Boynton Canyon/Long Canyon, Sacred Ground to Native Americans

The Enchantment resort was built in Boynton Canyon in 1984, but it was done by agreement with the spirit guardians. When Cherokee Grandmother Golden Eagle, told the spirit guardians there that someone wanted to build in the canyon--the Spirit Keepers of the place let her know that they would only allow it on certain conditions. At the time Prince Hirindra Singh wanted to have an Ashram there. He thought people would benefit from the powerful spiritual energies.
 

The front of Boynton Canyon (vortex at small knoll)
 

The Spirit Keepers indicated, first of all, there must be free access to the deep canyon so that the Medicine Men of the various tribes could go into it and do their prayer ceremonies at certain times of the year, which they still do. The path had been cut off by previous owners, who wanted to build a gambling casino. And a gate had been put up at the entrance.
 
 

The spirit guardians insisted there should be free access to everyone, and whatever was built should be something which could benefit all people including the Native Americans. The gate was keeping out everyone but members.

Previous owners had intended to turn Boynton, Long Canyon and the tree farm into a gambling resort, Las Vegas style. A lot of spiritual people prayed the law which would have enabled that in the State of Arizona would not pass. It failed to pass by two votes.

Skeletons had sometimes been dug up when the previous owners were trying to build. Medicine men of the Native American tribes found out. They did chants. There started to be accidents, strange happenings. People vanished. Workers got sick. The owners decided to sell. They couldn't build there.

The third condition of the agreement that Grandmother Golden Eagle made with the Spirit Keepers was that the Native American graves should not be disturbed. This condition was met also. Sakina often goes to Boynton to pray to the spirits of the ancestors. The people who stay at Enchantment Resort receive the powerful spiritual energies of that sacred place, whether they are aware of it or not, and then they go and spread them to the rest of the world. That is good, says Sakina.

Nowadays, Uqualla, of the Havasupai tribe, who live inside the Grand Canyon, is present on weekends to welcome visitors and do his traditional dance demonstrating the legends of his people.
 

Jesse Kalu playing one of his many hand made flutes

     Click here for more information about Jesse and his flutes

Jesse Kalu has made many flute and story presentations at Enchantment. He came from the Marianas Islands in the South Pacific and discovered that his people had much in common with the Native Americans. Spirit led him to make his flutes and taught him to play them. His faith and his music are quite extraordinary. Locally, he is known for his ability to imitate bird calls with his instruments (and sometimes without them). Now he travels with his flutes and tells his story in many places. In 1996 he produced his first CD, One In Spirit.

The Benally family dancers, who are in demand worldwide, often do traditional Navajo dances at Enchantment. Jones Benally, the father, was National Champion Hoop Dancer in 1995.  Jeneda, his daughter, dances the legend of the Changing Woman. Sons Klee and Clayson do a dance that honors fallen warriors, appropriate in this place where many brave ones are buried.
 
 

Around 1980, a resort was planned for Long Canyon which is next to Boynton Canyon. It is said the owners ran out of money and went bankrupt. Native Americans say if people come there for the wrong reasons, the project will not be successful. Three houses were completed back then but six others had only studs and roofs erected. Until recently, they stood like haunting skeletons.
 

Long Canyon
 

One time Grandmother Eagle felt an energy-drain in Long Canyon. She looked out over the valley to see why it was there. A visionary, she could see into the past. She saw a Yavapai village and then the Cavalry riding in. They told the people that they had to leave immediately, and go south to the reservation of their enemies--who were fierce fighters. The Yavapai were a peaceful people, the keepers of the sacred places. But anyone who protested was killed and the rest were taken on a forced march over the mountains in mid-winter. The Yavapai-Apache Nation still commemorates this 'Trail of Tears' with their Exodus ceremony every February.

Long Canyon was ceremonial grounds for all the tribes according to Hopi Elder Grandfather David Monongya, who used to come there at certain times of year to gather healing herbs. When prospectors planned to look for gold there (it was once called Canyon del Oro), they decided to get rid of the Indians.

But some did return to the valley. Because they mixed with the Western (Tonto) Apache, they are now known as the Yavapai-Apache nation. They live in the Middle Verde area near Montezuma's Castle and Montezuma's Well where their cliff-dwelling ancestors once lived.

There is another resort being planned for Long Canyon now, 300 timeshares, a golf course and other facilities. Perhaps the Ancestor Spirits will allow it to be built, says Sakina, but there are over 5000 people who have signed petitions objecting to it. A lot of people love the natural unspoiled beauty of that special valley and want it preserved.
 
 

Sakina learned about her special connection with the local landscape in a surprising way.

In the 1980's, at Flicker Shack there would be a lecture every Saturday afternoon. Many gifted speakers were presented. Pete Sanders of Free Soul was one. You could sign up for a course afterwards. Frank Baronowski was another speaker. He did hypno-regressions on TV for many years and had a radio program in Phoenix. He would take a subject back to another lifetime, often to the Civil war or WWII lifetimes and then discover their name in official records afterwards.

Baronowski did a group regression at one of the churches in Sedona. Sakina recalls that about 100 people came. She regressed to a lifetime in Atlantis. Most people didn't go back that far.

Another time he came up from Phoenix and did a regression at someone's house with a smaller group, choosing Sakina for a demonstration. She relaxed in a reclining chair.

Going forward five years, she saw herself inside a tipi with her husband and little son. Then Baronowski took her forward to the end of that life. It was a shock!

"Oh! I can't!" she said, seeing her body getting smaller and smaller on the plains below. "The Long Knives got me! I fell on top of my daughter; I was trying to protect her!" She saw herself running across the plains with her nine-year-old daughter, trying to escape the Cavalry who had killed everyone in their village.

Two cavalrymen rode up behind them; one of them skewered her with his sword, and they rode on.
 

Sakina later learned that her daughter of that lifetime, Little Dove, survived. Her brother took the girl up into the Tetons for safety.

Sandra Bowen, a gifted Sedona psychic and co-author of Mysteries of the Crystal Skulls Revealed, gave Sakina a message from her ancestors in spirit. Little Dove, it turned out, was Sakina's Sioux great-grandmother. Sakina has written a book about how she found out about her Native American ancestors and their lives. They wanted her to tell their story. The book is called Little Dove, Lakota Ancestor (Medicine Bear Press).