 applicants
go through the police academy and become officers, training a recruit
to become a good policeman can be expensive.
Capt. Francis Bradley, commander of the police academy in Toyeii,
estimated it costs about $80,000 to train a police officer and another
$40,000 to put him or her in a vehicle.
A recruit must haveen watching this shift take place from a predominantly
male police force to one where women are beginning to take a larger
role in providing protection for Navajo residents...
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Deaths
Kathlyn Qilapupui
ZUNI — Memorial services for Kathlyn Qilapupui, 37, will be held
at 1 p.m., Sunday April 9 at the Zuni Christian Reformed Church. The
Rev. Mik Meekhof will officiate. Burial was held on Wednesday, April
5 in Choiseul, Solomon Islands.
Qilapupui died April 4 in Gizo, Solomon Islands. She was born Jan.
26, 1963 in Choiseul, Solomon Islands.
Qilapupui was a seamstress, cook and gardener in the Solomon Island.
She owned a tailoring business in Gizo, Solomon Islands. She was known
for her stories and crafts.
Survivors include her son, Robson Paleka; daughters, Royceleen Loqa
Holmes; parents, Stella Loqa, Renga Paleka, Nason Tanavalu and Nita
Tanavalu; brothers, Peter Pitamori, Silas Peu, Patrick Pitakamuki;
and sisters, Belindya Qilawuwunu, Naolyn Qiladundulu, Clara Qilamasara
and Hera Baricolo.
Qilapupui was preceded in death by her step-father, Silas Pitakamuki;
adopted father, Moses Pita; and clan father, Job Vilaka.
The family will receive friends and family after the memorial services
at the Ken and Jennifer Holmes residence in Zuni.
Donations can be made to the Zuni Christian Reformed Church for the
Robson Paleka fund.
John R. "Woody" Woodworth
TIJERAS — Memorial services for John R. "Woody" Woodworth,
69, will be held at 3:30 p.m., Sunday, April 9 at the Episcopal Cathedral
of St. John, 318 Silver Ave. SW. Cremation has taken place.
Woodworth died April 6 in Tijeras. He was born in 1931 in Gallup.
Woodworth was a resident of Gallup. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy
and served on the USS New Jersey during the Korean Conflict. He was
retired from Sandia National Laboratory with 28 years of service;
a member and past president of the New Mexico Herpetological Society;
former member of the NM Audubon Society, Hawkwatch International and
the Talking Talons. He was also a member of the Friends of Tijeras
Pueblo, the Albuquerque Archeological Society; the Archeology Society
of NM. and the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John. He was an outdoorsman.
Survivors include his wife, Nancy J. Woodworth of Tijeras; son, John
R. Ball of Edgewood; daughters, Lisa McKenna of Albuquerque, Thalia
Woodworth of Stamford, Neb.; and Diane L. Ball of Thoreau; brother,
Hugh Johnson Woodworth Jr. of Long Beach, Calif.; sister, Sally Noe
of Gallup; and six grandchildren.
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