he Adopt-A-Native-Elder Program exists to create a Bridge of Hope between Native Americans and other cultures. It allows us to reach out to one another, share our gifts, and mend the broken circle of our relationship with the Land and the Native Americans who hold it in sacred trust.
The Program supports the traditional Elders who live in the cultural and spiritual traditions of The Dine’ People. Most live in remote portions of the Dine’ (Navajo) reservation. Many live in traditional hogans, and some raise sheep as a means of maintaining themselves.
The Program provides food, simple medicines, clothing, fabric, and yarns to help these Elders live on the Land in their traditional lifestyle. As they have become elderly, it has become more difficult for them to support themselves on the Land in their traditional ways.
Miracles From the Sky: The Program is organized in the Native American Spirit of the Giveaway Circle. The Giveaway Circle has a tradition of giving the best that we have. That may be a gift of time, talents or skills, or actual gifts of food and clothing. When asked what the boxes of food and clothing meant to her, Ruth Benally explained that they were like “miracles from the sky.” The miracle is the letters and gifts that arrive from people that they don’t know and may never meet.
