Dorothea Born

Welcome!

 

Years ago I had the unique opportunity to live and work with the Navajos in Monument Valley. I worked on a horse coral in the middle of Monument Valley where we took tourists on trips from an hour to sometimes a whole week into the Valley. Through my relationship with a Navajo man I was able to experience the Navajo culture from the inside in a very special way. By adapting as much as possible to their way of life, “The Navajo Way of Life”, I have learned a lot about their customs, ceremonies and traditions. I wrote a book about my experiences: My Navajo name was "White Apple". In my book I take you on a special journey to the Navajos in Monument Valley and as a reader you get a unique look behind the scenes of this fascinating culture that is virtually inaccessible to outsiders.

 

I have always closed this magical place, with its impressive rock formation and the still very traditionally living Navajos, in my heart and could never really leave.

 

After my return to the Netherlands, I first incorporated the experiences I gained then in my graduation thesis on the weaving art of the Navajo women.  I then worked to inform as many people as possible about this fascinating culture and the special Monument Valley! I have done this by giving lectures on the art of weaving of the Navajo's and the way of life of the Navajo's and by organizing tours through Arizona. Both during my lectures and during my travels I have sometimes lifted a corner of the veil and told about my own experiences. My graduate thesis on Navajo weaving also echoes my personal experiences, but my own story, my personal story was always safely hidden inside me, waiting to be told one day.

 

I initially wrote the first few chapters of my book as a column for an America site, but soon after I decided to publish my experiences in Monument Valley in a book form.  

 

I self-published my book through a crowdfunding campaign because I wanted to tell my story, my own story without interference from third parties. Thanks to the sweet support of family, friends, acquaintances, but also strangers who dared to invest in my book, the crowdfund action was successful!

 

The book presentation on October 28, 2018 was a great success and partly due to various media attention and the many positive reactions I receive every time, the first edition is almost sold out and I am now busy publishing a second edition! I am also translating my book into English, so I hope to be able to publish an English version of my story within a reasonable period of time. As if that wasn't enough, I'm working on my graduation thesis so that it can also be published.