Alonzo Cohoe, Sanostee NM
When I was younger, winters were different. Snow would start in October and last into May. I remember in my junior year of High School, 1980, everything was clear on May 5th, but the next morning we woke up to a foot of snow. There were no “snow days” back then. The bus still came down the dirt roads, and we walked half a mile to meet it, snow or sunshine.
Our parents would wake us up before sunrise, telling us to go run. We would run in the dark, calling out so the Holy People would hear us. That was part of staying strong and living a long life.
In the summer, our family went to the mountains to gather berries and plants. In the fall, we collected juniper, piñon, oak, and roots. We boiled them like tea that was our medicine. We didn’t depend on clinics the way we do now. We knew how to take care of ourselves.
Today, I see things differently not just from experience, but from the work I’ve done. I’ve been working with grazing and land management since the early 2000s, and one thing is clear: if we don’t take care of the land, it won’t take care of us.
I’ve seen what overgrazing can do. I’ve seen how water sources affect everything grass, livestock, and our way of life. But I’ve also seen change. When people work together and pay attention to what’s being shared policies, plans, and knowledge we can restore balance.
Everything is connected land, water, animals, and people.
What we knew back then wasn’t just tradition, it was a system of survival and wellness. That’s something we need to remember if we want to move forward.