This program requires the students to use all their senses including their intuition, teaching them to trust themselves, communicate from the heart, and be aware of the world around them. Through hands on work with the horses in the ring, they will learn different riding and handling techniques in preparation for riding and tracking excursions in the woods and open meadows. On the tracking excursions the students will learn about the various herbal, plant and animal life of the abundant Jemez Forest.

Each student will have a Track pack which includes:

Red Bird

In this course, students make a pair of moccasins from tanned elk, deer, or moose hide. They learn the ways of hide-working from a Native American elder, using traditional materials such as bone awls to fashion the holes, and sinew thread for sewing the shoes from the inside-out, which hides the stitches and creates its unique appearance and U-shaped uppers.

Dolly Luhan

Fine line painting is an art that requires a steady hand and a penchant for repetition. The lines are painted, one-by-one, onto pieces of pottery, until they intersect in a complex pattern that compliments a particular scene or symbol Ð for example, a bear claw in the center, or a landscape with several traditional pueblos. Through the combination of these designs and symbols, a story is told through these pieces.

In this workshop, Dolly teaches students the basic techniques of fine line painting, beginning with the strokes themselves. Painting each stroke is a meditation in itself.

These lines are practiced in pencil first, before they are painted over with special fine brushes. Students learn to make each individual line, understanding how each line contributes to the structure and essence of the finished piece. As they master their strokes and designs, students complete the workshop with a painted piece that tells a story of their own.

In this workshop, students learn about the significance of medicinal herbs in Native American culture, by identifying and collecting plants that are indigenous to the region and preparing simple remedies. Their first project is creating their own smudge stick, a bundle of dried herbs or plants, most commonly sage, that are burnt during sweats, ceremonies, and sun dances, for its balancing properties. Students also learn to utilize different parts of the plants they collect. For example, they use the root of a wild yam for a pain relief remedy, and then use the tuber (underground stem, like a potato), for food. Each plant is respected for its various uses and healing properties, and is prepared with an accompanying story about its place in Native American history and culture.

Sand painting is an art form that dates back thousands of years in indigenous cultures. Tibetan monks paint elaborate mandalas with lines of sand over a period of several days, before destroying them as a metaphor for the impermanence of life. Navajo sand painting is done for both ceremonial and artistic purposes, and is also destroyed after completion, to protect the sacredness of their designs. The sand paintings are said to have healing powers when painted by a Medicine Man or Singer. Instead of using metal tools, Navajo medicine men create the paintings by letting the sand fall delicately through their fingers.

Students are introduced to the artistic form of sand painting, which incorporates many elements and symbols of sacred ceremonial sand paintings. They first learn the significance of the four primary colors: white, yellow, blue, and black. The colors represent four sacred mountains and their directions: Arizona's San Francisco Peaks (west), Navajo Mountain in Utah (north), Mt. Blanco in Colorado (east) and Mt. Taylor in New Mexico (south). Under the guidance of a Navajo elder, the students learn to hold and maneuver the sand in their hands to create their designs in traditional methods, starting from the center and painting outwards. The final project is a collaboration, in which each student contributes one of their individual paintings to make a group mural.

Teacher, HawkQuest Workshop (Kin is developing a workshop specifically for The Art Ranch TBA)

Kin created HawkQuest believing environmental awareness is a key to the survival of the world as we know it, and education - of our nation's youth in particular - is paramount to this process. He has developed many educational programs such as HawkQuest's unique Classroom-in-the-Wild. Kin has received national recognition for his work combining educational and ecological concerns, having appeared on both local and national television programs. Kin also serves as a consultant to organizations that promote the welfare of birds of prey.

The sweat lodge, or inipi, plays a significant role in many Native American tribes, as a source of spiritual preparation for dances, ceremonies and vision quests (solitary rites of passage). The sweat lodge in Native American tribes is used for cleansing and purifying, as it reconnects the individual to their relationship with the earth and his or her inner spirit.

In this workshop, members of the Sioux tribe teach students about the ceremonial uses, practices, and construction of a hot-rock Sioux sweat lodge. The workshop begins with stories and legends about the role of the sweat lodge in spiritual life. Students build a sweat lodge by assembling willow saplings, and digging a fire pit for the heating of the stones. In preparation for the sweat, students process through storytelling personal writings, and circle sharing. The students then participate in a ceremonial sweat lead by a Native American elder, who guides them through the process step-by-step.

This workshop is open to Group 3 (ages 15-17) only.